Cohen Talks Morale, Readiness
13 October, 1998
By Linda D. Kozaryn
CNS Information Services
Low pay, spare part shortages, less-than-attractive retirement and health benefits. Is anyone listening to what servicemembers are saying about these issues? Yes, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said reports American Forces Press Service. The top brass is listening. Senior commanders, military service chiefs, congressional representatives and the president are hearing servicemembers' calls for help.
And they intend to do something about it, Cohen said. They all know that quality of life and morale affect the military's bottom line – combat readiness. A day after appearing before Congress to discuss military readiness, the secretary set out Oct. 7 to visit servicemembers stationed in the Persian Gulf.
At the start of a seven-day, six-country swing through the area, Cohen said his goal was to meet with local officials and talk with U.S. servicemembers. "I want to get out and see our troops, to pump up morale and see how force protection continues to evolve," the secretary said.
Talking with reporters on the way to his first stop in Bahrain, where he was to board the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, Cohen said he could empathize with troops stationed at sea and at isolated stations in the region.
Cohen said he intended to point out to America's troops that their mission is very real and that they have contributed to stabilizing the entire region. Compared to duty in Bosnia, where about 7,000 U.S. personnel serve with the NATO-led peacekeeping force, he said it's "more difficult to see and understand on a day-to-day basis that the mission in the Gulf is just as successful."
"In Bosnia, morale is very high because they see a tangible impact that they're having," Cohen said. "It's more difficult when you're flying missions over southern or northern Iraq and not seeing measurable progress."
The military has great leadership and is working to keep up morale under adverse conditions, Cohen said. While the declining post-Cold War defense budget has impacted readiness, steps are being taken to remedy the situation. In September, President Clinton met for nearly two hours with the military's regional commanders-in-chief and later promised to put more money into defense. Service chiefs appeared in early October before the House and Senate to present their concerns. During Oct. 6 hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Cohen accepted the blame for not alerting the nation sooner.
The secretary also said a billion dollars is being put into the fiscal 1999 defense budget to deal with spare parts shortages. In some cases, he said, such shortages have forced mechanics to cannibalize equipment in order to remain operational. Shortages have led to long delays so that equipment is shut down or servicemembers have to work extra hours to keep equipment in operation. The added funding will take time to work its way into the system, so there will still be a little bit of a lag there, Cohen concluded.
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