Defense policy bill: How much will troops pay increase? When will it apply?
The Senate has passed a defense policy bill that will spell a hefty pay hike for military personnel. How big is the increase and when will it take effect?
The Senate has passed a defense policy bill that provides the biggest pay hike for military personnel in two decades. Under the proposed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), service members will receive a 5.2% salary increase effective January 2024.
The House and the Senate had negotiated a final bill for months as each chamber had proposed vastly disparate measures. After conservatives dropped some demands that were unacceptable to Democrats, the Senate voted 87-13 to pass the compromise bill. The legislation, which authorized a record $886 billion, is more than 3,000 pages long.
The measure now moves to the House for approval after which it heads to the desk of President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The NDAA is expected to pass Congress before the end of the year.
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Significant raise for all levels of personnel
The pay hike is welcome news to service men and women. According to Military.com, the salary hike could result in “anywhere from $1,100 more per year for the most junior service members to more than $10,000 more per year for senior officers.”
The percentage increase is the biggest since military personnel received a 6.9% hike in 2002. Service members had also received a 4.6% bump earlier in 2023.
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Higher pay to attract new members
Federal law provides for an annual salary increase for troops that is linked to the increase in private sector wages, as measured by the Employment Cost Index. However, the latest pay hike addresses concerns that military members are not compensated enough to provide them good quality of life.
The increased pay is also an attempt to attract new faces in light of the decline in military recruitment. According to USA Facts, the military expects to fall significantly short of their targets for the year for the army, navy, and air force. The percentage of active duty military personnel has fallen by 39% since 1987, which is the most recent peak.