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January 18, 2002
Military pay raise averages 6.9 percent
WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service) -- Service members at West Point
and across the world will receive a nice surprise in their pay this month --
an average increase of 6.9 percent.
"It’s the largest pay increase in 20 years," said Navy Capt. Chris
Kopang, director of compensation at the Defense Department.
In general, officers will see their pay increase 5 percent, he said, and
enlisted service members get a 6 percent boost in their pay beginning Jan. 1.
Several pay grades will see significantly larger increases. For instance,
officers in grades O-3 and O-4 will receive 6 and 6.5 percent increases,
respectively.
Non-commissioned officers are also receiving larger raises, Kopang said, with
the highest increases -- up to 10 percent --going to the highest enlisted
grades. Grades E-5 and E-6 will see an average 7.5 percent increase, E-7s an
average increase of 8.5 percent, and up to 10 percent for E-9s.
Certain lower-ranking grades also will see increases intended to fix
inequities in the pay table, he said.
For example, on the 2001 pay table an E-3 with under two years of service
would make more money by going over two years in service as an E-3 than by
getting promoted to E-4.
"We thought that sent the wrong signal," Kopang said.
President Bush in February 2001 pledged an additional $1.4 billion to go
toward pay raises for service members. He signed the 2002 National Defense
Authorization Act, which included the extra money, Dec. 28, 2001. Without this
money, Kopang said, members would have gotten a 4.6 percent across-the-board
increase on Jan. 1, 2002.
Higher raises for NCOs reflect the changing demographics of a more-educated
force. Kopang explained the military pay tables are based on the premise that
enlisted members are high school graduates. Most of today’s enlisted members
have some college under their belts. The services strongly encourage members
to further their education.
Kopang estimated that up to 40 percent of senior NCOs are college graduates.
"We can’t pay them as much as a college degree holder right now," he
said. "But the idea is to bring their earnings closer to civilian
counterparts."