Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently announced that big revisions will occur concerning military benefits and pay.
A report by the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission is set to be released Feb. 1, and is expected to fuel the debate surrounding speculated cuts. The committee behind the report was created in 2013 by Congress and charged with the responsibility of examining what changes could be made to military retirement, health care, benefits and overall pay, reported Military.com. The group has been researching ways to adjust compensation for the past two years, and the results are expected to be somewhat controversial.
Military Times noted that the report, which will be made public, is expected to contain recommendations to revise the military's long-standing 20-year cliff-vesting retirement pension. Notably, Hagel told sailors in San Diego that people with existing military contracts would most likely be "grandfathered in" to the system, so the updated standard would begin with new recruits.
The source explained that the anticipated cuts are mostly due to the current military budget, which is essentially flat, compared to the cost of supporting troops on the current pay scale, which is constantly rising. If changes are not made in the realm of salary and benefits, corners would most likely be cut for new weapons and technological research.
Hagel noted that although the cuts are likely to happen, keeping the troops appropriately supported is still a top priority.
"In the end, as advanced as our technologies are, as good as they will become, even better, without quality people, it won't matter. … We are going to continue to keep and must prioritize a cycle of bringing good people, the best people, into this business," he told sailors aboard the assault ship America.