This Is Taking Care of Troops?

January 2, 2008 By CJ
Posted in Top Posts

The Army has had to suspend reenlistment bonuses for more than 20 job specialties because Congress has not passed legislation to fund the programs. Or, put another way, President Bush thinks Soldiers make enough money.

President Bush, to the surprise of Congress and the Defense Department, vetoed the fiscal 2008 Defense Authorization Act on Dec. 29 after months bargaining with House and Senate leaders.

In announcing the pocket veto, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said the president objected to a single provision of the legislation that would delay the reconstruction of Iraq, and expose the Iraqi government to unwarranted law suits in U.S. courts.

Now, I’m not a politician and maybe this SINGLE PROVISION has serious implications that I’m not aware of. Here’s where the problem lies:

Section 1083 would establish unprecedented legal burdens on the allocation of Iraq’s funds to where they are most needed. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, I have issued Executive Orders to shield from entanglement in lawsuits the assets of the DFI and the CBI. I have taken these steps both to uphold international legal obligations of the United States and to remove obstacles to the orderly reconstruction of Iraq. Section 1083 potentially would place these crucial protections of Iraq’s core assets in immediate peril, by including a provision that might be misconstrued to supersede the protections I have put in place and to permit the judicial attachment of these funds. Iraq must not have its crucial reconstruction funds on judicial hold while lawyers argue and courts decide such legal assertions.

What does all that mean? That Soldiers won’t get the bonuses they deserve.

Until a new version of the legislation is enacted, all new bonus agreements signed on, or after, Jan. 1 must include an addendum that stipulates the soldier’s eligibility for a future bonus.

However, the addendum also stipulates that the bonus is not guaranteed. Payments will not be made if the affected bonus program is not authorized in the final budget compromise.

If Congress fails to authorize a bonus, the soldier — officer or enlisted — still must meet the re-enlistment or service extension requirements of the contract.

Here’s some irony for you: the officers’ bonuses don’t seem to be affected by this “shortage” of money. As a matter of fact, they’ve INCREASED. Who are all these Captains going to lead when the troops decide not to reenlist?