News Junkie ("hot topic") Tuesday: Chuck Hagel and big Pentagon cuts

Re: News Junkie ("hot topic") Tuesday: Chuck Hagel and big Pentagon cuts

• saisongbird member

  February 2014

  Link?  Haven't heard about this and would like some info before commenting.

  
  
  RIP Dr. Irving Fishman - 10/1/19-7/25/10 - thank you for holding on for me.
  You made my wedding day complete.
  
  
    
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

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• pepperedmoth member

  February 2014

  Pick your source! It is everywhere.
  
  https://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/02/24/us/politics/pentagon-plans-to-shrink-army-to-pre-world-war-ii-level.html?referrer=
  
  https://m.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-blueprint-would-cut-army-size-as-military-adjusts-to-leaner-budgets/2014/02/24/c029e2b4-9d8d-11e3-9ba6-800d1192d08b_story.html
  
  https://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-79430266/
  
  Just to start!

  

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• amdecker1016 member

  February 2014 edited February 2014

  Great discussion topic!
  
  I guess my opinion is that it makes me nervous. Coming from a military family stand point, decreasing the number of individuals in our force makes my husband number one to be drafted if anything significant happens, since he is inactive reserve.
  
  I think buget cuts would be good for our country. I do believe that with this reduction we still will have one of the best military forces in the world- no worries there.
  
  Edit: just read the washington post article.
  I wonder if the benefits and housing allowances being cut affect veterans as well or just active duty. Because our BAH pays for our house note as well as other bills, we would take a financial hit if this happens.

  
  

  

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• ceh789 member

  February 2014 edited February 2014

  I'm for it. It's unpopular, I know, but serving in the military shouldn't be a life time meal ticket. Pensions in general are not sustainable and many veteran benefits are pensions under another name. 

  
  

  Question for @amymheidecker if your husband, who I believe gets paid for being inactive reserve, shouldn't be #1 to be drafted if necessary, what is the point of being inactive reserves? I thought that was the entire point of paying people to be in the reserves... that they volunteered to become active duty if necessary.

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• amdecker1016 member

  February 2014 edited February 2014

  ceh789 said:

  
  

  
  

  Question for @amymheidecker if your husband, who I believe gets paid for being inactive reserve, shouldn't be #1 to be drafted if necessary, what is the point of being inactive reserves? I thought that was the entire point of paying people to be in the reserves... that they volunteered to become active duty if necessary.

  There is no point in being inactive reserve. Its just to make sure the military has a "back up".
  Like from how he explained it to me, he signed an 8 year contract when he joined. 4 years is active duty- the next four is inactive. To where he is not on a base, just has to check in every 6mo to a year.
  Now he could have continued being active the entire 8 years but chose not to.
  
  So the military would want him who was trained in infantry first before they draft the guy off the street, which is completely understandable. I mean he knew what he was signing up for when he joined!
  
  Now as for getting paid, we only get his veteran benefits and GI Bill benefits for school, we don't get like an "Army Reserve" pay check.
  
  Edit: tl;dr
  inactive reserve and army reserve are two different departments. If my husband were to join the reserves he would have to go each weekend to train and such, with his inactive reserve he goes in once or twice a year.

  
  

  

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• kelley72 member

  February 2014

  I find it interesting that because military aid to veterans in pension form is not sustainable some are just find with cutting/ending it but most of those do not feel the same way for Social Security benefits which is in no way sustainable but when / if a hair of cutting/changes is even breathed people go balistic....

  I in no way want across the board military cuts, but cuts in EVERY function of government is a necessity

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