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 emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
