Suchergebnisse

Conditions are favorable for slowing the increase in military pay. Recruiting and retention are in excellent shape, and manpower requirements are planned to decrease. Basic pay grew 45 percent from 2000 to 2011, more than the Employment Cost Index (ECI) (up 33 percent) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) (up 31 percent). Regular military compensation (RMC) grew even more. After adjusting for inflation, RMC grew an average of 40 percent for enlisted members and 25 percent for officers. RMC growth was higher because of increases in the basic allowance for housing. RMC is above the benchmark of 70th percentile of civilian pay and stands at the 80th percentile or higher for enlisted personnel and officers with a bachelor{u2019}s degree and the 75th percentile for officers with more than a bachelor{u2019}s. The authors discuss several approaches to slowing the rate of increase in military pay: (1) A one-time increase in basic pay set at half a percentage point below the ECI, (2) a one-year freeze in basic pay, and (3) a series of below-ECI increases, such as ECI minus half a percentage point for four years. The first option has lower cost savings, leaves open possible further action, yet may create more uncertainty about future pay changes. The second and third options provide several times more cost savings but may be politically more costly

Military service members are paid special and incentive (S&I) pays, such as hazardous duty incentive pay and aviation incentive pay, on a prorated basis in proportion to the amount of basic pay they receive in a month. Some observers argue that part-time reserve component (RC) members should be paid at the same full monthly rate as typical active component (AC) members, since RC members are required to undergo the same training as AC members, and the standards RC members must meet to establish proficiencies to receive certain S&I pays are the same as for AC members. Others counter that part-time RC members do not have the same readiness availability as AC members who serve full time. In response to this issue, Congress called for a report on the extension to members of the RC of S&I pays that are currently paid to AC members. In this report, the authors (1) estimate the cost of paying members of the RC, who perform service at the typical rate of four training periods of inactive duty per month (or active duty for less than a full month), the same full monthly rate of S&I pays that AC members receive for performing the S&I pay qualifying service for a full month; (2) estimate the number of RC members who would qualify for each form of S&I pay at the full rate; and (3) consider the feasibility and advisability of paying eligible members of the RC at the full S&I pay rate