Class of 2016 Unveils New Crest

MPointerARCH 21, 2013View 1 stories are updated and posted weekly at www.usma.edu. OINTER IEW® PVOL. 70, NO. 10 SERVING THE COMMUNITY OF WEST POINT V AND THE U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY MARCH 21, 2013 Class of 2016 unveils new crest Construction Alert On Monday, excavation along Washington/Cullum Road The unveiling of the Class of 2016 class crest highlighted the Plebe-Parent Weekend Banquet March 9. between the front of Lincoln Hall and the intersections of See Page 3 for photo and story. MIKE STRASSER/PV Washington and Ruger roads will commence to install new telecommunications manholes and underground duct systems. No road closures are anticipated but extreme caution is urged. 2 MARCH 21, 2013 NEWS & FEATURES POINTER VIEW Dempsey vows he, JCOS will ‘lead through’ sequester By Karen Parrish the-board spending cut that took effect March though, in the midst of this fiscal American Forces Press Service 1, is “quite simply the most irresponsible way crisis,” he said. “We need to seize possible to manage the nation’s defense.” the moment … to think differently The nation’s top military officer told a think “It is actually the antithesis of what we and to be different.” tank audience in Washington D.C. Monday need,” he added. “We need budget certainty, The nation’s military services that while U.S. forces face rising security and time and flexibility. Sequestration compromises need “the help of our elected financial risk, he offers “a little peace of mind our readiness, and it compounds risk.” officials to give us the certainty, in the context of uncertainty.” Sequestration could lead to a security gap, the flexibility, and the time to make Speaking as part of a recurring Persian Gulf Dempsey said, and it’s also the law. change,” the chairman said. forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and “I am hopeful—but not all that optimistic— “If we can get the reforms International Studies, Army Gen. Martin E. that both its magnitude and its mechanism will to pay and compensation we Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, be defused in some future budget deal,” he said. need—and we need them—and discussed how budget pressures and a force “But in the meantime, we have no choice but to if we can get rid of weapons and drawdown will affect U.S. military actions in prepare for its full effect—which is, of course, infrastructure that we don’t need, the Gulf region and elsewhere. our worst-case scenario.” then we can begin to restore the The United States faces real danger at a time Likening national security to insurance versatility of the joint force at an when resources are in decline, he said. coverage, Dempsey said what the U.S. military affordable and sustainable cost.” “At the same time, we are not a nation or a currently offers “may be a little less than what Meanwhile, budget pressures military in decline,” the chairman added. “We you were used to, but it’s still the best available.” indicate the defense strategy will have it within us to stay strong—to remain a “And it’s going to get better in time,” need to change, the chairman global leader and more important, a reliable the general added. “Here’s where I hope my said. “We’ll need to relook our partner.” confidence brings some comfort.” assumptions and we’ll need to Global risk is on the rise despite an overall The chairman said he called the service adjust our ambitions to match our decline in violence, Dempsey said. He added the chiefs and combatant commanders together abilities,” he added. “That means “probability and consequences of aggression” last week to discuss how to “lead through” the doing less, but not doing less well.” are going up as a result of two trends: a shift of effects of current and future cuts. Diplomacy and development Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin power to nonstate actors and the proliferation Dempsey said the chiefs and combatant will play a bigger role in U.S. E. Dempsey COURTESY PHOTO of advanced technologies. commanders, like the troops they lead, are “a engagement, and partner militaries will need to Conditions aren’t easy, he acknowledged, “Middleweight militaries now have resolute bunch.” They know, Dempsey said, increase their security responsibilities, Dempsey but nobody who serves in the military or in intercontinental ballistic missiles,” he said. that “eventually, we come through these periods said. government ever signed up for anything easy, “Cyber has reached a point where bits and bytes stronger as a military and as a nation.” “Our partners will have to work with us and he said. can be as destructive as bullets and bombs. Our With an all-volunteer force, there will collaborate with us on accepting a greater share “Easy wasn’t part of the job description,” homeland is not the sanctuary it once was.” be no mass demobilization when the war in of the risk,” he added. he added. At the same time, defense leaders must Afghanistan ends, he said. The military also is Today’s competing realities bring the “We’ll get through this,” the chairman recognize that decreasing the national deficit “is, managing an aging inventory, and there will be challenge of “staying strong in the face of pledged, “but we’ll get through it mostly in fact, a national security imperative” and that no “peace dividend” of war funds that can be danger with fewer dollars,” the chairman because of the application of leadership, defense spending will fall, the chairman said. diverted into other uses. summed up. thinking, creativity and a commitment to each Dempsey said sequestration, an across- “We are going to have to find opportunity, “We will lead our way through this,” he said. other.” Hagel notes sequester’s ‘particular pain’ for civilians By Karen Parrish the fiscal year. “So they’re dedicated to the mission, too,” he said. “And American Forces Press Service “Our number one concern is our people, military and civilian, as the year goes on, many of them will be subject to furlough.” the millions of men and women of this department who work very Civilians make important contributions to the nation’s Defense Department civilian employees will “particularly” hard every day to ensure America’s security,” the secretary said. defense, Carter said. “They do real things that are really important feel the pain sequester will bring to the entire defense workforce, “I know that these budget cuts will cause pain, particularly among to us. And they’ve had their pay frozen for years; now they’re Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said earlier this month. our civilian workforce and their families. I’m also concerned, subject to furlough.” In his first Pentagon press briefing, Hagel outlined the steps as we all are, about the impact on readiness that these cuts will The deputy secretary said the reason civilians join the the Pentagon and the services will take as the budget mechanism have across our force.” department, and the reason “I hope they’ll stick with us,” is known as sequester trims roughly half a trillion dollars from Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter joined Hagel for the because of mission. defense spending over the next 10 years. conference and shared his views about defense civilian workers. “They’re committed to what we do, which is defend the Along with cost-cutting actions by the services to curtail “As you know, our civilian workforce is about 800,000 country and hope to make a better world,” he said. “That’s why training and maintenance, the department has already announced strong,” Carter said. “Those people, too, are dedicated to the they do it.” it will furlough civilian employees beginning in late April, defense mission.” Nearly 90 percent of DOD civilians live outside (Editor’s note: For the latest news on the sequestration, visit cutting their work hours and pay by 20 percent for the rest of of Washington, he noted, and nearly half of them are veterans. www.defense.gov/home/features/2013/0213_sequestration/.) 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