The Pentagon is rolling out a series of initiatives to improve the quality of life for military personnel and their families, as the services face the greatest strain in decades to meet recruiting targets.
The moves included creating flexible spending accounts to reduce out-of-pocket health care costs; increasing benefits for staffers at child care centers on military bases; and providing high-speed Wifi internet access to junior personnel living in the barracks.
The programs are part of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s “Taking Care of Our People” initiative that he announced soon after taking over at the Pentagon. In a memo to senior military leaders, the one-time Army general said “doing right” by service members and their families is a core readiness issue.
“Taking care of our people is fundamental to the department’s ability to recruit and retain the most talented American patriots and to ensure that the U.S. military remains the most lethal fighting force on the planet,” Mr. Austin said.
The moves come as the military grapples with the most serious recruiting challenges since the end of the draft more than 50 years ago.
Under “Taking Care of Our People,” military personnel can set aside up to $3,200 in pre-tax earnings to cover medical costs like co-payments and deductibles for family members that they were often forced to pay under TRICARE, the military’s health insurance system.
The military regularly transfers service members and their families to new duty stations, often in other countries. The Defense Department acknowledges it can put a strain on them. Mr. Austin’s initiative will give those redeployed up to 21 days’ worth of temporary lodging expenses — up from two weeks previously — while they find permanent housing.
Unemployment for military spouses is among the highest in the country for a variety of reasons, including hesitancy from employers to hire someone who will likely move in a few years. The new Pentagon initiative will provide spouses with up to $4,000 in financial assistance to cover licensing and certification costs or an associate’s degree.
“Our military spouses are the rock upon which their service member stands, and we continue to invest in their careers,” Mr. Austin wrote in his memo.
Easing uniform costs will improve the quality of life for the troops. Mr. Austin said junior enlisted personnel should be adequately compensated when they must replace required uniform items. He told the military services to review uniform items to see if they meet their intended wear life and to confirm if replacement allowance rates are sufficient.
“The department has made enormous progress but we have more to do,” Mr. Austin said in his memo. “I have met directly with junior service members and families, with our senior enlisted advisors, and with service leadership to explore further steps to enhance the quality of life for our people.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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