Military Advocate Weekly Update
September 27, 2020
Good Sunday afternoon from Jefferson City! I am sending you my first edition of this column in two weeks. I was on vacation over the last weekend in beautiful (but a little smoky Sonoma County, CA) and I also spent two days in Washington, DC meeting with Pentagon officials and anchoring an Association of Defense Communities national forum.
I have to say that traveling across the country by airplane was a surreal experience in some ways (with my N-95 mask firmly in place), especially since it was my first journey by air since last February. Washington, DC was a mess, with barricaded streets and closed businesses, the White House and Lafayette Park looking like a battle zone, and boarded up windows everywhere (including the hotel where I stayed).
All that said, I have some news I want to share regarding the issues I am tracking in our military and defense sector, and I will preview some of the things I will be doing in the week ahead.
Last Chance—Office of the Missouri Military Advocate Customer Satisfaction Survey
Two weeks ago I provided a link to the MO Department of Economic Development’s (DED) customer satisfaction survey for this year, which contains questions about how well the Office of the Military Advocate is meeting the needs of its customers, and also some general questions about the state’s COVID-19 response. The results are used as a part of DED’s budget request, including that of the Military Advocate, for next year’s submission to the legislature.
If you would care to do so, please fill out the survey and also forward it to anyone else who might care. Answers to the surveys are anonymous but the results are very helpful in determining whether we are doing our jobs.
Please provide your anonymous response at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8NCKCT5
Association of Defense Communities (ADC) Summit Series Kickoff
Last Thursday I was the “anchor” for the kickoff of ADC’s “Summit Series”, which is set of virtual interviews and a panel discussion with Pentagon leaders who are responsible for installation and military family policies for DoD and the military services. I led the event as President of ADC, but I am confident that the contacts I made also increase Missouri’s visibility among decision-makers in the Pentagon. While in DC, I also recorded parts of future Series sessions.
Since ADC was not able to hold its annual “Summit” in Washington, DC (which drew about 1,200 participants from across the country in 2019), the organization decided to have 5 “televised” sessions over the course of 5 weeks, focusing on discussions of topics that are normally covered at the June meeting.
I served in the role of anchor in a TV-style form in a TV studio, and the Series session was fast-paced--and I believe provided a great deal of perspective from several policy-level leaders. I interviewed the Honorable Jordan Gillis, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, the Pentagon’s top official for installation-related issues. Secretary Gillis provides oversight of logistics policies, practices, and efficiencies to enable readiness across DoD, managing $170 billion in logistics operations, and providing oversight of DoD’s real property consisting of 28 million acres, over 500 installations, and more than 500,000 buildings and structures valued at $1 trillion dollars.
To make sure we focused on military family issues, I also had the chance to interview the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC), Ramon “CZ” Colon-Lopez. The SEAC is responsible for advising the Joint Chiefs regarding total force integration and utilization, health of the force, joint development for enlisted personnel, and the well-being of military families. The SEAC works at the side of the Joint Chiefs Chairman, General Mark A. Milley, and plays an important role in many key decisions.
The Series event also included a panel discussion I moderated that included the Honorable Alex Beehler, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Installations, Energy and Environment; the Honorable Charles Williams, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment (who is from St. Louis, MO); and the Honorable John Henderson, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment & Energy. I was able to ask them questions such as the services’ COVID-19 response; racial equality in the military and communities; quality of life issues like education and spousal employment; the upcoming FY 2021 budget and future relationships on Capitol Hill; and the size and makeup of the Services.
The next “Summit Series” session is next Thursday, October 1 and will focus on the politics of defense. Joining ADC will be: Sen. James Inhofe, Chair, Senate Armed Services Committee; Congressman Adam Smith, Chair, House Armed Services Committee; Congressman Anthony Brown, Vice Chair, House Armed Services Committee; Andrea Inserra, Executive Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton; Bryan Bender, Senior National Correspondent and Anchor of Morning Defense, POLITICO; and McKenzie Eaglen, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute.
Defense Issues in Congress
As you may have read in the popular press, Congress is deadlocked on many issues and the national election is coming up in just over 5 weeks. As a result, we do not expect Congress to take up the National Defense Authorization for FY 2021 (NDAA) until after the election, with action possible by December. Regarding the Defense Appropriation Bill for FY 2021, we expect Congress to consider it by December if the Republicans retain their majority in the Senate. If Democrats will obtain the majority in January, we expect that the Appropriation for the Fiscal Year will not occur until sometime in early 2021, perhaps as late as March. Federal FY 2021 begins on October 1, 2020 and we understand a Continuing Resolution (CR) that has been negotiated between the House and Senate will be enacted before the end of the FY on September 30.
Week ahead
My week ahead will involve continuing work in support of the state’s COVID-19 economic recovery planning group, which consists of business leaders, associations, universities and others discussing how we can best spur growth among our most important business sectors. I will also join a Fort Leonard Wood Community Leaders virtual meeting, and will also be at Fort Leonard Wood most of the day on Wednesday meeting the Laclede Electric Cooperative board of directors, FLW officials and others regarding the University of MO Tech Park at FLW. I also expect to join a virtual meeting of the St. Louis Area Working Group (SLAWG) that is focused on geospatial issues in St. Louis.
Until next time, I welcome your feedback on the work I am doing on behalf of our military and defense sector.
Joe.Driskill@ded.mo.gov
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