Pentagon personnel chief David S.C. Chu told lawmakers the Defense Department plans to ask Congress to extend the military’s pay table to 40 years of service. At a Capitol Hill hearing March 2, Chu said the department wants to be able “to encourage some people to stay longer,” recognizing that longer service with “some degree of additional pay increase.” The proposal fits in with the recommendation (see above) of the Advisory Committee on Military Compensation to match pay with performance. Although, Chu offered no details, presumably the individuals asked to “stay longer” would be top performers or those in hard to fill career fields.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III chaired a China-focused military briefing Oct. 27, part of a biweekly series of briefings with senior military commanders about China’s growing threat in the wake of an orbital hypersonic weapon test that elicited public worries from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. “What we…