Biden Abusing Overstretched U.S. Military for Foreign Policy Incompetence

One of the topics that ought to come up at the Thursday Biden-Trump debate, but won’t, is the fate of the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower, CVN-69. There are ten of these Nimitz-class aircraft carrier currently in service. It was succeeded by the Ford-class, of which one has been built, the Gerald R. Ford, CVN-78. Two are being built and one is on order.

The Ike’s deployment lasted nine months at sea, after two extended deployments fighting attacks on shipping in the Red Sea by the Houthi rebels. The ship’s captain denies the ship was hit by Houthi missiles. The ships also wear out with the sailors.

But it shows how Biden and our politicians, including Republicans, misuse our military. Nine months is a long time at sea. Sure, we have a voluntary military now. But if you treat the troops badly enough, they can just not “re-up,” military slang for re-enlist. That adds to the military’s existing recruitment crisis. Military.com reported, “The Military Recruiting Outlook Is Grim Indeed. Loss of Public Confidence, Political Attacks and the Economy Are All Taking a Toll.”

Except for SecDef Austin, a retired general and Raytheon executive, Biden’s top people have zero military experience, beginning with him. He wriggled out of the draft with five deferments. VP Harris, SecState Blinken and National Security Adviser Sullivan spent zero days in uniform.

When I was overseas in the U.S. Army, 1979-82, I was a single guy, so it wasn’t too bad. And West Germany was about as good duty as it gets. Yet it wasn’t so easy on sergeants with families. After reporting for duty, it took a month or so to bring the fam over. At the time, Jimmy Carter’s inflation, worse than today’s Bidenflation, was eating away at incomes. Sergeants had to go on food stamps. The year Jimmy boasted he gave the troops a 7% raise, inflation was 13%.  

According to the Defense Department, military pay raises under Biden have been (starting Jan. 2021):

2021: 3%;

2022: 2.7%;

2023: 4.6%;

2024: 5.2%.

Total: 15.5%

With compound interest, about 16.4% over four years.

Contrast what with inflation, according to numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor:

2021: 7%;

2022: 6.5%;

2023: 3.4%;

2024: 3.3%

Total: 20.4%.

With compound interest, about 21.7%.

So, using the compound interest numbers, military pay went up 16.4% under Biden, but inflation jumped 21.7%. That’s 32% higher – meaning the troops lost that much buying power.

It’s hard enough for us landlubbing civilians to survive Bidenflation. I know I’m sure having a hard enough time. Especially as I’m also dumb enough to put up with Newsomflation out here in Commiefornia.

But imagine you’re a petty officer out at sea on the Ike for nine months, as your wife and kids struggle at home. The missus is working two jobs to keep up. The kids need new clothing and braces.

A lot of guys with families I knew in the military worked second and even third jobs. But you can’t do that out in the Red Sea dodging Houthi missiles.

When the 118^th U.S. Congress took office in Jan. 2023, reported Military times, 18% of members were veterans, up from 17% in the 117th Congress, according to the tally of Military.com. “In 1973, nearly three in every four members of Congress had some type of military service.” But it doesn’t include how many were lawyers, like Sen. Lindsey Graham, the mega-hawk from South Carolina.

His Senate website boasts:

Before being elected to Congress, Graham compiled a distinguished record in the United States Air Force as he logged six-and-a-half years of service on active duty as an Air Force lawyer. From 1984-1988, he was assigned overseas and served at Rhein-Main Air Force Base in Germany. Upon leaving active duty Air Force in 1989, Graham joined the South Carolina Air National Guard where he served until 1995. During the first Gulf War in the early 90's, Graham was called to active duty and served state-side at McEntire Air National Guard Base as Staff Judge Advocate where he prepared members for deployment to the Gulf region.

I can tell you serving as a commissioned officer/lawyer at Rhein-Main, which is in Frankfurt, near where I was stationed, is a lot better than being a civilian lawyer almost anywhere in the United States.

Das Bier und Das Schnitzel!