The US military’s 2017 New Years Resolutions

We all have a few things we need to work on. The U.S. military is no different. A new year is a new beginning, especially with a new Commander-in-Chief in control. It's time to finally get around to doing all those things we said we were gonna do.

If sequestration is the household equivalent of cleaning out the garage, those old paint cans aren't gonna move themselves. Here are some more of the military's 2017 New Years resolutions.

1. Get in shape.

Ah fitness...the eternal struggle...as many of us veterans (whose old uniforms don't fit as well as they used to) know.

In 2016, an Associated Press piece asked if U.S. troops were "too fat to fight," thanks to a study by the Army research center. The VA is addressing the issue with a standardized weight management program going into place at VA centers across America.

The Army is instituting a Combat Arms fitness test, as well as a fitness test for those changing their MOS. The Marines can now retake PFTs as much as they want while the Air Force re-measured their running tracks.

The bottom line is the military asks a lot of its troops, and physical fitness is a huge factor in readiness. Time to get get them gains..

2. Get our financial situation together.

There's a new sheriff in town. And he's not paying for a new Air Force One.

Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016

First Boeing, then Lockheed received the brunt of the Donald's ire. Someone apparently told him about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's price tag, because that was his next defense contractor target on Twitter.

Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016

The military is going to have to play with the toys they have or hope the military-industrial complex bows to the incoming President's demands.

3. Work on our relationships.

Let's be honest. In the last few years, we have not been as good to our allies as we could have.

Nor have we been all that upfront with our competition.

We can do better. We just have to be ourselves — the shining example to the rest of the world that we know we can be. That doesn't mean we have to wear our heart on our sleeve. We're the United States. Our military wears their heart on our sleeve.

From the very top of the chain of command to the very bottom, we need to be more upfront and less touchy-feely.

4. Finally finish our education.

We have one more history class before we can finally finish up that degree. Now...time to learn about this "graveyard of empires" we heard so much about...

It doesn't need to be a literal graveyard, after all.

5. Spend more time with family.

Because together everyone achieves more!

Heavy deployment tempos, long tours, short tours, or just intense work schedules (especially at a less-than-ideal assignment) places a heavy burden on service members and their loved ones. Let's focus on that in 2017 and keep in touch, even if it's just via Skype.

Also, there are just some things your military buddies will do that your civilian BFFs won't. It's important to maintain those relationships.

6. Drink less.

Let's be honest, unless we're talking about Rip-Its, cutting down on booze is probably the first resolution out the window, but after alcohol related events (like that time Japan imposed prohibition on all U.S. sailors), it might be time to consider looking at our drinking habits.

Then again, Rip-Its are the unofficial fuel of the U.S. military, so that's probably out too.

Long live Rip-Its.