U.S. lawmakers passed a spending bill last week that included cuts to pensions for veterans under the age of 62 – but not without a fight. According to NPR, many of the Senate's ardent military supporters are speaking out against the budget legislation, which reduces annual cost-of-living adjustments for working-age military retirees – including those with disabilities – by 1 percent. 

"A sergeant first class who retires at age 40 could stand to lose $72,000 by the time he turns or she turns age 62," Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., told the news source.

Ayotte added that the budget deal, which was a compromise between Congress and the Department of Defense, was unfair to younger veterans. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., agreed, stating to the news outlet that Congress is expressing love for the troops "in a very strange way."

However, many lawmakers and defense officials stated that cuts to military compensation can't be avoided. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told The Associated Press that the Pentagon had "tough decisions" to make. Reductions to military pensions for working-age veterans helped prevent cuts to other across-the-board military benefits, including health care and salaries for active-duty troops, according to the news source. 

While the military retiree pensions will be reduced under this new bill, veterans will receive a "catch up" pension increase once they turn 62, the news outlet reported. However, that increase still won't amount to what the former servicemembers lost over time. 

Although it will be the lowest basic pay raise in 40 years, Military Times reported that servicemembers can expect a 1 percent salary increase in 2014. Effective Jan. 1, the raise is a slight drop from the 2011 salary bump of 1.4 percent, which until now was the smallest raise. 

According to the news source, President Obama will use his executive power to cap the basic pay raise at 1 percent, even though the current law sets the rate at 1.8 percent. The House approved a 1.8 percent salary bump for servicemembers last June, but the Senate Armed Services Committee agreed with Obama's 1 percent increase.

Military pay raise has been a hotly contested issue, as Congress leaders struggled this year to reduce the defense spending budget by nearly $500 million by 2020, The New York Times stated. As lawmakers worked to resolve the sequester before the automatic budget cuts begin in 2014, many members of the military community feared that basic pay would be on the chopping block. Stars and Stripes previously reported that a cap on basic pay would be likely, especially because compensation for enlisted members currently exceeds the wages of 90 percent of civilian defense employees. 

Could the Internet be harming the up-and-coming crop of military recruits? Gen. Martin Dempsey seems to think so. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated at a conference this week that the widespread use of social media has made current teens ignorant to the potential damage they could do to their character, The Associated Press reported. 

"I worry a bit about … the young men and women who are now in their teens, early teens, and who probably underestimate the impact of their persona in social media and what impact that could have later in life on things like security clearances and promotions," Dempsey said, as quoted by the news source. 

Dempsey added that the military might give young recruits a second chance if their actions on social media accounts disqualify them from military service. However, he did admit that the ways teens are posting on social media are affecting the military's recruiting pool. 

According to a 2013 report from the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project, 95 percent of teens between the ages of 12 and 17 use the Internet. Of those teens who regularly go online, 8 in 10 have social media accounts. Facebook is the social media platform of choice for teens, but Twitter use is also on the rise.

A U.S. military court started hearing arguments this week on a high-profile prostitution case that occurred at the U.S. Army installation Fort Hood.

According to The Guardian, several women servicemembers stationed at Fort Hood appeared before the court Dec. 2, testifying that they were sexually exploited by a sergeant who was involved with the base's sexual assault and harassment prevention program. Prosecutors added that the sergeant specifically targeted young women servicemembers who were facing financial strife. 

While the alleged leader of the prostitution ring, Sgt. 1st Class Gregory McQueen, has yet to be charged because he is still under investigation by the Army, Master Sergeant Brad Grimes has been charged with conspiring to pay a female private for sex, the news source reported. However, his lawyers have denied the charges.

"At the end of the day, Master Sgt. Grimes chose to do the right thing and not have sex with that young lady," said defense attorney Daniel Conway, as quoted by the news source. "This is really a case about sex parties, and Master Sgt. Grimes had nothing to do with that."

News of Fort Hood's alleged sex ring broke last May when McQueen was accused of sexual assaulting a Fort Hood servicemember who he attempted to recruit for sexual services, according to Military Times. The servicemember later raised the complaint to base officials.

Following the June 26 Supreme Court decision that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, the U.S. Army has officially extended its military benefits to the same-sex spouses of Army servicemembers.

According to Military Times, a directive issued by the Army in November stated that married same-sex servicemembers are eligible for a range of entitlements, including military identification cards and survivor benefits. The directive also clarified that servicemembers who live in a state were gay marriage is not recognized can take up to a seven-day leave to travel to state where a license can be obtained. However, a leave of absence will not be granted for those who currently live in a state where same-sex marriage is legal.

The official directive from the Army falls in line with the Department of Defense's policy, which was altered last summer in response to the overturn of DOMA. 

"It is now the Department's policy to treat all married military personnel equally," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in statement released last August. ""This will provide accelerated access to the full range of benefits offered to married military couples throughout the department." 

Although the military began developing technology for driverless vehicles in 2003, Mashable recently reported that the project has fallen behind of its 2015 deadline. 

According to the news source, the military originally planned to have one-third of its ground fleet unmanned within the next two years. The specially designed vehicles would be used in high-risk areas to move supplies as a way to protect soldiers from dangerous weapons and explosives. However, a lack of funding has hindered the progress of this advanced technology.

"Autonomous vehicles have come a very long way over the past decade, but the technology still has a long way to go before the U.S. Army and Marine Corps will find it ready for battle," Sam Brannen, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the news outlet. "The money for this transition simply isn't in the budgets."

Although the military – and the civilian sector – is still working on creating safe driverless vehicles, the use of remote-controlled robots has become widespread in combat zones. According to Wired magazine, several civilian companies are currently working on robotic technology equipped with automatic weapons and grenade launchers. These remote-controlled lethal robots would work alongside ground troops in combat. 

Following a heated debate, the Senate has postponed its vote on proposed legislation to curb sexual assault in the military. 

The Military Justice Improvement Act was introduced in Congress as a way to improve the handling of sexual assault, abuse and discrimination in the military community. If passed, the bill would amend title 10 of the United States Code, which leaves the charging of sexual assault crimes up to military commanders under the current Uniform Code of Military Justice. While the bill was debated during the Senate's session last week as part of the discussion on the National Defense Authorization Act, The Huffington Post reported that the Senate went to Thanksgiving recess without voting on the legislation. 

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). Both Sen. Gillibrand and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee and are looking to reform the way in which sexual assaults on military members are reported, charged and convicted, Mother Jones reported. Currently, military commanders have the final say whether a perpetrator of a sexual assault is charged, while commanding officers can overturn any sexual assault conviction. 

More than 50 senators currently support the bill, including Sen. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Al Franken, The Huffington Post reported. The news source added that the Senate will take up the legislation following the Thanksgiving break. 

A recent report by Military Times found that the defense budget has been increasing across the board since 2001, leading critics to question the Pentagon's claims that military and civilian personnel are the main cause of the spike in military spending.

According to the report, which used documents compiled by the Department of Defense and the White House, overall military spending increased 85 percent over the 11-year period, compared to the 78 percent increase of military and civilian personnel cost. When considering overseas operations, the total military budget increase is 104 percent.

Overall, the military and civilian personnel budget was only 24 percent of Pentagon spending in 2012, increasing by only 0.03 percent since 2001. The news source noted that this is a historically low percentage. For instance, military and civilian personnel accounted for more than 30 percent of the Pentagon's budget in 1991.

This report comes at a time when pay and allowances for active-duty troops are at their most vulnerable. According to The Wall Street Journal, top military officials have been considering making cuts to salaries, housing allowances and health care benefits as a way to reduce the defense spending budget. 

"What we have asked these young men and women to do over the last 10 years, we can't pay them enough," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said at a recent press conference, as quoted by the news source. "Having said that, we also have an institution to manage."

A new website has made military car insurance more accessible for active-duty servicemembers looking for auto coverage. 

Auto Pros USA launched an online system this week that allows military personnel to access a database of car insurance providers that offer military policies and discounts. 

"There are few companies in the U.S. able to provide coverage for vehicle insurance that include military specific discounts and we're bringing all of these providers into one search system," an Auto Pros spokesperson said in a press statement. "The providers that we're featuring are specific to the military car insurance industry."

Through the programmed system, both current and former servicemembers can search and enroll in military insurance plans without the hassle of paperwork. The only information servicemembers need when using the system is a zip code, which will instantly bring up rates, taxes and other fees for obtaining auto insurance.

According to Military.com, auto insurance costs on average about $870 per year. Many insurance companies offer special discounts and programs to members of the military. For instance, GEICO, which has a partnership with AFBA, provides a military center with staff dedicated to helping servicemembers find the most affordable insurance policies for them. 

After being commissioned by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel earlier this week, the USS George Washington reached the Philippines the evening of Nov. 14. Stars and Stripes reported that the Naval carrier, which was previously at a port visit in Hong Kong, arrived at the Leyte Gulf equipped with rescue aircraft full of medical supplies, drinking water, food and other disaster relief aid. 

According to a statement released by the Pentagon, the USS George Washington hosts the Carrier Air Wing Five, an aircraft unit designed for humanitarian relief services. The news source added that the flight wing flew to Japan earlier this week to make room on the carrier's flight deck for helicopters. 

Along with the USS George Washington, Naval aircraft carriers USS Antietam, USS Mustin and USS Cowpens also arrived at the Philippines the same day, the news outlet reported.

"We have ships conducting a variety of missions," strike group commander Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery told the news source. "The USNS Bowditch is surveying water conditions in the Leyte Gulf. USNS Charles Drew and USS Lassen have helicopters that are bringing emergency supplies into Tacloban."

While Marines are already on the island, providing aid and support to the stricken country, officials from the Obama administration told the news source that the number of ground troops is expected to increase.