Pentagon Personnel Costs at Historic High
10/19/2021
By Jon Harper
Since 9/11, personnel-related expenditures have ballooned for the Defense Department. While reining in such costs could free up money for modernization, doing so would come with political and manpower risks that may give policymakers pause, analysts say.
The total cost of military personnel includes regular pay and special pay, plus other benefits such as health care, retirement, housing and subsistence allowances.
Last year, the Pentagon employed about 1.4 million active-duty troops and 800,000 civilians and maintained a reserve component of more than 800,000 members, according to a new Center for Strategic and International Studies report by defense budget analyst Seamus Daniels, “Assessing Trends in Military Personnel Costs.”
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/10/19/pentagon-personnel-costs-at-historic-high
