Article

VFW, Allies Mislead on Pay, Benefits

Lawrence J. Korb, Alex Rothman, and Max Hoffman defend the Pentagon against groups such as Military Officers Association of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which oppose the Pentagon’s attempts to rein in rapidly increasing personnel costs.

Groups like the Military Officers Association of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which oppose the Pentagon’s attempts to rein in rapidly increasing personnel costs, are accusing the Obama administration of balancing the budget on the backs of the men and women who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. MOAA had its members “storm Capitol Hill” last week to urge legislators to block the Pentagon’s proposed reforms.

But close analysis of the proposals from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the Joint Chiefs of Staff reveals that their critics’ arguments are baseless.

Read more here.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors

Lawrence J. Korb

Senior Fellow

Alex Rothman

Policy Analyst

Max Hoffman

Former Senior Director