By US Navy veteran Tommy Marquez, The Pipe Hitter Foundation
The American people have been through almost an entire presidential election season at this point. We have watched three major debates between the president and vice-presidential candidates. We have yet to have any conversations about serious policy questions that directly affect millions of veterans and active-duty service members every single day of their lives. Our military service members, veterans and their families deserve better than this.
There’s no other way to put this: our military and VA both need change — urgently.
Readiness levels are currently at historic and troubling lows. Recruitment numbers are down. Decades of conflict around the world, ideologically driven policy decisions and bureaucratic mismanagement on the home front have certainly taken their toll and need to be addressed.
Meanwhile, more than a decade after the wait times scandal that rocked the veterans community, the VA is still in dire need of improvement. Over the past year, the department is still beset with personnel and staffing problems, a bonus mismanagement scandal, and an inability to provide veterans access to needed health care services.
Though these problems are severe, they are not unsolvable. The next president is going to need to take sweeping action to make things better for those who have served and for those still in uniform. That begins by fixing policies and refocusing both the Department of Defense and the VA on their core missions and pressing forward with those in mind.
For too long the Pentagon brass, at the direction of the current administration, has been distracted by social experiments on race, gender, and sexuality.
While America’s enemies have been growing stronger and more belligerent, our military hierarchy has been too focused on indoctrinating the men and women of the armed forces with ideologies like Critical Race Theory and withholding pride events on bases.
At the same time, commanders have been forced to focus on things like climate change instead of the increasingly hostile threat environment in which this country finds itself.
America needs and deserves a mission focused military. That is the best thing for our troops and for the country they defend.
The military’s mission is clear: to impose our nation’s will on adversaries, and doing so in a way that prudently uses America’s finite resources to serve her interests first.
The solution is simple, remove the ideological policy directives on social and environmental issues.
Let commanders focus on countering and destroying threats and let the rank-and-file focus on being the most lethal and effective fighting force they can possibly be.
In seeking that core mission, the military needs to end unjust and politically motivated investigations and prosecutions that have weaponized the Uniform Code of Military Justice against its own personnel.
Such investigations include the case of BUDS medical officer Dr. Erik Ramey and Harrison Tayse. These actions only drive away talented and committed individuals, weakening the force.
At the same time, a strong and supportive VA system is essential for improving retention and morale. This serves both a moral and strategic objective. Prospective and current service members are discouraged when they hear about the poor treatment veterans receive after their military service.
As a Navy veteran turned public servant, I have helped countless veterans navigate the myriad bureaucratic pitfalls that they often encounter when they try to access the VA benefits they have earned.
From my perspective, there are three immediate objectives the next administration needs to pursue: employee accountability, innovation through artificial intelligence, and expanded access to community care.
A veteran’s experience with the VA, whether good or bad, often comes down completely to the quality of the interactions they have with the frontline staff on the ground. For that reason alone, there should be zero tolerance for incompetence or misconduct. Employees who lie, steal, or fail to meet performance standards should be promptly removed. This simple step would greatly improve service quality.
Artificial intelligence is opening a world of innovation across the private sector right now, and there is no excuse that our veterans should not benefit from it when seeking services. Partner with AI companies to create a streamlined process for handling VA service-connected disability claims. This will reduce delays and improve the experience for veterans seeking assistance. Also allowing the VA to refocus staffing on other critically needed areas.
Finally, many veterans simply do not have easy access to a VA hospital, whether due to geography, mobility, or other factors outside their control. That is why we should allow veterans direct access to PPO insurance like Kaiser, Blue Cross, or MetLife, so they can receive care in their local communities without unnecessary red tape or burdensome travel. VA medical centers should remain an option for those who prefer them, but simplifying access to outside care will reduce bureaucracy and save costs by eliminating third-party intermediaries.
All of this is why the Pipe Hitter Foundation exists. We stand up for veterans, service members, and first responders where they need us. That includes advocating for policies that serve those who are serving us.
The four years of the next presidential administration are going to be critical to the wellbeing of our service members and how we treat them when they come home. The next president will need to start work on policies like these on day one; and we’re going to fight to make that happen.
Tommy Marquez is a Board Member of The Pipe Hitter Foundation, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and a former senior staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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