Where Do They Go from Here?— Retired Military in America

Abstract

As one heritage of an armed era, the United States will have for the foreseeable future a large—currently, almost one million—and growing population of retired military professionals. One resulting problem involves the sheer cost of military retired pay—$4.8 billion in 1973 and rising rapidly. These costs would be even higher save for the assumption that most retirees can sustain themselves largely by earnings from second-career jobs. In the long run, the cost could be reduced by limiting armed forces size; by having fewer persons serve until retirement; and by having even longer service from the few who do. Any major short-term—within ten to twenty years—cost curtailment requires remunerative second-career employment for those already at or close to retirement eligibility. The nature of such employment also poses problems for public policy: potential conflicts of interests, the infusion of militaristic outlooks into institutions and localities in which retirees concentrate, and some opposition to job-competition from retirees. Although there may be legitimate qualms about jobs taken by ex-military, there are equal if not greater grounds for concern if many of them fail to get jobs. Second-career employment in the past has depended heavily on a thriving economy with substantial defense and aerospace sectors and growing opportunities for public service employment. Whether the military retirement system can remain viable under markedly altered economic conditions remains untested.