Think Tank: Move Cautiously on Pay Freeze

If and when the White House and Congress decide to move forward on implementation of a proposed three-year freeze on salaries for Defense Department civilians and uniformed non-combatants, such a move should be made carefully, according to a Washington, D.C., based think tank. "Military manpower requirements can be successfully met only if adequate resources are provided for recruitment and retention efforts, including appropriate types and levels of compensation," writes Todd Harrison, the senior fellow for defense budget studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. With proper planning, Harrison believes, the military weather the salary cuts — largely because DoD civilians and non-combatants have received raises that exceeded comparable ones for the civilian workforce during the past decade. Also, recruiting and retention have been high because of the poor civilian job market, Harrison writes. As such, "a temporary freeze in non-combat compensation levels would not likely have an adverse effect on the military."