Average 4.2% Increase in 2011 BAH
February 1st, 2010
President Obama’s 2011 budget request for Department of Defense, released officially today, requests an average housing allowance increase of 4.2 percent, as well as a variety of monthly special skill-based payments, enlistment and reenlistment bonuses, and other benefits.
Family support programs grow over 3% – some of the main increases are $87 million, to expand availability for affordable, high-quality child care services at over 800 child development centers both in the United States and overseas – $37 million, for expanded counseling and assistance services, from (Read the rest of the story…)
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No Sea and Sub Pay Increase for 2011?
January 26th, 2010
Congressman Jerry McNerney (D)(CA-11) introduced H.R. 4440, Combat Operations and Medical Benefit Authorization for our Troops (COMBAT) Act, on Jan. 13, 2010. The bill is to amend title 37, United States Code, to increase the maximum amount for the military special pays known as hostile fire pay, imminent danger pay, hazardous duty pay, family separation allowance, and “to increase other special and incentive pays to recognize the service of members of the Armed Forces and encourage recruitment and retention.”
Currently, the bill has one cosponsor:
Rep Hall, John J. (D)(NY-19)
The pay increases proposed are monthly amounts unless otherwise stated. (Read the rest of the story…)
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Navy SRB Guidance as of 22Jan2010
January 22nd, 2010
The latest Selective Re-enlistment Bonus (SRB) guidance, NAVADMIN 028/10. (Read the rest of the story…)
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New Minimum Weight Standard
January 22nd, 2010
The Navy has now decided to use the Body Mass Index (BMI) as a method of determining the minimum weight for an applicant who is joining. Prior to this change, a person would have to meet or exceed a minimum static number for their height. I have updated the height weight chart to reflect the current change and also provided a link to the BMI calculator that the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) will use. (Read the rest of the story…)
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Back Online with New Chart Up
January 15th, 2010
Yesterday, I called Congressman Joe Wilson’s office in DC to ask about the methodology he used to determine a 1.9% pay raise for 2011. As I thought, he used what congress has been doing since 1999 to help eliminate the pay gap and bring military pay more inline with the private sector by adding an additional half percent to the Employment Cost Index (ECI). I only had the question because I misread the ECI back in October; I read civilian 1.5% vice the useful indicator of the private sector reading of 1.4%. The ECI is what the president uses to determine his pay raise proposal. With the state of today’s economy, combined with an election, this should prove to be a very interesting year to watch.
I would have had the updated 2011 military pay proposal chart up sooner, but for the past two days I have been consumed with reloading Windows and all my other programs back on to my home computer. My computer crashed. How did it happen? Here is my theory, (Read the rest of the story…)
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Top Posts of 2009
January 1st, 2010
Happy New Year! May your 2010 be the most healthy and prosperous year you have ever experienced 
Last year (2008), I made a list of the top ten most visited posts on my blog. It was interesting to go back and see what stuff garnered the most interest over the year; Wordpress stats makes the process pretty easy, so I am doing it again.
Here is the Top Ten list for 2009: (Read the rest of the story…)
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SEALs Established 48 Years Ago Today
January 1st, 2010
January 1, 1962, the United States Navy’s SEALs were established.
SEALs (Special Warfare Operator – SO) are named after the environments in which they operate, the SEa, Air and Land, and are the foundation of Naval Special Warfare combat forces. They are organized, trained and equipped to conduct a variety of special operations missions in all operational environments. Today’s SEALs trace their history from the elite frogmen of World War II. Training is extremely demanding, both mentally and physically, producing the world’s best warriors in the sea, air, and on land.
SEALs are “The Elite of the Fleet.”
Happy Birthday!
Navy SEALs Trident
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2010 Navy Event Dates
December 30th, 2009
With the help of NAVADMIN 367/09 and a couple of subsequent correction NAVADMINs, here is the Navy’s CONUS outreach events for the coming year. Events include Navy Weeks, Fleet Weeks, diversity events, Blue Angels Air Shows, ship commissioning and decoms, and I have also added the upcoming MILBLOG Conf. I will update this list as more information becomes available (Yes, the next MILBLOG in Vegas too ); so, go ahead and bookmark this page.
The list of events and dates: (Read the rest of the story…)
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December Disney Trip 2009
December 21st, 2009
Just finished up another trip to Disney! We had a couple of days left on the complementary tickets the Disney Corporation so graciously supplied veterans a few months back. They expire 23 December 2009, so what the heck! Actually, we were not the only folks doing the same – the United States military was well represented at all the Disney parks we visited. Met a couple of Sailors, in uniform by the way, at EPCOT who were visiting with their families; a good time was being had by all. I hope Disney realized a (Read the rest of the story…)
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You Have Family Everywhere
December 16th, 2009
Just the other day, I was on Twitter and saw a note from a respected military blogger, CJ Grisham of Soldiers Prespective, in response to Boston Maggie’s request for him to stop by Boston he said, “but I don’t have family in Boston.” I broke into the conversation and responded to CJ, “You have “family” in a lot of cities you didn’t think you did, my brother.”
Those words have never rung truer. Today, the military blogosphere has (Read the rest of the story…)
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