The 2019 Defense Budget calls for $686.1 billion in spending and a 2.6 percent pay increase for service members. President Trump’s proposed defense budget reflects a 2% increase year over year. 
“We will make targeted, disciplined increases in personnel and platforms to meet key capability and capacity needs.” Summary of the 2018 National Defense Strategy of the United States of America
Proposed 2019 NDAA Details:
- Military Benefits & Compensation
- Military Pay: 2.6% proposed military pay increase which would be the largest in 9 years.
- Civilian Employee Pay: There is no raise in the budget for civilian employees.
- Basic Allowance for Subsistence Rates: The proposed BAS rate increase is 3.4%.
- Basic Allowance for Housing Rates: The proposed BAH rate increase is 2.9%. Individual areas will vary.
- NO compensation cost share reforms in FY 2019: Instead, the Department is focusing on internal business process improvements and structural changes to find greater efficiencies, such as modernizing our military health care systems into an integrated system
- Sustains family support initiatives: By investing more than $8 billion in:
- Spousal/community support
- Child care for approximately 1 million military children
- DoD Dependent Schools, which are educating over 78,000 students
- Commissary operations at 237 stores
- Counseling support for service members and their families
- Military personnel funds will receive $12.2 billion more and are pegged at $148.2 billion.
- Military Personnel
- Increases end strength by 25,900 (24,100 in the active components and 1,800 in the reserve components) over the FY 2018 budget.
- 1,338,000 active-duty personnel and 817,700 reserve component personnel.
- Facilities Investment
- Increase of 7% to $10.5 billion and Includes:
- Improved Quality-of-Life for service members and their families including schools, barracks, and medical facilities
- Operational, training, maintenance and production facilities improvements
- Recapitalization of facilities in poor and failing condition
- Increase of 7% to $10.5 billion and Includes:
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Requested $199 billion for an increase of $12 billion or 6.5%.
- According to the VA the goal would be “expanding health-care services, improving quality and expanding choice to over 9 million enrolled Veterans”
- The budget also includes funds for the Veterans Choice Program, private-sector care.
Defense Budget Approximate Approval Timeline:
February 12, 2018 – DoD Releases Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Proposal
Spring/Summer 2018 – Congressional committees submit “views and estimates” of spending and revenues.
Summer/Fall 2018 – House & Senate Armed Appropriations Committees work on the FY2019 defense bill.
Summer/Fall 2018 – House of Representatives and Senate pass their versions of the defense bill and negotiate differences.
November/December 2018 – The House of Representatives and Senate pass the final version of the defense bill.
December 2018 – The defense bill is signed into law
For more detailed information on the 2018 Defense Budget proposal, visit the 2019 DoD Defense Budget Request site.