The changing terrain: Sequestration
This week Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said the service is “critically short of personnel and needs to expand by more than 30,000 active-duty service members.” In a USA TODAY interview, Gen. Goldfein cited an air war against ISIL as one reason for the needed increase. According to the Defense Manpower Data Center, as of Nov. 30, the Air Force had 317,200 active duty service members. Gen. Goldfein wants to see that number increase to 350,000.
An increase of this size would literally take an act of Congress, thanks to the imposed sequestration-related budget constraints, which are in place through 2021. Curious about what service members think, First Command Financial Services surveys active duty military and spouses on a monthly basis, asking questions related to sequestration. In the November survey, 58 percent of military families indicated they believe Congress will void sequestration. Half of those surveyed believe the spending caps should be repealed on defense and non-defense spending. One-third believe Congress should reverse only the defense cuts. Less than one-in-five think the spending caps should be kept in place.
Leave a Reply