Military personnel bankrupting Pentagon?

Learn more in today\'s DoD report

DoD Report – Tune in weekdays at 40 minutes past the hour for the latest news on the Defense Department. The DoD Report can be heard on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Amy Morris (6-10 a.m.) and the DorobekINSIDER with Chris Dorobek (3-7 p.m.). Listen live at FederalNewsRadio.com or on the radio at 1500 and 820 AM in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The DoD Report is brought to you by Dell.

  • The U.S. military must reduce the cost of paying its people, funding their retirements, and underwriting their health care; that’s the word from one retired Marine Crops General. Retired General Arnold Punaro says the skyrocketing personnel costs are not only costly but outdated. Punaro is now a senior fellow for the Defense Business Board. Last year the Pentagon spent more than $46 billion dollars on retiree pay, and that doesn’t include health care. Punaro suggested closing the Joint Forces Command, a recommendation Defense Secretary Robert Gates proposed just a few weeks later. The big problem? Punaro says many people leave the service after 20 years when they reach their highest level of proficiency. Many go on to take high-paying defense sector jobs while collecting a DoD pension and enjoying discounted military retiree health plans. So what’s the solution? Pentagon leaders are pushing toward a goal of freeing up $100 billion over five years and shifting those monies to hardware programs. But Punaro says it’s not enough.

Check out all of Federal News Radio’s coverage of Defense issues here.

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Pentagon Austin

    Pentagon finishes review of Austin’s failure to tell Biden and other leaders about his cancer

    Read more
    Congress Defense

    Big pay raise for troops in defense bill sent to Biden. Conservatives stymied on cultural issues

    Read more