By MOAA Staff

Investing in our junior enlisted members is “essential” to the strength of the all-volunteer force, MOAA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), wrote in a recent guest commentary, discussing MOAA’s support for a significant pay raise for those who “play a critical role in safeguarding our nation’s security.”

The piece, published by Military Times on Oct. 7, cites the bipartisan April 2024 report from the House Armed Services Committee Quality of Life (QOL) Panel, which recommends a 15% increase for junior enlisted personnel in addition to the 4.5% raise for all servicemembers. Thanks in part to advocacy efforts from MOAA and fellow military and veterans groups, those compensation levels are part of the House version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). And while the Senate version includes a lower targeted raise, “ignoring and dismissing the clear indicators of need, doing nothing or simply deferring action should not be an acceptable option,” Kelly wrote.

While some critics of the plan point to competing priorities for low funding levels, Kelly called the arguments “a false dilemma between funding new weapons systems or increasing pay, instead of making the case that both might be necessary.”

The commentary is the latest in MOAA’s ongoing efforts in support of the measure, which included a focus on the raise as part of our annual Advocacy in Action Summer Campaign. That effort led to more than 17,000 letters sent to lawmakers from our Legislative Action Center on this issue and other MOAA priorities.

Read the full commentary here, and bookmark MOAA’s Advocacy News page for the latest on this legislative priority and others as Congress nears a busy lame-duck session.