

There were no surprises on active duty end strength with the Army set at 452,000 the Navy at 354,000 the Air Force at 325,344 the Marine Corps set at 177,000 and the Space Force at 8,600. The act also makes the assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment the department's chief housing officer. It encourages DOD to coordinate efforts to address housing shortages. The act extends the authority to adjust the basic allowance for housing in high-cost areas. There are several changes in the act regarding housing. The act also calls for a pilot program to reimburse military families for certain child care costs related to a permanent change of station. The act expands the scope of financial reimbursement related to spouse relicensing and business costs arising from a permanent change of station.
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The act authorizes the defense secretary to increase this benefit to 200 percent of the poverty line when appropriate.ĭOD officials have said that roughly one-third of spouses must obtain new professional licenses every time they move to a new state. It also puts in place language allowing more service members to qualify for the basic needs allowance by increasing the eligibility threshold and allowance size from 130 percent of the federal poverty line to 150 percent. On the personnel side, the act authorizes additional funding to address the effects of inflation on compensation. Still, Congress has spoken and the department will fully comply with the NDAA, officials said. Since April, only two service members have died from COVID-19.Īustin argued that the mandate is necessary to protect military readiness, and he has been clear in his support for maintaining it. Some 98 percent of active duty service members and 96 percent of the total force have been vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccinations have been successful. Austin III ordered the mandate on August 24, 2021. "DOD remains committed to the health and safety of the force and to ensuring we are ready to execute our mission at all times." "The department will fully comply with the law," DOD officials said. One of the more contentious items in the act is requiring the defense secretary to rescind the mandate that members of the armed forces be vaccinated against COVID-19. It is a testament to the size of the agency that the act authorizes $2.5 billion for inflation impacts on DOD fuel purchases. It also funds $3.8 billion more to account for inflation in military construction.

The act also authorizes $30.3 billion for national security programs in the Department of Energy and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and $378 million for other defense-related activities.Īlthough inflation has been dropping, the act authorizes $12.6 billion for inflation impacts on purchases. The act means a 4.6 percent pay raise for military and civilian members of the department, and includes $45 billion more than originally requested to counter the effects of inflation and to accelerate implementation of the National Defense Strategy.
