The Officer January/February 2011 : Page 15
True CosTs of War ElizabEth CoChran, lEgislativE assistant Physical, emotional, and financial issues demand action from officials, families, and individuals. he cost of war traditionally has focused on personnel and equipment, but today these costs are increasing across the board, from health care to retirement benefits. As a result of fewer war deaths and an increased number of injuries, health care costs have increased. Costs have also risen due to longer life spans, thanks to advances in technology, medicines, and procedures. In fact, for both active and reserve members, there’s about a 2 percent decrease per year in the number of projected deaths. War impacts not only physical health, however. The emotional and mental toll on troops and their loved ones is aggravated by repeated deployments. Oftentimes the families and caregivers must supplement income, particularly those families of Reserve Component members who may take a cut in pay in order to serve the nation. Additionally, some have the burden of essentially becoming a single parent while the other parent is deployed or even longer if the service member is unable to adjust after returning home. As a result, the number of programs focusing on families, including health care, behavioral health, and other pertinent areas has increased. In a Spouse Buzz blog entry (spousebuzz.com/blog/2008/), one military spouse described the evolution of change for military spouses (and families): “Before Sept. 11, 2001, being an Army wife [for me] was not unlike being an electrician’s wife, or a car salesman’s wife, or any of the other hundreds of possibilities. I didn’t eat, sleep, and breathe the military lifestyle, as I do now.” What’s more, in today’s difficult economy, military families are hit often the hardest, with some losing their homes, businesses, and livelihoods. The unemployment rate of returning veterans is double the national average, at about 20 percent. Also, more service members are staying in the military longer, resulting in higher retirement costs. According to military writer Tom Philpott, “[T]he probability of newly commissioned officers reaching retirement will climb to 49 percent from 47. For new enlistees, the assumed retirement rate will be raised to 17 percent from 15.” The increasing numbers of retirees has led to an approximate $1 billion a year cost. The Pentagon’s actuary department purports there will be about a 40 percent increase in disability retirements. Furthermore, the rate of homelessness for the younger generation is increasing, despite an overall reduction of the veteran homeless population. The Veterans Village at San Diego’s annual Stand Down event for homeless veterans suggests that as many as 9,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are now homeless. A study by the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America found that whereas Vietnam veterans spent on average five to 10 years trying to readjust to society before becoming homeless, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans can become homeless within 18 months of returning from service. Other issues that have arisen during the current wars include suicide, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, abusive behavior, such as alcoholism, and even criminal activity. This period has also seen a high rate of sexual assaults, which can be tied to other problems. To address costs in the future, the Department of Defense is attempting to tie health care costs to traditional costs of war, which can burden those typical costs. On Capitol Hill, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D–Calif.) is leading a charge to address these costs by creating a Veterans Trust Fund. “Every vote that Congress has taken for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has failed to take into account the actual cost of these wars by ignoring what will be required to meet the needs of our men and women in uniform who have been sent into harm’s way,” he said at a September hearing. Additionally, the Pentagon is slanting health care in a negative light by making such statements as “health care is eating us alive” and making new programs such as Tricare Retired Reserve more costly ( see The Officer, September– October 2010, “Rate Hike” ). Legislatively, it appears that veteran and family issues will continue to receive relatively good support, while weapon systems, equipment, and possibly personnel may endure cuts. the O fficer / J anuary –f ebruary 2011 15
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