Mattis says military pay is 'competitive' even with a smaller 2018 raise

Military Times: WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary James Mattis on Monday dismissed concerns about a growing pay gap between service members and their civilian counterparts, calling current military salaries “competitive” with private-sector wages.

“It’s a balancing act as we try and balance what we need to outfit (troops) with what we needs to bring them home victorious and what we need to pay them to maintain our obligation to these people,” he told members of the House Armed Services Committee during an unusual evening hearing.

The comments came in response to criticism of President Donald Trump’s proposed military pay raise for fiscal 2018.

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