Latest news with #SenateArmedServices
Boston Globe
25-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
The US military spent $6 billion in the past 3 years to recruit and retain troops
Advertisement Coupled with an array of new programs, an increased number of recruiters and adjustments to enlistment requirements, the additional incentives have helped the services bounce back from the shortfalls. All but the Navy met their recruiting targets last year and all are expected to do so this year. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly point to Trump's election as a reason for the recruiting rebound. But the enlistment increases began long before last November, and officials have tied them more directly to the widespread overhauls that the services have done, including the increased financial incentives. The Army, the military's largest service, spent more on recruiting bonuses in 2022 and 2024 than the other services. But it was significantly outspent by the Navy in 2023, when the sea service was struggling to overcome a large enlistment shortfall. Advertisement As a result, even though the Navy is a smaller service, it spent more overall in the three years than the Army did. The Navy also has spent considerably more than the others to entice sailors to reenlist, doling out retention bonuses to roughly 70,000 service members for each of the past three years. That total is more than double the number of troops the Army gave retention bonuses to each year, even though the Army is a much larger service. 'Navy is dedicated to retaining our most capable sailors; retention is a critical component of achieving our end-strength goals,' Admiral James Kilby, the vice chief of naval operations, told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee in March. He said reenlistment for enlisted sailors 'remains healthy' but officers are a challenge in specific jobs, including aviation, explosive ordnance disposal, surface and submarine warfare, health professionals and naval special operations. He added that the Navy has struggled to fill all of its at-sea jobs and is using financial incentives as one way to combat the problem. The Army has seen the greatest recruiting struggles over the past decade, and by using a range of new programs and policies has had one of the largest comebacks. The Navy has had the most trouble more recently, and took a number of steps to expand those eligible for service and spend more in bonuses. While the Army spends hundreds of millions each year to recruit troops, it also has relied on an array of new programs and policies to woo young people. A key driver of the Army's rebound has been its decision to create the Future Soldier Prep Course, at Fort Jackson, S.C., in August 2022. Advertisement That program gives lower-performing recruits up to 90 days of academic or fitness instruction to help them meet military standards and move on to basic training. It has resulted in thousands of enlistments. The Air Force increased its spending on recruiting bonuses in 2023 as it also struggled to overcome shortfalls, but lowered the amount the following year. The payments were for jobs including munitions systems, aircraft maintenance and security forces. The Space Force does not currently authorize enlistment bonuses. The Marine Corps and the tiny Space Force have consistently hit their recruiting goals, although the Marines had to dig deep into their pool of delayed entry candidates in 2022 to meet their target. The Corps, which is much smaller than the Army and Air Force, spends the least on bonuses and tends to spread the amount among a larger number of service members. Major Jacoby Getty, a Marine spokesman, said the spike in retention bonuses from $126 million in 2023 to $201 million in 2024 was because Marines were allowed to reenlist a year early for the first time. More than 7,000 Marines got bonuses as a result, a jump of nearly 2,200 over the previous year. When asked about bonuses in 2023, General Eric Smith, the Marine commandant, famously told a naval conference that 'your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine.' 'That's your bonus, right?' he said. 'There's no dollar amount that goes with that.' The services tailor their recruiting and retention money to bolster harder-to-fill jobs, including cyber, intelligence and special operations forces. The Army and Marine Corps also use the money to woo troops to some combat, armor and artillery jobs. Advertisement
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal budget plans still in limbo as Memorial Day approaches
Congress will head into its Memorial Day recess at the end of this week with a host of unanswered questions about the annual budget process, including a detailed plan of what the White House hopes to fund — and cut — in fiscal 2026. Last week, both Republicans and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee expressed frustration that the administration still has not released in-depth budget plans for federal departments and agencies, despite the current fiscal year being halfway complete. White House officials on May 2 released a 'skinny' budget plan with broad funding goals for the year, but said a detailed plan will come later this summer. Appropriators said that limits much of their work, which typically takes six to nine months after the president's budget outline. The delays — coupled with ongoing congressional fights over the reconciliation budget bill — raise concerns about another possible partial government shutdown at the end of this fiscal year, Sept. 30. Lawmakers have only 10 weeks of legislative work scheduled between now and that deadline. House Veterans' Affairs — 3 p.m. — 360 Cannon Software Licensing Management Department officials will testify on software contracts and the fiscal 2026 budget. Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — G-50 Dirksen Air Force/Space Force Budget Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin Jr. and Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — 419 Dirksen State Department Budget Secretary of State Marco Rubio will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Appropriations — 10 a.m. — 2358-C Rayburn Member Day Lawmakers will provide their priorities for the Veterans Affairs and military construction budget request for fiscal 2026. House Appropriations — 10 a.m. — 2359 Rayburn Guard/Reserves Forces National Guard and Reserve leaders will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. Senate Armed Services — 10:30 a.m. — 222 Russell Atomic Energy Activities Department officials will testify on Department of Defense nuclear weapons programs and the fiscal 2026 budget request. Senate Appropriations — 2 p.m. — 138 Dirksen State Department Budget Secretary of State Marco Rubio will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — 2172 Rayburn State Department Budget Secretary of State Marco Rubio will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Veterans' Affairs — 10:30 a.m. — 360 Cannon Adaptative Programs Department officials will testify on available adaptative programs for disabled veterans. Senate Armed Services — 2:30 p.m. — 222 Russell Information Networks Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, will testify on department information networks and areas of improvement. Senate Veterans' Affairs — 4 p.m. — 418 Russell Pending Legislation Members will consider several pending bills, including the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act. House Foreign Affairs — 9 a.m. — 2172 Rayburn Sudan Outside experts will testify on humanitarian challenges in Sudan. House Foreign Affairs — 9 a.m. — 2172 Rayburn South/Central Asia Outside experts will testify on security challenges in South and Central Asia. Senate Appropriations — 10:30 a.m. — 192 Dirksen Guard/Reserves Forces National Guard and Reserve leaders will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard outline FY26 budget needs this week
Congressional budget hearings continue this week with a focus from appropriators on the military's operations at sea. On Wednesday afternoon, the House Appropriations Committee's defense panel will discuss force needs and challenges with the heads of the Navy and Marine Corps. At the same time, Acting Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunda will testify before a separate subcommittee on his service's operations. Both sets of testimony come as lawmakers craft their response to President Donald Trump's budget plan for fiscal 2026. That outline calls for roughly $1 trillion in defense spending, but more than $100 billion of the total would come from one-time funds provided through the reconciliation process. Defense hawks in Congress have said at least some of that spending should be shifted permanently into the overall military budget, providing a larger increase for the services' programming. But Democratic lawmakers have already voiced concerns about steep cuts to non-defense programs accompanying any defense spending hike. Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — G-50 Dirksen Nominations The committee will consider several nominations, including Richard Anderson to be Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — 419 Dirksen East Africa Outside experts will testify on the security situation in east Africa. Senate Armed Services — 4:45 p.m. — 232-A Russell Missile Defense Activities Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command, and Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, director of the Missile Defense Agency, will testify on military missile defense programs. House Homeland Security — 10 a.m. — 310 Cannon Homeland Security Budget Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Veterans' Affairs — 10:15 a.m. — 360 Cannon Compensation/Pension Program Department officials will testify on improper payments in VA's compensation and pension benefits programs. House Appropriations — 2 p.m. — Capitol H-140 Navy/Marine Corps Budget Navy Secretary John Phelan, Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Appropriations — 2 p.m. — 2008 Rayburn Coast Guard Budget Acting Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Armed Services — 3 p.m. — 2218 Rayburn Military Installations Robert Thompson, acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Installations, and other defense officials will testify on current challenges facing the force. House Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — 2212 Rayburn National Security Space Programs Department officials will testify on national security space programs. Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — G-50 Dirksen Foreign Military Sales Outside experts will testify on Department of Defense responsibilities related to foreign military sales. House Appropriations — 10 a.m. — 2359 Rayburn VA Budget VA Secretary Doug Collins will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. Senate Foreign Relations — 10:30 a.m. — 419 Dirksen Nominations The committee will consider several pending nominations. House Veterans' Affairs — 2 p.m. — 360 Cannon VA Budget Request Senior department officials will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Armed Services — 3 p.m. — 2118 Rayburn Defense Intelligence Posture Department officials will testify on the current national defense intelligence posture. House Armed Services — 9 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn Cyber Posture Laurie Buckhout, acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, and Lt. Gen. William Hartman, acting head of U.S. Cyber Command, will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request.
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Exclusive: U.S. Democratic lawmaker asks Pentagon watchdog to probe if deportation flight broke law
WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - A top Democratic lawmaker has asked the Pentagon's Inspector General's office to investigate whether the U.S. military broke the law when it deported 17 migrants to El Salvador at the end of March without any U.S. government civilians on board. "We understand there were no personnel from the Department of Homeland Security on this flight ... contrary to longstanding DOD policy and practice," Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. The Inspector General's office doesn't typically comment on what investigations it has granted but officials say such requests are taken seriously, particularly when they come from such a senior lawmaker.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House lawmakers expected to debate defense funding boosts this week
House Armed Services Committee members are expected to mark up their section of the congressional reconciliation package this week, potentially adding $150 billion in military spending in coming years. The reconciliation package — the broad framework of which has already been adopted by the Republican-led House and Senate — is expected to be up for chamber votes sometime next month. Committee work on individual sections of the spending plan are scheduled for the next two weeks, following lawmakers' return from a two-week spring recess. While many agencies are expected to see sharp spending decreases under the plan, Republican lawmakers have backed funding increases for military programs. House Armed Services leaders have tentatively scheduled a vote for their portion of the legislation for Tuesday. Officials have said they hope to phase in that money over the next five years, to counter current threats and boost White House defense priorities. Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — G-50 Dirksen Nominations The committee will consider the nominations of Michael Cadenazzi to be assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy and Vice Adm. Scott Pappano to be principal deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. House Veterans' Affairs — 10 a.m. — 360 Cannon VA's Mental Health Policies VA officials will testify on department mental health assistance and care policies. House Oversight — 10 a.m. — 2247 Rayburn DOD's Financial Management Department officials will testify on financial management accountability and efforts for reform. Senate Veterans' Affairs — 10:30 a.m. — 418 Russell Veterans' Mental Health VA officials will testify on department mental health assistance and care policies. House Oversight — 2 p.m. — Visitors Center H210 Drones Defense Department officials will testify about the threats posed by drone activity over U.S. military bases. House Veterans' Affairs — 2:15 p.m. — 360 Cannon State Veterans Homes State and federal officials will testify on state veterans homes operations and challenges. House Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — 2118 Rayburn Installations Update Defense officials will testify on challenges facing military bases and properties. Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — 232-A Russell Defense Industrial Base Outside experts will testify on partnerships between industry and the Defense Department. Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — 419 Dirksen Pending Nominations The committee will consider several pending nominations. House Armed Services — 3 p.m. — 2118 Rayburn Missile Defense Defense officials will testify on missile defense goals and challenges. House Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — 2118 Rayburn Military Personnel Defense officials will testify on military personnel priorities for fiscal 2026. Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — G-50 Dirksen Nominations The committee will consider several pending nominations, including Matthew Lohmeier to be undersecretary of Air Force and Justin Overbaugh to be deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security.
