Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced last week that the Senate has unanimously approved an amendment to the 2007 defense authorization bill that would revamp the military retirement system and improve access to Tricare for Guardsmen and Reservists. Among the health care provision, the amendment would reduce the co-pay for reservists and guardsmen who have not been deployed and are eligible for other private insurance but want to continue access to Tricare. If included in the final defense bill, the amendment also would lower the retirement age for reservists based on the number of days a reservist is called to active duty. Graham says that the increase in call ups for long tours of duty means “we need to ensure the benefits [reservists] are receiving are equal to the sacrifice they are making.”
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
