Site icon MyMilitaryBenefits

2023 National Defense Budget: More Money For Troops

The National Defense Authorization Act is the legal basis for funding the Department of Defense. It specifies a budget for the entire DoD, authorizes pay raises and acquisition programs, and much more.

Everyone in uniform is affected by the NDAA, as well as their immediate families. Each year, the NDAA must be passed by the House and Senate, and signed into law by the President.

The 2023 National Defense Budget, also known as the 2023 NDAA, cleared the House of Representatives in July 2022 and at press time awaits approval by the Senate and a signature from the President. What follows is based on the version of the NDAA which was approved by the House.

The Senate version may remove or modify some or all of the following options discussed below.

2023 National Defense Authorization Act: More Money For Troops And Families

A key part of the NDAA for any fiscal year? Military pay raises. The 2023 pay raise in the current NDAA calls for a 4.6% increase in military pay.

Compare that proposed increase to last year’s approved pay raise of 2.7%. For an E-5 with six years time-in-service, the 2023 pay raise could be worth an extra $150 every month.

Higher Bonuses Proposed

The military’s secret weapon when it comes to recruiting and retention? The enlistment bonus and the reenlistment bonus.

High-demand career fields such as intel, nuclear operations, and military medicine all potentially offer these bonuses. The 2023 NDAA features higher amounts:

Extensions to Temporary Authorization to Increase BAH

A temporary authorization to increase rates for Basic Allowance for Housing in 2022 (associated with inflation and rising housing cost) has been inserted into the 2023 NDAA as an extension of the original.

This could, if approved, mean more BAH money for troops living in areas where housing costs rise above a certain percentage.

Extensions To Guard/Reserve Incentive Pay

Some Guard and Reserve incentive pay options originally set to expire at the end of 2022 are being extended into 2023.

This affects skilled duty such as medicine or nuclear operations, but also affects incentive pay offered to “reserve component members experiencing extended and frequent mobilization for active duty service”.

Cold Weather Operations Pay or Arctic Pay

Troops assigned to cold weather bases, or who must train in frequent cold weather may be eligible to draw so-called Arctic Pay or cold weather operations pay. The 2023 NDAA authorizes a special pay that could be worth $300 extra per month. However, under the current version of the NDAA, this option is only permitted for the year 2023.

WhistleBlower Incentives

Some NDAA initiatives don’t survive revisions in the Senate. Each year many options are named with some making the cut and some being left “on the cutting room floor”. A proposed whistleblower incentive is one of those “iffy” measures that may or may not survive the next version of the act.

Pet Relocation

Another provision that may or may not make the cut is the allowance for pet relocation associated with a permanent change of station move. The DoD may reimburse you for up to $2,000 in charges associated with relocating a pet as part of a PCS move.

What to Know About the 2023 NDAA

The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act is some 3853 pages long and contains literally hundreds of provisions. At press time this has been placed on the Senate calendar but the NDAA has not made its way through the Senate approval process nor has it been sent to the President’s desk for signature. The previous version was approved by the Senate in late December 2021.

 

RELATED:

 

 

Exit mobile version