The nation is always expressing gratitude and thanks for all that military families do (did you know we’re in the middle of Military Family Appreciation Month?). In typical bureaucratic fashion, Congress ordered the Defense Department to certify that appreciation by creating a Family Readiness Council, designed to let the brass know what issues are important to military families and transmit their views up the chain of command (for this, they need a special council?). But, like so much of what the Defense Department does (or is told to do), not much has happened, according to Navy Times:
Under the law that established the council in 2008, it is required to meet at least twice a year. The last meeting was in December 2010, the only one held that calendar year. At that meeting, the council voted to switch its working schedule from calendar year to fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. That made last December’s meeting still the only one held in fiscal 2011. Several subsequent meetings were scheduled, but were later canceled. Pentagon spokeswoman Air Force Maj. Monica Matoush said the council could not have a second meeting in fiscal 2011 for lack of a quorum “due to high turnover among members and competing priorities for the members’ schedules.”
Competing priorities? Balderdash. You go, Military Families!
