News
Large IED Rips Through Blast-Proof Truck In Afghanistan, Killing Six
A roadside bomb in Afghanistan that recently tore through the hull of an armored Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, killing six American soldiers, has been called "considerably larger" than bombs previously seen in the country, leading some defense analysts to worry about the potential beginning of a trend toward bigger and deadlier improvised explosive devices/.../
Troop Welfare
The most sacred of political cows in the military budget is soldier pay and benefits. Both the House and Senate want to remove from the proposed 2013 Pentagon budget modest changes to slow the growth in personnel costs.
Service Members Weigh in on Pay Versus Benefits
Senior military officers place a high value on retirement benefits and health care for their families while junior enlisted personnel tend to favor increases in pay, according to new survey results from a nonpartisan policy research institute.
Raytheon Gets $636M For Missile Defense - But Where Are The Lasers?
/.../A recent report by the influential Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments calculated America's various missile defense systems cost anywhere from $3.3 million to $15 million a shot - and it typically takes two shots to be sure of a hit, so double that figure - compared to $1 to $3 million for a souped-up Scud. Even at these rates, the US can probably afford to buy more defensive missiles than impoverished North Korea can buy offensive missiles, but China or even Iran can simply buy more missiles than we can ever hope to counter. That's what CSBA's experts call a "cost imposition" dynamic, and we're the side the costs are being imposed on.
Study: Most Troops Say Military Paying Too Much For Lifetime Healthcare
U.S. military personnel and their dependents believe lifetime healthcare coverage isn't worth the high price the Pentagon pays for it, preferring instead pay hikes over other potential benefits changes.
Why TRICARE Matters
This week’s Washington Outlook column takes a look at one of the key pressures on defense procurement – the Pentagon’s budget for personnel. Todd Harrison, a budget analyst for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, linked up with a firm that analyzes corporate benefits to study whether members of the military would mind trading up some of the benefits that lawmakers and generals cling to.