Senate panel backs 3.5 percent military pay raise

The Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee on Wednesday marked up its portion of the fiscal 2005 defense authorization bill, including a 3.5 percent pay raise for military service members and a provision asking the Pentagon to implement a health care program for National Guard and Reserve troops.

The markup session, which lasted only 15 minutes, signaled there was little controversy over compensation, health care and other benefits for the military troops.

"Staff worked out the pertinent issues," said Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas after the panel wrapped up its closed-door meeting.

The subcommittee's ranking Democrat, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, said the panel "put together an excellent package for members and their families," which he called "crucial" for retaining and recruiting military personnel.

Nelson also said the subcommittee agreed to extend health care benefits year-round for guard and reserve troops as well as increase compensation under family separation and imminent danger guidelines for active-duty soldiers. He declined to offer more details about those provisions or others, saying he needed to "respect" the Senate Armed Services Committee's unwritten rules discouraging full disclosure of matters raised in closed-door executive meetings.

Amid public debate on the need for more U.S. troops in Iraq and concerns about the strain prolonged overseas operations have had on current forces, Nelson said the subcommittee offered provisions to review the different roles and missions of active-duty and reserve units in an attempt to "rebalance the military" and "make it user-friendly" for personnel and their families.

Indeed, the full committee will be debating the evolving use of guard and reserve units and review possible solutions to "rebalancing" the military, Nelson said. He predicted that Personnel Subcommittee members would offer a couple of amendments during the full committee markup, which was scheduled to begin Wednesday afternoon, but he refused to elaborate.

At the subcommittee meeting, members briefly talked about recently reported incidents of prisoner abuse by U.S. military personnel in Iraq and expected the full committee to discuss the controversy as well, Nelson said.

While he doubted senators would offer a legislative provision in reaction to the abuse allegations, Nelson said the full committee could include provisions to review the Pentagon's method for investigating and reporting such incidents.