The military may be under pressure from Defense Secretary Robert Gates to cut $100 billion in overhead costs over the next five years, but Army Secretary John McHugh signaled today that one Army expense is off the table: programs that help families cope with the stress of deployments.
"I don't want to look at family programs as a source of major realignments," McHugh said at a press conference at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual convention. Seated beside McHugh, General George Casey, the Army's chief of staff, expressed concern about soldier stress going into the "second decade" of combat, and added that a priority for the Army over the next several years would be to "build the resilience" into the force.
Stress among soldiers remains a major issue for the Army leadership. Last week, the Army acknowledged that there were 18 "potential suicides" -- that is, unconfirmed suicides -- up from 13 potential suicides (with seven now confirmed) in August. Programs to aid families cope with stress felt by soldiers returning home or families coping with the stress of deployment apparently won't be the target of serious cuts in the next Army budget, something McHugh framed as a contrast to eras of previous budgetary leanness.
So what will be cut? Casey said he was looking at "headquarters structure" as a potential savings area, including whether "we still need a 4-star general in Army Europe." Aside from that, specifics are still pending. McHugh said there were still "some crosses on the Ts" before he could state as "definitely" as some of the other services -- the Navy's top officer says he knows how he'll get rid of $28 billion -- what will be scrapped or scaled back. Meanwhile, downstairs on the convention floor, defense contractors continue to display the Army's gizmos of the present and the near future.
Photo: U.S. Army
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