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In the late 1990s, military members were paid dramatically less than [civilian] peers. Since then, Congress has been good to us, with significant raises in pay and housing allowances. In the 1990s, folks were paying 15 to 20 percent of their rent out-of-pocket. We have been zero out-of-pocket for three or four years now.
As [Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Michael Stevens] and I go around and ask our people if they feel appropriately compensated, they say yes, and many admit they probably are doing better than civilians. So it’s a different scenario today.
We are not proposing to reduce pay or even have zero growth. We’re talking about limiting compensation growth. It’s not something we want to do. Ninety percent of reductions taken as a result of the BCA have been from modernization, readiness, procurement, and science and technology accounts. Ten percent would be compensation reform.