From left to right: Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Sgt. Maj. Troy E. Black; Sergeant Major of the Army Michael R. Weimer; Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James M. Honea; Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos A. Ruiz; Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Joanne S. Bass; and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Jan. 31, 2024. (Joe Gromelski/Special to Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The military’s top enlisted leaders called on lawmakers Wednesday to focus on improving pay and housing for service members, describing them as the most pressing quality-of-life concerns for troops.
Troops have received blanket pay raises for the last several years but Congress has not approved targeted raises for specific ranks since 2007. Poor housing conditions, particularly in barracks for the youngest service members, were the subject of a scathing government watchdog report last year.
“A couple of these problems are so big that if we don’t start taking immediate action on them now, we’re going to miss the curve in the future,” said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea. “We must start today.”
Honea and the other leaders offered their testimony to the House Armed Services Committee’s special quality-of-life panel as it finalizes efforts to provide service members with better pay and compensation, housing, child care, spouse support programs and access to health care.
The legislative proposals will be part of the drafting of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill that sets policies for the Pentagon.
Military compensation and housing emerged as top issues across the service branches as the panel met with military families, military officials and advocates during the past year. Senior enlisted leaders acknowledged Wednesday that they damage troop morale and could hurt recruitment.
From left to right: Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Sgt. Maj. Troy E. Black; Sergeant Major of the Army Michael R. Weimer; Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James M. Honea; Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos A. Ruiz; Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Joanne S. Bass; and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Jan. 31, 2024. (Joe Gromelski/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Lawmakers have indicated they will seek pay increases next year, specifically for junior enlisted personnel and troops with specialized skills. House Republicans advanced legislation last year that would have set a $31,000 minimum salary for the lowest-ranking service members but it was scrapped amid an ongoing review of military compensation.
“Adequacy of pay and benefits for our most junior service members continues to be in question,” said Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., the panel’s chairman. “It is crucial these men and women are fairly compensated for their dedication, sacrifice and service they provide to our nation.”
Housing is also under congressional scrutiny following a Government Accountability Office investigation that found junior enlisted troops living in barracks with mold, missing kitchenettes, sewage overflow, water-quality issues, rodent infestations, broken air conditioning and other unsafe conditions.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said she hears complaints about housing at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, S.C., almost every week. Of the 1,140 units available to the 12,000-member military community, about 960 units are occupied and the rest are “in disrepair or completely unlivable,” she said.
“We have housing that soldiers can’t even live in,” she said. “We have to do better.”
Senior enlisted leaders said room for improvement is limited due to aging, chronically underfunded housing. Most infrastructure was built in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and is “like antiques,” said Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Joanne Bass.
“We have various pockets where our barracks — they’re old and we need to knock them down and I’ll get on a tram and knock them down myself if we have to,” said Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz.
Bacon said the quality-of-life panel will work with congressional appropriators to come up with a strategy to tackle each issue. Progress might take years, he warned, but lawmakers will continue to chip away at it “to get this right.”
“Nobody should be on food stamps, nobody should have to go to a food bank, period, while serving in our military. Nobody should live in decrepit barracks or dorms,” he said. “No one.”
