Pentagon wrestles with how to shield current veterans from budget cuts

WASHINGTON — A major review of military pay and benefits out Thursday could portend big changes to longstanding – and some say, fundamental – benefits for United States troops, including retirement pay.

The Report of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission is being closely watched by service members and budget crunchers, who wonder whether the Pentagon will be able to walk the tricky line of reining in skyrocketing personnel costs after more than a decade of war and continuing to recruit the troops for the future.

The cost of such benefits is considerable. Personnel benefits make up one-quarter of the Pentagon budget, though the size of the overall force has been reduced by roughly half since 1990. That means that the Department of Defense spends nearly three times as much per service member on compensation as it did in 25 years ago.

Read the full article at The Christian Science Monitor.