One of the most controversial aspects of the money saving proposals put forth by White House and Pentagon officials has been a planned 1 percent pay raise for active duty troops – lower than the 1.8 percent recommended by Congress. Although the suggestion has been met with criticism from many people in the military community, the plan recently got the backing of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno, according to Military Times.
Odierno was speaking to a crowd during a question and answer session held by the American Enterprise Institute. Although the pay raise is lower than it traditionally is, he said that it was a necessary sacrifice because of the significant savings potential. If the policy stays as it is now, Odierno warns that the Pentagon could run into significant trouble down the road.
"That sounds like a little difference but it is a huge difference throughout the years," Odierno said, as quoted by Military Times. "It's billions of dollars … three, four, five years from now. So we think what we can do is manage the pay raises at a bit lower level for a few years."
Disagreement surrounding the pay raise is just one issue that is sure to cause problems in the coming years and months. Most notably, the White House has called for an increase to TRICARE fees to cover the growing cost of health care coverage.