Statement of Robert F. Hale and Joel N. Slackman
Abstract
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Slackman and I appreciate the opportunity to testify on military manpower issues before your Task Force. In fiscal year 1982, the Department of Defense will spend about $70 billion, or about one-third of all its outlays, on military manpower. These dollars will pay for the salaries, benefits, training, and support of some 3 million military personnel. Thus, military manpower issues are a key component of defense spending. In addition, difficulties in recruiting and retaining military personnel -- particularly personnel on active military duty -- have brought manpower issues to the fore in recent years. Our testimony today will address these areas of costs, recruiting, and retention. We will focus on enlisted personnel on active duty, since they involve the largest part of costs and present the most difficult problems. The sections that follow suggest three major findings about costs, recruiting, and retention. First, the pay raises enacted last year, if maintained in future years, should increase the size of each service's career force. On the other hand, some services -- particularly the Army -- may still have problems recruiting enough high-quality enlisted personnel. Second, the new Administration's proposed additions to military pay, principally the 5.3 percent pay raise effective this July, should further improve career retention and should allow the Army to come close to meeting its recruiting goals in 1982. Third, the Congress might wish to try to hold down costs by using across-the-board pay raises to keep pace with the private sector, but targeting special increases on occupations with the most acute recruiting and retention problems. Some further restructuring of the military retirement system might also be considered.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 12, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA529877
Entities
People
- Joel N. Slackman
- Robert F. Hale
Organizations
- Congressional Budget Office