Senate Panel OKs 3.9 Percent Pay Raise

Service members would receive a 3.9 percent pay raise – a half-percent more than the Bush administration asked for – under the version of the 2009 Defense Bill as marked up by the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 1.The bill still must clear the full Senate, and the House must act on its own version; the personnel subcommittee there also advocates 3.9 percent. Then, leaders from the two chambers will meet to resolve their differences before submitting a final measure to President Bush. Other personnel-related provisions of the Senate bill would: 

• Increase the numbers of active-duty soldiers by 7,000 to 532,400, and Marines by 5,000 to 194,000, by October 2009;
• Increase Army National Guard and Reserve strength by 3,371:
• Provide the Defense Department with $125 billion to cover costs of pay, allowances, bonuses, death benefits, and permanent-change-of-station moves, and
• Provides $26.1 billion to the Defense Health Program.