Observations on the April 15, 1982, Joint Services Report, "Military Pay Adjustment Mechanism Study"

GAO evaluated the recommendations contained in a recent Joint Services Study Group report concerning the appropriate mechanism for annually adjusting military pay levels. The report recommended that the Department of Defense (DOD) propose legislation which would: (1) sever the existing link between military basic pay adjustments and the Federal white-collar pay adjustment process; and (2) require the use of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employment Cost Index (ECI) wage and salary series to annually adjust military basic pay and allowances.