Congress adds soldiers, raises military pay 2.1 percent

Jump packs are laid out at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson ahead of a mission
Jump packs are laid out at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson ahead of a mission. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/APRN)

President-elect Donald Trump has called for a much bigger military and Congress took a step in that direction Thursday.

The U.S. Senate passed the annual defense authorization bill, which has now cleared both houses of Congress by veto-proof majorities.

The bottom line for the bill is $619 billion. That’s about $3 billion more than in President Barack Obama’s budget. Service members will see their pay go up 2.1 percent. It’s the largest annual increase in several years.

Congress is calling for 16,000 more soldiers, compared to President Obama’s request.

“The Obama administration has been cutting, cutting, cutting and we’re finally going to put some troops back,” Sen. Dan Sullivan said in a video his office made to explain it to his constituents. “This is going to be very important for Alaska. I think it’s also going relieve the pressure on the Army wanting to cut the 4-25, at JBER.”

The Army had proposed shrinking the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson by more than 2,000 soldiers.

Among the Alaska provisions, the bill requires the Defense Department to begin the planning for a strategic Arctic port. It also aims to allow Tricare beneficiaries in rural Alaska to get services from the Native health care system. Tricare is the health insurance program for active duty military, retirees and their families.

Alaska Public Media

Alaska Public Media is one of our partner stations in Anchorage. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

Sign up for The Signal

Top Alaska stories delivered to your inbox every week

Site notifications
Update notification options
Subscribe to notifications