Military pay has not kept up with inflation and has fallen behind private-sector compensation by 12.6 percent. The gap is projected to widen to eighteen percent by FY 2001. Reimbursement for a typical permanent change of station move is only about sixty-five cents on the dollar. It is not surprising that service members rate pay and allowances as their chief complaint about military life. The combination of changes to the military retirement system has already reduced the lifetime value of retired pay for newer service members by twenty-six percent.
Retirees are increasingly concerned about their benefits, especially medical care.
The Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve account not only for an increasing share of the force structure but also an increasing share of the mission. They provide all of the air defense forces, more than half of the airlift and tanker forces, and significant portions of the fighter, bomber, special operations, electronic warfare, tactical reconnaissance, and rescue forces. The Air Force Association congratulates the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve for demonstrating the potential of Total Force and congratulates the Air Force for its effective use of Guard and Reserve components. US troops in combat. Current policy, stated earlier this year, is that the armed forces may be used on behalf of interests that are deemed important but which are not necessarily vital interests of the United States.