Both Monde and Clements said decreasing foreign aid and overseas deployment could fund pay increases for troops, new weapons and veterans' benefits. Clements added that additional funding could be found by cutting waste and excessive spending in the federal budget. He did not offer specifics. Clements proposes increasing troops' starting pay 49 percent, and raising salaries 7 percent for each advancing rank. According to an Army spokesman in the Pentagon, soldiers already earn more than Clements' proposed salaries.
Wages vary depending on geographic area because of housing rates.
Stenholm proposes using a portion of the federal budget surplus to fund better access to health care for military retirees, improving the military's readiness, and raising the quality of life for troops and their families. While Stenholm also favors paying down the national debt, Republicans have proposed using more of the surplus for tax cuts. Dyess interests A 22-year Democratic incumbent, Stenholm said he sees a positive future for Dyess Air Force Base, the major military installation in his district. With new base housing and a child development center in the works at Dyess, Stenholm said the base has a good chance of withstanding future base closings. Securing a third mission, such as the Airborne Laser Program that uses 747 airplanes equipped with lasers that shoot down enemy missiles, would boost Dyess to superbase status.