Junior Enlisted Basic Pay Increase

Dear Chairman Reed, Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Wicker, and Ranking Member Smith:

The Air & Space Forces Association (“AFA”) is deeply concerned about the level of compensation paid to our service members, especially junior enlisted personnel.

Military recruiting has suffered significantly over the past two years, and one clear factor is pay. Our nation’s armed services are not competing effectively against civilian employers that are increasingly offering competitive pay without requiring of their employees the 24/7 commitment and potential risks to life and limb our nation asks of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Guardians, Coast Guardsmen and Marines. Consider these two examples:

• At Walmart, America’s largest private employer, associates now earn $17.50 an hour on average.
• Amazon, the nation’s second largest employer, reports average pay for customer fulfillment and operations roles now exceeds $20.50 per hour—up more than 50% in just five years.
• Allied Universal, the third biggest private employer in the U.S., pays security guards an average of $17.50 per hour.

Unlike military members, all these employees are eligible for overtime. Not so our military members, who volunteer to serve their country and risk life and limb for less than $20 an hour throughout their first two years in uniform—including all pay and allowances. In fact, their hourly rate is often far less, when considering that military duty often demands troops work 50-, 60, or more hours per week.

America must do better for its troops! H.R. 8070, the House version of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization bill, addresses this problem by raising the pay for junior enlisted members by 15 percent. This targeted pay adjustment ensures a competitive wage from the moment a volunteer enters the military. We urge its full consideration in the Conference.

As you know, 15 states now mandate a minimum wage of at least $14 per hour, and eight require at least $15 per hour. The District of Columbia sets the minimum at $17.50. Our troops deserve more than minimum wages.

Before she retired earlier this year, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass challenged the House Quality of Life Panel in testimony: “We must adequately compensate our service members and care for their families, to be able to recruit and retain the talent our Air Force needs to maintain our advantage in the future.” Her counterpart, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna, went a step further, noting that the Guardians of the Space Force won’t stay in uniform without fair compensation: “The competition for space-competent talent requires us to take a deeper look into targeted ways in how our service compensates Guardians as it pertains to recruitment and retention.”

AFA recognizes that a substantial pay increase carries with it significant future costs and budgetary impact. Yet this is a “pay now or pay later” decision. To forego extra pay for junior enlisted threatens to exacerbate an already challenging recruiting environment, which in turn will increase what the Pentagon must spend to attract each recruit.

Money invested in our troops pays dividends in the quality and retention of those who serve our nation. Accordingly, AFA respectfully recommends the Conference adopt a pay increase of 19 percent for junior enlisted personnel and 4.5 percent for all other ranks.

As always, AFA deeply appreciates the consideration you have afforded to our organization’s views.

Sincerely,