From Military.com:
“Help Troops Stay
Mission-Focused by Ending Food Insecurity”
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dana
T. Atkins is president and CEO of the Military Officers Association of America.
He served as a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours in fighter aircraft.
During his career, he flew as a demonstration pilot for the European A-10
Demonstration Team and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. He retired from the Air
Force as commander, Alaskan Command, U.S. Pacific Command; commander, 11th Air
Force, Pacific Air Forces; and commander, Alaskan North American Defense
Region.
In the wide web of Defense
Department budget debates and priorities, it's rare to hear about a
longstanding issue faced by many young military families -- the simple need to
keep food on the table. Food insecurity affected 29% of junior enlisted
personnel who responded to a recent Blue Star Families survey. These members
must deal with this financial burden as they navigate the early stages of their
military careers, and they must do so in many cases without the support offered
to their civilian counterparts. Because the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (formerly known as food stamps) factors in the military's housing
allowance as income, many in uniform don't qualify for SNAP benefits.
And like many problems faced by the
force, the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic uncertainty have made
things worse. This is especially true in the area of spouse employment: Almost
half of working military spouses lost their job during the pandemic, leading to
greater income uncertainty for many young military families. School and day
care closures triggered by COVID-19 have created even more problems. Food banks
near military installations are feeling the strain.
In nearly all cases, these
families do not need substantial, permanent assistance. Most will see their
financial situations improve as service members rise through the ranks. But
there can be long-term, cascading effects. For some service members, it will mean
a late start to contributing to their retirement fund. Some will seek savings
by moving to cheap, and often unsafe, housing off post. Others will find
themselves falling into the trap of payday loans and end up in a spiral of debt
and discipline from their command. Without help in the early stages of these
careers, the military risks losing the investment it makes in these members.
They'll seek other ways to feed their families and separate at the earliest
opportunity, or they'll suffer on the job from the stress of their situation or
from a simple lack of nutrition, putting their family's needs ahead of their
own.
The Military Officers Association
of America, or MOAA, and The Military Coalition have joined several advocacy
organizations in tackling this issue -- most notably MAZON: A Jewish Response
to Hunger, which has compiled a comprehensive, must-read report on the topic.
One way to help that's within reach: The creation of a Basic Needs Allowance,
which would be available to military members at or near the poverty line and
would be scalable based on income. The average recipient would get about $400 a
month, with the overall program cost estimated at $44 million a year.
Bipartisan legislation supporting
this fix has been introduced in the House and Senate. Influential senators have
asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to address the issue. As relief efforts
continue for several sectors of society dealing with pandemic fallout, it's
important that other lawmakers join this cause and ensure those who've signed
up to defend our nation aren't left out. Join MOAA and our allies in asking
your members of Congress to act on behalf of these young military families.
^ As a Military Brat I saw some
of my friends and their families struggle with food (especially when stationed
outside of the US and no access to a Food Bank.) No Solider or Sailor and their
families should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from while
they also have to worry about the lives and safety of their loved ones risking
everything to protect the United States. ^
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