Military Personnel and its Benefits - Essay Example

Do Military Personnel get Enough Benefits? There is no denying the fact that army is a profession that is very unlike any other profession. No other profession pledges to sacrifice one’s life in the line of duty. However, in army, each and every soldier and officer begins one’s career by taking an oath to not to hesitate from sacrificing one’s life, while protecting the nation and the citizens. Hence, in an idealistic context, the relevant question is not as to whether military personnel get enough benefits, but rather, is there any benefit that could be deemed to be enough for military personnel?

Sadly, the mundane world is governed by economical and strategic constraints. Still, in a starkly pragmatic context, the reality is that in the contemporary scenario, not only the military personnel are getting less than sufficient benefits, but such curtailing and liquidation of benefits could have dire consequences for the national security and the overall moral of the military. Lately the Congress and the Federal administration has been vociferously evincing the desire to not only downsize the military, but also to cut on the benefits to military personnel and the veterans, going by the current economic meltdown and the recessionary trends (Scarborough A01) .

The direct conclusion that could be drawn from such intentions is that not only the nation does not have enough money to pay the salary to military personnel, but the military personnel could also expect a further cut in the benefits being extended to them. On thing that needs to be kept on the mind is that the proposed cuts are not in consonance with the nation’s strategic requirements, but rather are the results of the hypothetical financial calculations being resorted to be the Congress (Bennett 1).

Hence, any shrinking in the number of armed personnel or the benefits they deserve could have dire consequences for the strategic interests of the United States of America. The army serves the Congress. These curtailing of the military benefits will send a direct message to the military ranks that the Congress does no more affords to pay them. Even a cursory perusal of the fundamentals of HR will amply testify to the fact that such a message is bound to negatively impact the moral of the army (Maze 1).

How would a soldier dare to sacrifice one’s life in the line of duty, while his conscience is bothered by the worry as to whether he will be able to provide for his family and loved ones (Maze 1)? One other important thing is that the special perks and benefits accorded to the military personnel serve a pivotal function. These benefits not only motivate the personnel to continue to serve in a profession that is immensely hazardous, but also help attract new recruits to the military profession.

Hence, the proposed cuts will dismay the serving personnel and will dissuade the American youth from joining the military. Conclusively speaking, no, the military personnel do not get enough benefits and any further curtailing of these benefits will have a debilitating impact on the national strategic interests. Works CitedBennett, John T. “Army may Have to Cut Reserve and Guard” US News. 21 February 2012.3 June 2012. 2012 . Maze, Rick. “Budget Cuts Hurt Troops, Families, Wilson Says”.

Army Times. 28 February2012. 3 June 2012 . Scarborough, Rowan. “Pentagon Budget Trims Military: Panetta cuts Put Emphasis on Precision, not Brute Force”. The Washington Times27 January 2012, A01. Print.