The congressionally established commission mulling changes to military compensation and retirement is requesting feedback from service members to gauge their preferences. The panel intends to survey a number of personnel from the Active Duty and reserve components during the next few months, according to a June 3 Pentagon release. There are also plans to survey retired service members. The survey will ask participants to value individual elements of their compensation package in relation to each other, said Alphonso Maldon, commission chairman. “Our fundamental objective is to craft an integrated compensation and personnel system that will continue to be valued by service members, provide flexibility for the uniformed services, and be cost effective,” he said. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) have been advocating for this input as the commission formulates its recommendations, which are due to Congress and the President in February 2015. Service members are also invited to submit comments via the panel’s website. (See also Joint Chiefs Unite for Pay, Compensation Reform.)
Lockheed Martin plans to enter the Advanced Tactical Trainer fray to supply the Air Force with a new jet to bridge undergraduate flight instruction and fighter training units, but the company declined to say whether it will offer a T-50A derivative, a different non-developmental airplane, or a clean-sheet design. Its…