If you want to know in what regard the Biden administration holds our military, look no further than a policy implemented last fall that has flown under the radar. Until last fall, the Army funded storage requests for soldiers who were deployed. That is no longer the case, according to Task & Purpose.
On Oct 1, 2023, a memo was issued by Army Sustainment Command notifying soldiers that the Army would no longer store household goods or privately-owned vehicles for “soldiers deployed for contingency operations.”
“We understand the burden this could potentially place on Soldiers,” Army spokesperson Sgt. Pablo Saez told Task & Purpose. He noted the Army’s G-1 deputy chief of staff for personnel was drafting a policy “that would enable such storage.”
Saez said the Army Sustainment command ceased using operational funds to store soldiers’ private vehicles and household goods due to policy and funding restraints, Saez said.
“Funding restraints?” With all the money the federal government blows on frivolous programs, there isn’t enough money? With all the money the Pentagon spends on diversity, equity, and inclusion nonsense (last November asking for $114 million), they cannot afford to pay storage fees for deployed Army personnel?
Task & Purpose reached out to the Army to get an estimate on how much those fees have cost over the years and why the Army decided to crack down on the practice, however, they have yet to respond.
The Army was slammed on social media.
“Not only are they going to go fight and put their life on the line, now for a year or 15 months out of the little paychecks that they have to begin with, they’re going to have to pay to store all of this stuff, to have it maintained, to have it taken care of,” said one commenter in a TikTok video. “A lot of people on here might not think it’s a big deal, but I would challenge you to look up the military paychecks. See how much they don’t make to begin with.”
For example, the U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2022 that non-family households had a median income of $45,440, almost twice the salary of an entry-level enlisted soldier.
A private in the U.S. Army paid at the E-1 pay grade earns only $24,200, while a staff sergeant with eight years of experience, paid at the E-6 pay grade, earns $51,000, according to a new 2024 salary chart. As of 2022, enlisted soldiers comprised 79% of the entire Army’s membership.
Meanwhile, officer salaries start at $45,900 for a 2nd lieutenant, which increases to $97,500 for a major with eight years of experience. Officers make up approximately 17% of the Army.
Task & Purpose noted that Joint Travel Regulations govern per diem funding for travel, transportation, and relocation and states soldiers on temporary duty assignments “may” store their goods and vehicles “if authorized/approved.” The ACS memo says previously published guidance “is not authoritative in nature and that there is no Army policy” that authorizes household goods and personal vehicle storage for deployed soldiers.
Saez told Task & Purpose that until a new policy is announced, unit commanders may use their motor pools or other secure areas to store vehicles for soldiers on temporary duty for free, Saez continued.
The change is new since deployed soldiers have long been able to store their vehicles on base. In fact, a 2010 article from the base newspaper at Fort Hood–now Fort Cavazos–advertised indoor storage for soldiers’ personal vehicles. Services also included checking the cars’ engines, fluid levels, and tire pressures.
That move last fall was in addition to another controversial announcement from the Army last October, where hundreds of non-commissioned officers were ordered to attend recruiting school after the Army failed to track how many recruiters it had, Military.com reported in December, nor did it know how many were entering the recruiter pipeline through the school at Fort Knox. That angered many soldiers, who discovered they would be potentially shipped out just weeks before the holidays.
Comments
2024-01-28T00:14-0500 | Comment by: Carlton
Just one more reason they can't meet their recruiting quota.
2024-01-28T00:14-0500 | Comment by: Carlton
Just one more reason they can't meet their recruiting quota.
2024-01-28T09:21-0500 | Comment by: Judy
Our government needs to take care of our soldiers. I guess not enough money after giving it away to millions of illegals coming across our borders.
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