In preliminary suggestions released last week, the Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation suggests DOD should shift military pay to a “function of time in grade rather than years of service.” Such a move, says the panel, is a “growing sentiment” within DOD and would reward those who are promoted early into a higher grade. The current system, notes the panel, does little to encourage better performance or incentive to stay beyond 30 years.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.