GOP questions fairness of retiree benefit cost increases

"...DoD leaders got battered on both sides of the Capitol Tuesday, hearing complaints from Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate that the military personnel proposals in President Obama's 2013 budget unfairly target the uniformed military, while leaving civilians, both inside and outside of DoD relatively unscathed.

Their complaints centered around two areas: the size of the overall personnel reductions in the coming years, and the Pentagon's proposed fee increases to TRICARE, the military's health insurance system.

"You're recommending increases to the military in terms of health care costs, but it doesn't seem that the President has asked for any increases as far as I can see to the civilian workforce," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.). "I think that's a hard ask without asking for sacrifices on the civilian side too." ..."

Read more at federalnewsradio.com

Navy Forcing Retirement for 593 Senior NCOs

"...The Navy is forcing 593 senior enlisted members to retire or transfer to the fleet reserve after concluding its senior enlisted continuation board, according to a Navy press release Wednesday.

The number is more than the two previous years combined, and represents one of multiple efforts to pare down a force facing budgetary pressures from the Pentagon and Capitol Hill..."

Read more at military.com

Retirement a Top Concern According to Senior Leaders

"...Service members also are concerned about their retirements, with rumors of changes being considered as part of budget-trimming efforts. The senior enlisted advisors said retirement is not something that should be on the minds of a young people in uniform.

"It is a distractor," Roy said. "We have young Airmen focused on retirement. I don't need young Airmen focused on retirement. I need young Airmen focused on upgrade training. I need young Airmen focused on mission. I don't need them to be worried on their retirement and compensation..."

Read more at af.mil

Military retiree vs active duty interests in budget debate

"...Military personnel costs for retirees versus active-duty service members are among the “most politically sensitive” competing interests within the fiscal 2013 Defense Department budget process, according to a new analysis from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments..."

Read more at govexec.com

Military Mauling

"...Equipping and training the best soldiers, and providing them with the best vehicles and weapons, is expensive. So why are we preparing to slash the amount we spend to ensure that our defense remains as capable as possible?..."

Read more at townhall.com

Possible Military Pension Cuts for Upper Echelon

"...The Project on Government Oversight, which examines wasteful spending in Washington, said the pensions were too high and should be re-evaluated.

"At a time when the Pentagon is struggling to pay for the men and women who actually fight wars, and is shrinking the size of its fighting force and civilian employees, it doesn't make sense to nearly double the size of a retired four-star's pension,"..."

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Changes to retirement could affect recruitment

"...gone could be the existing military retirement system, replaced with a more civilianized structure that is portable, participatory and possibly deferred, that focuses more on saving the government money than on providing a modest and immediate stipend to someone who first volunteers 20 or more years of their youth to the nation. Already gone is any semblance of free medical care for life, but still there are now new plans to force working age retirees and those 65-plus to pay even more for their earned health care programs..."

Read more at stripes.com

Retirement Commission Plan Causes Concern

"...Lawmakers generally seem to agree that standing up an independent commission to study possible reforms to the military retirement system is a good idea, but they are less supportive of the fast-track approval process that the Defense Department is seeking to try to force Congress to adopt the commission’s recommendations.

The DoD proposal calls for authority similar to what has been provided to past base closure and realignment commissions, so that Congress could only give an up-or-down vote on the commission’s final recommendations, with no ability to make any changes..."

Read more at navytimes.com

Pentagon to request 2 new rounds of BRAC

"...Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to request, as early as Thursday, two new rounds of military base closures in the United States as part of the Pentagon budget-cutting process, according to defense sources.

Panetta is scheduled to brief reporters at 2 p.m. EST Thursday on how the Defense Department will begin cutting $487 billion from projected spending over the next 10 years to meet the initial spending caps in the Budget Control Act..."

Read more at federaltimes.com

Navy wife talks about upcoming cuts

"...Thousands of sailors will be losing their jobs this September after the Navy announced several cuts.

Today, the Navy held its first forum here in Hampton Roads for those sailors affected to help guide them through the transition from military to civilian life.

Amanada Humberg says those feelings were shared among most of the families that came out to Naval Station Norfolk's enlisted retention board forum..."

 

Read more at wtkr.com

Obama's War on the American Military

"...Declaring that the U.S. military and the nation it defends are at a “moment of transition,” President Barack Obama has unveiled a dramatic scaling-back of the military’s role, reach and resources—complete with troop reductions, force redeployments and a promise to refocus on economic challenges. Or as he indelicately put it last year, “time to focus on nation-building at home.” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta calls it a “strategic turning point.” Indeed it is. We are left to wonder just what the United States is turning toward—or into..."

Read more at frontpagemag.com

Military Retirees:Tell lawmakers not to gut your benefits

"...We’re heading toward the end of a tumultuous year for military pay and benefits, with lots of talk about overhauling military retirement benefits in particular.

Nothing has changed, but the signs point toward some kind of reckoning in the next few years as Congress tries to rein in the runaway federal deficit.

Potential changes in health care benefits are a big concern for retirees..."

Read more at the Army Times

VFW guarded on Obama's military cuts plan

"...This suggests, given all the trial balloons floated recently, that some major changes are coming to the current military retirement system, which in exchange for the immediate receipt of a modest retirement check, requires you to first donate 20 or more years of your youth to the nation..."

Read more at msnbc.msn.com