The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is a professional association of

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

military officers. It is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that advocates for a strong national defense, but is politically nonpartisan. The association supports government policies that benefit military members and their families. Its membership is made up of active duty, retired, and former

commissioned officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

and

warrant officers Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

from the

uniformed services Uniformed services is an abstract term that are generally bodies of people in employment of a state who wear a distinct uniform that differentiates them from the public and private sector. Their purpose is to foster the equality, security, saf ...

of the United States.

History

Originally called the ''Retired Officers Association'', the organization that is now the Military Officers Association of America was founded in 1929. The association's first headquarters in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The association's goal was to provide advice and assistance to fellow military officers throughout United States. The organization also promoted fraternal relations among America's uniformed services.''36 United States Code Chapter 1404: Military Officers Association of America''
Office of the Law Revision Counsel, United States House of Representatives, Washington, District of Columbia, 6 November 2009."Mission and History"
, ''www.moaa.org'', Military Officer Association of America, Alexandria, Virginia, 23 July 2014. The association moved its headquarters into the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

area in 1944. At that time, the organization had approximately 2,600 members. In 2002, the association changed its name to the ''Military Officers Association of America''. The change took effect on 1 January 2003. Today, the Military Officers Association of America has over 350,000 members. It is the largest military officers' organization in the United States. In addition to supporting a strong national defense program, the association provides military benefits counseling, career transition assistance, and educational assistance for children of military families (including families of enlisted personnel)."MOAAMilitary Officers Association of America"
, ''TEXVET'', Texas A&M University Health Science Center and Texas Department of Health and Human Services, Round Rock, Texas.

Organization

Membership in the association is open to active duty, retired, and former commissioned officers and warrant officers from the uniformed services of the United States including the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

and Reserve components. The eight uniformed services are the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

, the

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space force branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces, armed forces of the United States and one of the eight uniformed services of the Unite ...

, the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

, the

United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHSCC; also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service) is the uniformed service branch of the United States Public Health Service and one of t ...

, and the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (informally the NOAA Corps) is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( ...

. Surviving spouses of deceased officers are eligible for membership. The association is governed by a board of directors. The board is composed of members from all eight uniformed services. Board members also represent six geographic regions. The membership elects its chairman and three vice chairmen. The board elects the association's

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

, and

secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

. The president oversees the association's day-to-day operations. The association's headquarters is located in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Advocacy

The association promotes military professionals and encourages government policies that support military members and their families. The association staff identifies important national defense issues and provides association members with regular updates on key issues and pending legislation. The association advocates for a strong national defense, but does not get involved in military strategy debates or support specific weapons systems.Hendrix, Jerry A. and Darrell C. Hayes
"Keep Medicare’s Promise: Stop Medicare Cuts to Doctors"
''Public Relations Cases'', Wadworth Cengage Learning, Boston, Massachusetts, 2010.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Military Officers Association Of America 501(c)(19) nonprofit organizations 1929 establishments in California Advocacy groups in the United States American veterans' organizations Charities based in Indiana Lobbying organizations in the United States Magazine publishing companies of the United States Nonpartisan organizations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Alexandria, Virginia Organizations established in 1929 Patriotic and national organizations chartered by the United States Congress United States military support organizations

History

Organization

Advocacy

See also

References

External links