10. Ninth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation, USD (AT&L), Spring 2000-May 2002
Released by the Secretary of Defense on May 17, 2002, the QRMC assessed the effectiveness of military pay and benefits in recruiting and retaining a high-quality force. The Ninth QRMC found that compensation, particularly for mid-grade enlisted members and junior officers, has not kept pace with the earnings of comparably educated workers in the private sector. The 2002 military pay raise, the largest in two decades, was based on the QRMC findings and did much to remedy the situation. The QRMC recommends that military pay compensate for the special demands associated with military life and should be set around the 70th percentile of comparably educated civilians.
SA staff provided research support to the QRMC. SA wrote and integrated the main volume of the report, incorporating research inputs, data, and findings and recommendations of the research staff and advisory panel. In addition, SA conducted a literature review of relevant studies of the military compensation system and prepared a draft report on the history of military compensation. SA integrated issue papers into background volumes supporting the main report.
