European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 16, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes april getting people in is Only half the battle7 by Dick Hodgson Kaiserslautern Bureau chief Ramstein Germany Andrew commander of the air forces air training says proposals to Cap military pay and to modify retirements wont Hurt recruiting but could have severe repercussions for we in the air Force have never had a problem get Ting people to join he said we have always been an Al Volunteer the last time any body was drafted was for the army air corps in but getting the people in is Only half the he we spend a lot of time and Money training them and we have to compete with the private sector to keep them on lose was in Europe for nine Days visiting air train ing come units in Turkey and he also discussed Mutual training concerns with the Royal Jor Danian air lose cited 1979 statistics on Pilot retention As an example of what happens when the military cannot com Pete with civilian we lost about As opposed to about we trained that because the airlines were in a very competitive Market with deregulation and he they were Able to pay offer the pilots a Choice of where to Shorter working no family we just  match what they were the main thing we have going for us is the retirement lose said the current discussions in Washington on changing the retirement system have been a source of much distortion and the service chiefs have gone to members of Congress and tried to explain the system and How it works in order to Clear up a lot of the folklore surrounding he we have to overcome the realignment which our retire ment system has been even the amount of retirement compensation paid is lose people hear that we get half Pur pay after 20 years and they Are told that it is growing by leaps and All that is the average lose receives about a that he Falls several Hundred dollars below the poverty level for a family of so its obviously not a lavish he Andrew lose recruitment not the problem and retirees dont get half their pay after 20 years they get half their base that works out to about 37 percent of their total he there is a misconception that everyone retires after 20 years right now the average enlisted person spends about 24 years on Active he officers Are averaging 25 there have been comments made to the effect that we Are creating a group of 40yearolds who Are retiring and bilking the he the average Retiree today is 56 years there Are people in Congress who say the retirement system is if you take a look at straight line you find the system is growing very lose likened the retirement system to deferred com the average person serves two or three Remote works is separated from his has cer Tain of his rights has frequent risks his life and so How do you pay someone for those things my response to All these charges of an extravagant retirement is if the military retirement system is so Why do Only 12 percent of All the people who enlist stay Long enough to be eligible for retirement he there is a purpose for this retirement system and it has been studied to he one is that its a Force management we need it to keep a viable lose compared today military with that of the late 1930s and Early 1940s As proof of his we had a aged he it took maybe 15 or 16 years to make staff we had captains who were 50 years do the american people want that kind of Force our retirement system has a mobilization Factor that most people Arent aware he right now there Are about million of which Are air of those about have or Ders Cut and waiting to go if we have to should we need we have talented people ready to i dont know of any retirement system in the private sector which we need you to increase the size of our work Force and its mandatory that you come its our Best retention lose think about someone at the 8or 10year for a Pilot who has about a thousand flying hours and is thinking about staying on now were going to change his two things come into play we can change it by decreasing his annuity or by telling him he cant retire after 20 what happens were Only authorized a specified number of colonels and he now has to instead of making major at the 11year Point he May have to wait until the 15th or 16th when he begins to evaluate his he May to not going to wait around for 15 or 16 years and maybe not get the promotion even or he May decide to go ahead and serve the 25 or 27 years necessary to if he were going to save Money on but How much is it going to Cost us at million per copy to train pilots to find Himl How Many others will leave that would have stayed if the system had not been military retirement studies agree on need for changes by Dwight trimmer Washington Bureau Washington the military billion retire ment system has been the subject of at least nine studies during the last two according to the congressional budget a review shows that each of those studies has recommended changes to the ranging from estimated savings of billion to More than billion a the studies have recommended a variety of ways to Cut military retirement the majority of them have agreed on a hand Ful of eight of the nine studies have favored smaller pensions for military retirees until they reach old most of the studies have recommended integrating military retirement pay and social Security reducing military pensions when a Retiree starts drawing social nearly every study has wanted to change the military retirement formula currently percent of base pay multiplied by years of proposals have usually reduced the multiplier for 20 year retirements and increased it for retirements beyond 20 All but one have supported some form of lesser payment when a service member leaves the service before usually after completing 10 years several studies have proposed Cash payments instead of almost All the studies have agreed on Grandfather leaving the retirement benefits of most Active duty people substantially within the last two three groups have proposed different ways to change the military retirement these three recent plans provides a wide Range of alternatives for reforming the military retirement the fifth quadrennial review of military compensation proposed a Reform that would save billion a according to co the review is a Pentagon panel that reports to the president every four years on military compensation the most recent review looked specifically at the military retirement in addition to other compensation the Pentagon panel proposed reducing military pensions but adding Cash payments at the time of the panel also suggested capping the annual costo living adjustment cola to military retired pay at three quarters the inflation those cola payments equal the full annual inflation under the Pentagon service members retiring with less than 30 years of service would receive smaller thirty year retirement pensions would stay the retirees with 20 years of service would draw a pen Sion of 35 percent of their Basic those retirees receive a pension of 50 the Pentagon proposal would taper military pension rates from 35 percent after 20 years service to 75 percent after 30 years to offset those smaller pensions for service members retiring with less than 30 years the Pentagon panel proposed a Cash payment at the time of for that payment would be twice their annual Basic for that payment would be three times their Basic the congressional budget office estimated that an e7 retiring after 20 years service would receive a Cash payment of an o5 retiring after 20 years service would receive a Cash payment of the Pentagon proposal would Grandfather service members with 12 or More years of who could decide whether to retire under the old or new during the fiscal year 1984 budget the Reagan administration proposed a much simpler change to military retired the presidents budget for that fiscal year included a plan to reduce annual cola for retirees under age All other parts of military retired pay would be left about 70 percent of military retirees fall into that age according to defense department the congressional budget office estimated that change would save billion a the administration proposed that Colas for retirees under age 62 be capped at half the inflation retirees receive an annual cola increase equal to the full inflation rate Congress had tested the half cola plan for younger retirees in by they planned to continue with those half cola payments for two More fiscal the administration proposed making that half cola change neither current nor future retirees under age 62 would be Congress rejected half cola in by 84 and returned to full cola payments for All the private sector Survey control proposed a major overhaul of the military retirement system in the commonly referred to As the Grace is made up of business leaders who Analysed and recommended ways to Cut Federal the Grace commissions military pension reforms would save billion a according to budget office the Grace commission proposed smaller military pensions deferred until age that proposal would change the formula for computing military retired the Grace commission would change the current for Mula to percent of Basic pay times years of under the Grace service members could retire after 20 drawing 32 percent of Basic not 50 they could not Start drawing that pension until age since military retirees would not be drawing their pensions right away under the Grace the commis Sion also proposed a transition service members retiring with at least 20 years service would receive a transition Benefit payment for the first five years of the Grace plan would further reduce military pen Sions by changing the method of computing Basic pay for a retirees Basic pay for under he step would be the average Basic pay Over the High five years of that the five years of service a service members Basic pay was the until retired pay was based on a service members Teal Basic anyone entering the military after Lias their retired pay figured their based on their average Basic pay Over their High three years of that the three years of service their Basic pay was the Rel also wanted to eliminate it retired pay until age there i t Plouy be at on third the inflation under the Grace military retired pay would be integrated with swim Security benefits when a military Retiree starts drawing social Securi their retired Ray would be Grace com Mission most of their exempting service members with 10 years service or More from the the new retired pay formula and reduced cola would not be