A Look at Cash Compensation for Active-duty Military Personnel

Exactly how much money do the average officers and enlisted personnel make every month? Retaining high-quality personnel is a priority for the U.S. armed forces. To do so, the military must compensate its servicemembers adequately. The Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation looks at cash pay to enable each armed service to meet its manpower requirements. The authors here examine all forms of cash pay, with attention to special and incentive pays. They found rates of compensation across the services remarkably similar, regardless of skill area. The services should seek greater differentiation if they want to vary the experience mix of their personnel.