During the past several years we've worked hard to improve the quality of life that our people deserve. Working with the administration and Congress, AFA has helped us to improve pay, adjust the pay table, assure just retirement compensation and ensure more equitable pay to military retirees who wish to continue to serve. This year we accelerated a raise in housing allowances as we pursue the goal of full compensation for housing within five years. Health and home go hand in hand. Our military family housing is so important to the security of our military families.
Quality of life is indeed part of our readiness equation.
Readiness Readiness has many facets. With the help of the administration and Congress we have put additional billions of dollars a year toward our readiness accounts, reflected in depot maintenance work and spare parts for our force. That is having an effect as we see the empty bin refilling and cannibalization rates level off. But we have not turned readiness around. At best we've leveled off, and those efforts are at the expense of stretched modernization programs and substantially under funding our infrastructure where our people work and live.