Infographic: Fixing the Force: The Path of a Military Career

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Infographic: Fixing the Force: The Path of a Military CareerBy Katherine Blakeley, Mo Smolskis, Charles Schellpeper | Thursday, May 7, 2015

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Infographic: Fixing the Force: Understanding Military Pay by Katherine Blakeley, Mo Smolskis, and Charles SchellpeperFixing the Force: The Outdated Military Compensation System by Katherine Blakeley

The current military personnel system is outdated; it is also too rigid to accommodate the flexible force that the U.S. armed forces and national security will require in the future. The military pay, health care, and retirement systems were designed in the post-World War II era, and although they have seen a hodgepodge of additions since then, they have remained largely unchanged since 1947.

Every service member experiences a number of key career and personal milestones from their enlistment through their retirement. The infographic below follows one path of a military career.

Katherine Blakeley is a Policy Analyst on the National Security and International Policy team at the Center for American Progress. Mo Smolskis and Charles Schellpeper are interns with the National Security and International Policy team.