Paying Tomorrow's Military

Good compensation is an important part of the nation's compact with its men and women in uniform. In contrast to the private sector or other government employers, the U.S. military spends a large share of its compensation dollars on noncash benefits. Such benefits are extremely inefficient from an economic point of view, costing taxpayers substantially more than they are typically worth to either the individuals who receive them or the services as institutions. Their high costs are draining resources from other service priorities