Retention and Military Compensation Benchmark

September, 2025
IDA document: 3005719
FFRDC: Systems and Analyses Center
Type: Documents , Research Summary/Research Insights , Talent Management
Division: Strategy, Forces and Resources Division
Authors:
Authors
Jacklyn R. Buhrmann, Jared Huff, Mikhail Smirnov, Juliana Esposito See more authors
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To meet 21st century challenges, the U.S. military must retain talented personnel. Finding the right level of compensation can help the military services reach retention goals. Notably, for married service members, the decision about whether to continue or leave military service is made with their spouses, whose own earnings potential is impacted by military life. IDA assessed the military compensation benchmark within this household context.