The Single Salary System for Military Personnel: A Review of Existing Practices and Literature

Abstract

The 13th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation (QRMC) is considering whether the U.S. military should move from its current regular military compensation (RMC) structure to a single-salary system (SSS) that would eliminate the basic allowances for housing (BAH) and subsistence (BAS) and increase basic pay. To inform this potential policy change, this study provides information about: the potential advantages and disadvantages to the U.S. military of moving to an SSS; potential design features of an SSS to meet key objectives; and, important implementation challenges that the Department of Defense (DOD) may face if it goes forward with a military SSS. To provide insight into these issues, we conducted a literature review on the compensation preferences of servicemembers and civilians, a review of U.S. civilian-sector compensation practices based on a literature review and subject-matter expert (SME) discussions, and a review of foreign military compensation practices based on discussions with foreign military compensation experts and a review of policy documents.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2019
Accession Number
AD1145625

Entities

People

  • Juliana Pearson
  • Justin Ladner
  • Kyle Neering
  • Lauren Malone
  • Patty Kannapel
  • Thomas M. Geraghty

Organizations

  • Center for Naval Analyses

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Administrative Personnel
  • Air Force
  • Business Administration
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Families (Human)
  • Geographic Regions
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • Law
  • Leadership Training
  • Literature Surveys
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Transfers
  • Money
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Professional Development
  • Psychology
  • Recreation
  • Training
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.