[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 97 (Wednesday, June 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1244-E1245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      RETAIN OUR SERVICE ACADEMIES

                                 ______


                            HON. BILL BAKER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 14, 1995
  Mr. BAKER of California. Mr. Speaker, as is well known, I believe in 
a limited, efficient Federal Government that spends taxpayers' money 
wisely and frugally. Yet there is no wisdom in discarding the crown 
jewels of America's military: the academies in West Point, Annapolis, 
and Colorado Springs.
  Critics charge that the cost of a service academy education is simply 
too high. This charge rests on a faulty evaluation of the numbers. 
Comparing the costs to taxpayers for ROTC graduates and military 
academy graduates is like comparing apples and oranges. Statistics used 
to show greater cost efficiency in the ROTC Program fail to note that 
ROTC costs are in addition to the normal cost of an education. For 
example, when college tuition and ROTC training are combined, the cost 
for an ROTC graduate is $214,000 over 4 years of study, while for a 
graduate of the Naval Academy, it is $203,000. The cost at West Point 
is higher--$268,000--but consider the following: A 4-year education at 
Stanford is $290,000, at MIT it is $254,000, and at Cal Tech, in my 
home State of California, it is $426,000. Much of this money is 
taxpayer-subsidized, and in the context of these expenses, the cost of 
service academy educations seem a bargain.
  And let's not forget that consistently, the Naval, Army, and Air 
Force Academies rank among the top universities in the United States.
  Further, the service retention rate of academy-trained officers is 
much higher than those trained in ROTC courses. Twenty year retention 
rates for Naval Academy graduates are [[Page E1245]] 16 percent higher 
than those trained in ROTC Programs. For the Air Force Academy, 
retention over 20 years is almost 40 percent, as compared to 27.5 
percent for other commissioning sources. Taxpayers are getting a solid 
return on their academy investments.
  None of the above slights those outstanding men and women whose 
dedication took them through ROTC or OCS Programs. Yet a 4-year 
immersion in military training is unique. In honoring nonacademy 
officers, we should not diminish the need for leaders like Eisenhower, 
Grant, Schwarzkopf, Bradley, Patton, Burke, and my Senate colleague and 
American hero John McCain.
  Yes, let's cut waste from the Federal budget, but not at the expense 
of a generation of future leaders.


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