Washington: The amount of money that American troops receive each month to purchase food is increasing, and this is the biggest increase in two decades.
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service has announced an 11% increase in the monthly food allowance for active-duty personnel. The average monthly pay for enlisted service members will be close to $453, and for officers, it will be close to $312.
The biggest increase since 2001 will go into effect on January 1.
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Typically, enlisted personnel will receive an additional $45 per month, and officers, an additional $31. There will be a $905 increase in pay for the BAS II class of enlisted service members. BAS II troops are those who are indefinitely housed in a single government facility that does not have enough food.
The increase in allowance comes at a time when American inflation is rising but slowing, which has led to higher prices for basic necessities like food and gas for families. According to the Labor and Commerce departments, the coronavirus pandemic is primarily to blame for the current inflationary arc.
International supply chain issues have made some products more difficult to purchase, and Russia's war in Ukraine has also had an impact on global energy markets.
According to the Defense Department, the allowance is only meant to help service members with their food expenses, not those of their family. As a result, some military families are still having trouble making ends meet. A Pentagon study from earlier this year found that nearly 25% of active-duty soldiers experienced some form of food insecurity in 2021.
In those circumstances, according to Army Sergeant Major Michael Grinston, families can apply for other types of federal aid, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
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The most senior enlisted soldier in the Army, Grinston, stated in August that "many soldiers are not aware of these resources." "Help is just a click, call, or walk away via online tools, phone calls with personal financial counsellors, and visits to the local installation Army Community Service Center. There's no time like the present to get started."
The Defense Department examines the Food Price Index published by the Agriculture Department each year to determine whether troops require more funding for food. According to the most recent data from the USDA, food prices increased 10.9% in the year that ended in October. The agency predicted that prices would increase by another 3% to 4% in 2023.
Some supporters claimed that while increasing the amount of money provided to the troops for food is always appreciated, the real issue is not being addressed.
According to Steve Rossetti, president of the American Logistics Association, a nonprofit organisation of manufacturers and suppliers that provide services and goods to the military, ensuring that these dining facilities on [military] bases are places that people want to go is more crucial than the allowance.
Many soldiers, according to Rossetti, don't consume their entire allotment of food. The reasons are that the dining options on base are not convenient or appealing. He claimed that wasted food funds are twice as common in the Air Force.
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"Convenience and operating hours are everything. The healthy dining options are everything. Giving people what they want is important, he said. "And they lose it if they don't use it."