Soldiers patrol Kunduz, Afghanistan in 2013. Defense Department file photo
Commission Will Ask Military Service Members Which Benefits They Want Cut
Review board will survey former and current members for their thoughts on compensation.
Hundreds of thousands of former and current military personnel will soon have a chance to weigh in on the future of their pay and benefits.
Amid talks of cutting or slowing the growth of military compensation, the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission will launch a forcewide survey to better measure the temperature on possible changes, Military Times has reported. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel proposed cuts in his fiscal 2015 budget but was met with pushback from Congress.
The commission, an independent panel that plans to issue a comprehensive set of recommendations in early 2015, will solicit responses form service members and retirees via email by the end of May.
Hagel and others in the military, including the commander in chief, have repeatedly warned that continued compensation growth cannot be sustained. A spokesman for the commission told Military Times the survey will allow panelists to evaluate benefits in relation to each other, and determine which perks are most valued.
The commission plans to have the full results of its survey by the end of the year.