No. 1 Weapon Is in Peril

Anew study of the 1.4 million members of America’s armed forces confirms persistent problems in morale, effectiveness and leadership. Though recent improvements in pay, housing and health care have eased some hardships, the military continues to fall “significantly short” of meeting service families’ expectations of a reasonable lifestyle.

A major source of stress is the rate of overseas deployments, up 300% in the last decade. In addition, the study by the private Center for Strategic and International Studies found a widespread lack of confidence in officers and other leaders and resentment of what is seen as growing micromanagement.

Presidential candidates and others who talk glibly about spending whatever is needed to maintain America’s military dominance should pay close attention to the study. It’s a reminder that military effectiveness has at least as much to do with morale and personnel quality as with the power and accuracy of high-tech weapons. Almost all the armed services have run into problems recruiting and retaining qualified personnel. Partly that’s because of the opportunities offered by a vibrant civilian economy. But the growing burdens placed on a military establishment that has shrunk by one-third since the end of the Cold War is another key reason.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has called attention to the disgraceful situation that finds thousands of service families relying on food stamps to make ends meet. For more than a quarter-century the armed forces have depended on volunteers to meet their needs. Now, increasingly, the ranks are filled with married personnel, with the percentage of marrieds rising from 36 in 1973 to 56 now. The change is credited with developing greater maturity in the services, but in the survey’s words it also “puts an unprecedented emphasis on quality-of-life issues.”

Those who are eager to spend tens of billions of dollars for new aircraft and other weapons designed to meet threats that have yet to emerge should reexamine their priorities. A more immediate and compelling need is to take better care of the people who have signed on to provide for the common defense. That means both materially, with adequate pay and housing, and operationally, by alleviating the stresses imposed by too-frequent overseas commitments. This latest survey finds a high level of pride among those serving in the armed forces. But their declining satisfaction with the quality of military life demands attention.