In an article that appeared in Military Times.com this week, six former Senior Enlisted Leaders from the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Army and Coast Guard publicly expressed their opposition to the COLA cut for under age 62 military retirees that was enacted by Congress in December of last year.
According to the article, “The six senior enlisted leaders said they decided to speak out after four retired generals and flag officers issued a statement Jan. 13 voicing support for the cuts.
The senior enlisteds said the “pending changes are an assault on what they consider a benefit they’ve already earned — the promise of retirement pay that will keep up with inflation.
It is well known that military personnel serving in the Pentagon must go along with policies that are handed down from the Secretary of Defense, even if they personally disagree with the policy. In this case, the Pentagon has decided to state its opposition to the COLA cut although it does not support immediate repeal.
However, the six former top enlisted leaders spoke out publicly against the COLA cut before the Pentagon had announced its position, so their public comments are not just a matter of going along with whatever the Pentagon put out.
The statement of opposition by the retired senior enlisteds came at the same time as the testimony of TREA National President Rick Delaney this week before the Senate Armed Services Committee, also opposing the COLA cut.
