I’m in the DOD pay scale crowd. Currently it is mandated at 3% by Congress. Instead of paying everyone a little bit more, the military offers various sized re-enlistment / contract extension bonuses for the jobs where retention is the most difficult. Pay has apparently been getting better the last several years and the “pay gap” with the civilian world has allegedly been closed. I think the biggest problem is the government is still committed to a defined benefits retirement system. The civilian job market seems to be paying the money upfront with more generous 401K matching and stock options. So civilians have a better chance to have savings built up rather than relying on the government retirement check to fund the good years. The options in the military seems to be cut out early or commit to the long haul. That is the way the system is designed. Overall, the problem with the time in service, even pay scale for even ranks is the complete lack of incentive to do a superior job.
security vs. satisfaction
By the way, congress is apparently haggling with the President over a 0.5% difference between proposals for military pay increase. That small amount isn’t significant considering inflation but somehow has become highly politicized.
