"...Current defense downsizing efforts are prompting new financial fears in middle-class military households, with the majority of families worrying that they will be forced to leave active-duty service before qualifying for lifetime retirement benefits.
Recent survey findings from the First Command Financial Behaviors Index® reveal that 67 percent of middle-class military families (senior NCOs and commissioned officers in pay grades E-6 and above with household incomes of at least $50,000) are concerned about the increased possibility of involuntary separation. An early forced exit from the armed forces is seen as a serious financial threat by many active-duty families, with almost nine out of ten hoping to qualify for a traditional military retirement by completing at least 20 years of service..."