DoD could save at least $172 billion over 10 years if the agency implements a cap on service members’ salaries, replace some military personnel with civilian staff, increase cost-sharing for Tricare retirees and remove concurrent receipt for disabled veterans, CBO said Thursday.
President Barack Obama’s proposed fiscal 2016 budget includes about $157 billion for military pay and benefits, according to CBO.
The agency also estimates that a military retirement provision in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act would reduce defense spending and increase the federal budget deficit from FY 2016 to FY 2025.