Military Musicians Need Your Help

[soccerguy315]

By the way, the Pentagon has never been audited, even though we give them $700,000,000,000 per year, more than half our country's spending budget.

The FY15 budget was almost $4 trillion, so your math is a bit off.

That said, there is plenty of waste in the DOD.

[Ghost]

That said, there is plenty of waste in the DOD.

Might as well include every government agency from cities all the way up to the federal level.

[Channel3]

Might as well include every government agency from cities all the way up to the federal level.

Um, no, dude. You don't see stuff like this about the public library. This is way, way worse. If anyone has more info on the military band budget, please post.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-turns-486-million-afghan-air-fleet-32000/story?id=26083173

Edited June 23, 2016 by Channel3

[Channel3]

The FY15 budget was almost $4 trillion, so your math is a bit off.

That said, there is plenty of waste in the DOD.

What's your source? Thanks,

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/military-spending-united-states/

[piperguy]

This topic is of great interest to me as I am a retired Army musician (26 Years) and finished my career deployed with the 101st Division Band in Afghanistan as a brass team leader. One of my Facebook friends did very thorough research and created a template letter for anyone's use to write their Senator. It contains some of the budget information asked about. He has givien blanket permission to use and modify if you choose to contact your respective Senator. Here it is:

Dear Senator [...],

I am deeply concerned about the McSally amendment, which passed via voice vote on June 16 during consideration of H.R. 5293, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2017. As your constituent, I urge you to reverse and oppose any amendment that will cut or curtail the use of military bands across our nation by striking Section 10010 from S.3000 and remove its language regarding military bands.

As you may know, Representative McSally's (R, Arizona) House amendment limits the Defense Department from using money to have musical military units perform in an official capacity for certain entertainment purposes that support our troops, their families, and our communities. These are activities the branches of the military have carried out for over 100 years in support of our military families. After reading her interview in Politico, it's quite clear that her intent is to go much further.

I served as an Air Force bandsman from 1987 to 2007 at Chanute and Scott AFB IL, Sembach AB Germany, and Hanscom AFB MA. During those years, I witnessed many times the value of a military band to the communities, to our troops, and to the students who were given exposure to quality musical performances that they would not otherwise experience. A unique American Experience offered free of charge no matter what one's cultural, economic, religious or ethnic background.

Unfortunately, military bands have increasingly become targets for appropriations cuts. There are far fewer music units (especially in the Air Force), than there were when I first came enlisted in 1987. U.S. military band spending makes up a paltry 0.075% of the defense budget ($437 million out of $585 billion). This 0.075% is, putting it bluntly, budget dust.

In 2016 the Pentagon asked Congress once again to initiate a new Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC) process. The Army’s excess capacity is 33 percent; the Air Force's is 32 percent; the Defense Logistics Agency's is 12 percent, and the Navy's is 7 percent. In other words, the Pentagon needs a smaller house to lower the rent. Otherwise, it's wasted space and wasted money. The Pentagon has repeatedly asked for this in an effort to rein in billions of dollars over the long term - money that is critically needed to deal with issues such as these that truly impact the readiness and capability of our national defense. What has been the latest response from Congress? Well instead of using BRAC to ensure resourcing for our top-line priorities, Congress seems more interested in picking the low hanging fruit that is our U.S. military bands.

I will go on record as stating that military music appropriations are NOT the problem with the budget. Quite to the contrary, it is impossible to put a price tag on the value of military music units to our troops, retirees, and communities across the country. Instead of cutting music units and their performance opportunities, Congress and the DOD would be well-advised to begin restoring military bands to former strength levels.

I urge you to oppose and/or reverse any amendment which would adversely effect military bands. Our musical ensembles are effective public relations and diplomacy tools which increase understanding, foster a deep appreciation of the rich history and legacy of our services, while bridging and uniting cultural, societal, and socio-economic differences through music. They also provide opportunities to heal.

Cutting back spending on military bands will not have any significant impact on military readiness or restore platforms like Rep. McSally's A-10 Warthog plane. Please reverse the McSally amendment in H.R. 5293 by striking Section 10010 from S.3000, and support military bands on any future Senate or Committee discussions. I would like to meet with you and/or one of your aides to discuss this matter in person.

Sincerely,

[...]

[nss2vprez]

Again, this amendment will likely spell doom to military music. Please write your elected officials. This would prohibit performances by the Marine drum and bugle corps. They would no longer be allowed to perform at DCI finals.