At a hearing this week on the Pentagon plan to raise Tricare fees for military retirees, the assembled Senators and veterans service organization witnesses were leery of the plan and leery of the Pentagon’s numbers. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) maintained that the proposed 115 percent increase is “obviously something that I don’t think is going to happen over a two-year period.” As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, he is going to request an independent review of the military healthcare finances and look for program “efficiencies and reforms first.” Appearing for The Military Coalition, retired Vice Adm. Norbert Ryan Jr. said, “Some Pentagon analysts admit to us privately that their projected savings are grossly overstated.”
The Air Force is requesting about $141 million for initial enlistment bonuses in its fiscal 2026 budget, while Space Force wants $13 million.