[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 23, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S748-S749]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RETENTION OF MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS

 Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to offer excerpts from 
three very insightful, thought provoking articles recently published in 
the U.S. Naval Institute magazine PROCEEDINGS. These articles were 
written by enlisted service members on the very important subject of 
retention of enlisted personnel in our Armed Forces. This is one of the 
most critical issues facing our military services today and I am 
encouraged by the solutions our senior enlisted personnel have offered 
as it shows their deep concern for their people, their service and 
their country. Allow me to share with you some of these perceptive 
views on this complex problem:
  Senior Chief Navy Counselor Paul T. Pierce, USN writes, ``. . . what 
is the number-one reason that sailors--talented sailors, the ones we 
want to keep--cite as their greatest dissatisfier? It is not pay or 
even family separation. Those issues always are near the top, but the 
number one reason sailors give for separating from the service is lack 
of advancement opportunity.'' He further states, ``The evidence is 
intuitive and irrefutable that we cannot build a force of professionals 
if we afford them virtually zero advancement opportunity. It is really 
that simple. . . . The fact remains that today's sailors are smart 
enough to grasp that promises of better opportunity made through almost 
ten years of draw down simply are not likely to materialize in any 
meaningful way in a ``steady-state'' Navy. This generation of young 
sailors and junior officers believes it has stupendous opportunities 
outside the Navy. Real or imagined, that siren's call is beckoning to 
them-imploring them to leave us. At the same time, many of them, 
particularly our mid-grade, second-term enlisted technicians, have 
qualities that make them highly marketable on the outside. . . . If we 
want to make real headway retaining sailors, then we must make the 
restoration of advancement opportunity a readiness imperative.''
  Master Chief Machinist's Mate James P. Russell, USN writes, 
``Recognizing what sailors need is not an easy task. Sailors will 
always tell you they want more money. If we continue to chase the 
sailor's paycheck as the retention tool of choice, we will reach a 
point where we no longer can afford the price. It is unreasonable to 
expect that the Navy will be able to meet the perks and extras from our 
competition. It is the intangibles that will make the sailor stay for a 
career. We have things to

[[Page S749]]

offer that no company on earth can match: the opportunity to make a 
difference; structured guidance and support throughout a career; 
responsibility at a level unmatched anywhere; a retirement plan that is 
guaranteed to be there at the end of a career; respect recognized 
throughout the world; the chance to grow and develop in an environment 
that is tolerant of mistakes; camaraderie that cannot be matched by any 
corporation; and an opportunity to experience all this in a global 
environment.
  The person who needs to be able to transmit the knowledge of those 
perks to the sailor, and to make sure they are available, is that 
sailor's chief. Sailors are happiest when: they have a clearly defined 
mission; have ownership of their work environment; are held to fair, 
consistent and sensible standards; their families live in a clean, 
safe, and relatively comfortable location; and they receive recognition 
and pay that reflect the importance of what they do for their country. 
As the Navy leadership focuses on the first and the last, the 
responsibility of fighting for the rest lies squarely on the shoulders 
of the chief. The bottom line? Keep sailors happy and they will stick 
around.''
  And finally, Master Sergeant Michael M. Green, USAF writes, ``Our 
military and political leadership express serious concern for the ever-
growing retention and recruiting problems facing the enlisted force, 
and have initiated moderate pay improvements to help resolve these 
problems. Much more can and must be done, however, to address the real 
financial needs and expectations of our enlisted warriors. The chief 
shortfalls of the current pay structure are in basic pay, the basic 
allowance for subsistence (BAS) and education incentives.'' He 
concludes, ``There are innumerable reasons why patriots choose and 
continue to serve in our nations military. There are significantly 
fewer reasons why they opt to leave. Financial compensation is the 
chief concern to both young recruits and old wardogs. Fashioning a more 
equitable pay and allowance structure will greatly entice tomorrow's 
warriors into service as well as to keep today's enlisted force serving 
proudly. . . . Our enlisted force is not composed of second-class 
citizens. It is a collection of the guardians of our nation and our 
national interests. It is time they are compensated that way.''
  These veterans have poignantly put forward their thoughts on a most 
difficult issue in an honest and sincere fashion. Mr. President, I 
thank you for the opportunity to share their views with you and the 
Nation they serve.

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