President Obama has signed H.R. 6523, the Fiscal 2011 defense authorization bill, into law. The Senate and House reached consensus on the legislation in late December. It authorizes $724.6 billion for national defense, including $548.2 billion for the Pentagon’s base budget, $158.7 billion for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and $17.7 billion for Energy Department national security activities. The bill is named “The Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011” in honor of the long-serving Missouri Democrat and former House Armed Services Committee chairman who lost his re-election bid last November. Obama wasn’t happy about language in the bill barring the Administration from using funds to transfer Guantanamo detainees into the United States or foreign countries. Nonetheless, he said he signed the bill “because of the importance of authorizing appropriations for, among other things, our military activities in 2011.” (Obama statement)
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
