Troops to Get Smaller Raise Than Last Year Under New Proposal

February 8, 2013

The Pentagon is planning to increase the pay for members of the uniformed military by 1 percent for 2014, down from the 1.7 percent increase for 2013, according to an article in Government Executive.

Defense Department spokesman George Little said the smaller pay raise was part of a larger reduction in defense spending.

From the Government Executive article,

At a briefing with reporters Wednesday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, “no one is getting a pay cut, but we will provide a pay raise that’s smaller than we’ve seen in past years in order to achieve some savings by virtue of what we confront in the compensation area.”

Panetta noted that military personnel costs have gone up by 80 percent since 2003, and said the department must slow the growth or be forced to steeply cut the size of the force. He also noted that Congress has approved a commission to look into trimming military retirement benefits.

Read the full article at Government Executive.

Topics: National Security

Related Content: Defense

Authors: Andre Francisco

Submitted by Clairchonga at: February 9, 2013

The soldiers, Marines, and AF people get adequate or very good pay, considering the benefits and the retirement. We thank them for their service, as always (this is so automatic, I fear it sounds insincere, that that is the reaction, it seems, to the trashing troops who served in Vietnam got.) Most are never exposed to hostile fire (same in WWII and all wars since. Also, the casualty rate is a minor fraction of what it was in prior wars. And those her serve, with the exception of some senior flag officers, are hardly responsible for the military and political debacle the Iraq and Afgh. wars have become at the strategic level. Yet strangely, claims for injuries and PTSD (surely an injury) are skyrocketing. However that gets sorted out, we need the VA to do much better than it does. Ditto for the military health care before service members are mustered out. But when it comes to pay, most citizens, I believe, think service members get enough--though no politician and many other people are hesitant to say that out loud.

Submitted by Dfens at: February 8, 2013

We can't afford to give the troop a raise if we are going to make sure our corporate welfare payments to weapons contractors are adequately high to ensure they continue to make record profits. Don't you people know nothin'?

Submitted by vickide98531 at: February 8, 2013

As usual WE pay for THEIR profits. STOP BEING SUCH DAMNED PUSHOVERS!!! They NEED us! They can't do a one single thing without US doing the grunt work. THEY WORK FOR US!!! MAKE THEM PAY!!

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