"Cuts in Military Pay and Benefits on the Table"

#1
BearCat204

BearCat204

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#1
Mullen Says Pay, Benefit Cuts 'On the Table'

The Pentagon's top officer said Thursday that servicemembers will likely see cuts in pay and benefits as the military plumbs its budget for nearly half a trillion dollars in savings over the next 12 years.
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He added that these cuts will likely need to be made in the next few years in order to "start to generate cash in the out years."
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#2
#2
If it doesn't apply to the civilian staff blood suckers too, it's garbage. As to folks like Dyncorp, Raytheon, Martin Marietta, etc, they should take an absolute beating.
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#3
#3
how much of this is "hey see what those horrible mean republicans are doing our poor soldiers are getting screwed" garbage?
 
#4
#4
I do not see how the military could cut the benefits of retirees and combat disabled Servicemen/women. I do think the military would be wise to cut Officer pay, get rid of extra BAH for members with dependents, and lower the overall BAH, though. However, cutting Joe's check is bad for morale, bad for defense, and bad for the country.
 
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therealUT said:
I do not see how the military could cut the benefits of retirees and combat disabled Servicemen/women. I do think the military would be wise to cut Officer pay, get rid of extra BAH for members with dependents, and lower the overall BAH, though. However, cutting Joe's check is bad for morale, bad for defense, and bad for the country.
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This is what I am most worried about, selfishly of course. I can already see my medical disability being cut.
 
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#6
#6
BigPapaVol said:
If it doesn't apply to the civilian staff blood suckers too, it's garbage. As to folks like Dyncorp, Raytheon, Martin Marietta, etc, they should take an absolute beating.
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Only thing I have seen thus are is step and hiring freezes for the next two years. As of now, I dont think I have heard anything about cuts to the civilian defense workforce pay or benefits.
 
#7
#7
i can't think of a single time a govt entity (local, state, or national) has cut retiree benefits. usually they screw the new hires.
 
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BearCat204 said:
This is what I am most worried about, selfishly of course. I can already see my medicaly disability being cut.
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I cannot imagine that they would cut it for anyone who already has it. I could see them cutting it for future enlistees, though.
 
#10
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BearCat204 said:
Only thing I have seen thus are is step and hiring freezes for the next two years. As of now, I dont think I have heard anything about cuts to the civilian defense workforce pay or benefits.
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WSJ ran an article yesterday that stated that Federal benefits are in the process of being reworked. I am not sure if that will apply to contractors, though.
 
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therealUT said:
WSJ ran an article yesterday that stated that Federal benefits are in the process of being reworked. I am not sure if that will apply to contractors, though.
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Could care less about contractors lol. Also it wouldnt have any bearing on contractor benefits or pay. Those are handled with the individual contractors.
 
#12
#12
Seems like the way to reduce the military budget is through a gradual reduction in force size (e.g. hiring freeze) and reduction in scope of use. I'm sure weapons programs need a tighter look as well.
 
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volinbham said:
Seems like the way to reduce the military budget is through a gradual reduction in force size (e.g. hiring freeze) and reduction in scope of use. I'm sure weapons programs need a tighter look as well.
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Agreed. It would be nice to get rid of our expeditionary attitude toward all world problems and focus on a defense force that would be enough for just that, defense.
 
#14
#14
volinbham said:
Seems like the way to reduce the military budget is through a gradual reduction in force size (e.g. hiring freeze) and reduction in scope of use. I'm sure weapons programs need a tighter look as well.
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Easy now, lets not get crazy here
 
#16
#16
Wow, maybe we are moving away from a volunteer military. Anyone want to go to Libya where we have troops, but aren't even sure whose side we are on?
 
#17
#17
Here's a novel idea...cut spending on the new development programs instead and use the proven ideas and technology we have. We can still spend some money on new developments, but choose them wisely. Cutting service pay and benefits does nothing but lower morale in the ranks...
 
#18
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xXRockyTopXx said:
Here's a novel idea...cut spending on the new development programs instead and use the proven ideas and technology we have. We can still spend some money on new developments, but choose them wisely. Cutting service pay and benefits does nothing but lower morale in the ranks...
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This doesn't make any sense to me. Once people know what our platforms are, they can formulate defensive strategies or counterfire for them. My preference would be to shelve the current procurement and buildup but go for the continued advancement of our platforms.
 
#19
#19
I believe we spend more on military than the rest of the world combined. I'm sure we could cut back on R&D, and policing the world and still pay the guys risking their lives what they were expecting.
 
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#21
I don't know why anybody is surprised by this. It is what the democrats are all about. As a service member I feel obligated to vote republican, simply because they take care of the soldiers.

May try to conquer the world, but....

I'm not making this a political debate.
 
#22
#22
7thgroupvolfan said:
I don't know why anybody is surprised by this. It is what the democrats are all about. As a service member I feel obligated to vote republican, simply because they take care of the soldiers.

May try to conquer the world, but....

I'm not making this a political debate.
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but Obama really hasn't been. It's the only issue on which he hasn't pandered to his loony left backers. I get your point as your frame of reference is likely Clinton and maybe Carter, but the Rs need to back up from the trough as well. 8 years of unimpeded Republican politician stupidity proved disastrous too.
 
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BigPapaVol said:
but Obama really hasn't been. It's the only issue on which he hasn't pandered to his loony left backers. I get your point as your frame of reference is likely Clinton and maybe Carter, but the Rs need to back up from the trough as well. 8 years of unimpeded Republican politician stupidity proved disastrous too.
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That it has
 
#24
#24
BigPapaVol said:
This doesn't make any sense to me. Once people know what our platforms are, they can formulate defensive strategies or counterfire for them. My preference would be to shelve the current procurement and buildup but go for the continued advancement of our platforms.
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I'm not sure why. I'm not proposing completely cutting all development work...just be more selective. Granted, we've had some great accomplishments come through this avenue, but the otherside of the coin still exists. I don't have any numbers, but return on investment has to kick in at some point. We can't keep funding projects for the sake of research if we don't have the funds to do so. Cutting actual pay/benefits to the service members should be the absolute last resort.

It's to the point now that the government is choosing the lowest bid on the majority of its contracts which will eventually come back to bite them in the end. The problem with this way of business is not only quality of work but also the reason behind x company submitting the estimated cost of doing the work. Since they lowballed the figures, they can't afford to pay for the best minds available...nor can they provide the work on time so they end up asking for forgiveness later and hoping to get more time and money.
 
#25
#25
tigervol9802 said:
Cut the fat from govt contractors and such instead.
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I agree with this to an extent which is taboo since I fall into this category. The reality is that all contracting companies charge and arm and a leg for their employees services. The contractor companies get away with this because the government approves the rates that were offered. So...where's the blame go? Unfortunately it goes on the government since they're the ones approving the rates.

Now, the reason you can't get rid of contractors is well...because we do all the work. I do agree though, corporate greed is astounding these days and something needs to be done. It kills me to know what these companies charge hourly for employees and then also know how little the employee actually sees of that money.
 
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