Reinventing military retirement

Abstract

The thesis examines the possibility of applying private sector retirement plan principles to the military retirement system. The increasing cost and generosity of military retirement coupled with political pressures to reduce federal spending have focused attention on reforming the military retirement system. Previous studies of the military retirement system are addressed and critiqued. Private retirement options are reviewed and a 401(k) plan is proposed to replace the current military retirement system. The new retirement system would eventually reduce federal outlays for military retirement by 66 percent while covering all service members. The role of retirement compensation in shaping force structure and retention are addressed. The thesis concludes that privatizing military retirement is feasible and less costly than the current military retirement system while still meeting most of the objectives of military retirement compensation.