FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues

Summary

Each year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provides authorization of appropriations for a range of Department of Defense (DOD) and national security programs and related activities. New or clarified defense policies, organizational reform, and directed reports to Congress are often included. For FY2020, the House-passed (H.R. 2500) and Senate-passed (S. 1790) NDAA bills address or attempt to resolve high-profile military personnel issues. Some are required annual authorizations, such as end-strengths; some are updates or modifications to existing programs; and some are issues identified in certain military personnel programs.

In the House-passed and Senate-passed FY2020 NDAA bills, both houses consider authorized end-strengths identical to the Administration’s FY2020 budget proposal. Compared to FY2019, both bills would increase active duty end-strength by <1% to 1,339,500. The authorized Selected Reserves end-strength would decrease by 2% to 807,800. With regard to military pay, the House bill would direct a 3.1% increase in basic pay, which is equal to the automatic adjustment amount directed by statutory formula (37 U.S.C. §1009). Because the Senate bill lacks a similar provision, it would allow the automatic adjustment amount directed by statutory formula (3.1%) to go into effect in calendar year 2020.

Congress is considering modifications to several existing personnel programs, including

extension of DOD Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) privileges to Foreign Service Officers on mandatory home leave;

repeal of the Survivor Benefit Plan (SPB) and Veterans Affairs’ Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) offset requirement (i.e., the widows’ tax);

modification of DOD workplace and command climate surveys to include questions relating to experiences with supremacist activity, extremist activity, or racism;

expansion of Special Victim Counsel services for victims of domestic violence;

prohibition of gender-segregated Marine Corps recruit training;

expansion of spouse employment and education programs, including reimbursement for relicensing costs associated with military relocations;

clarified roles and responsibilities for senior military medical leaders assigned to the Defense Health Agency or a service medical department; and

expansion of TRICARE coverage for certain reproductive health services.

As part of the oversight process, Congress is also considering several provisions to address selected congressional items of interest, such as

DOD review of service records of certain World War I veterans for potential eligibility for a posthumously awarded Medal of Honor;

a new DOD advisory committee to oversee the Board of Correction of Military Records and the Discharge Review Board;

a feasibility study on the creation of a database to track domestic violence military protective orders and reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System;

transparency on military medical malpractice, including the ability for servicemembers to file certain tort claims against the United States; and

limitations on the reductions of military medical personnel.