Edward: Welcome to the MIL News Weekly for 18-24 January 2026, your essential
guide to the latest news impacting the military and veteran community.
Whether you're currently serving in uniform, a military retiree, a veteran,
or a family member, this is your source for the critical updates you need to know.
Each week, we cut through the noise to bring you the most important developments
from the Pentagon, Capitol Hill, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Weâll cover everything from new policies and pay raises affecting
active and reserve forces, to changes in healthcare and benefits for
retirees, and the latest on VA services and legislation for our veterans.
Let's get you informed.
Hereâs whatâs happened this past week.
Issues That Affect Active and Reserve Military Personnel
The biggest story of the week dropped on Friday, 24 January 2026.
The Department of Warârecently renamed from the Department of Defenseâreleased
the unclassified version of the 2026 National Defense Strategy, or the NDS.
If you want to understand the direction the military is heading,
this document is the roadmap.
In a memorandum to senior leadership, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth set the tone
with three simple phrases: "America First.
Peace Through Strength.
Common Sense".
The 2026 NDS represents a massive shift.
For the first time, "Homeland Defense" is listed as the militaryâs top priority.
This includes a heavy focus on border security, counter-unmanned aerial
threats, and a concept called the "Golden Dome" for missile defense.
The strategy also outlines a "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe
Doctrine, prioritizing the Western Hemisphere and ensuring military
and commercial access to key terrain like the Panama Canal and Greenland.
When it comes to the global stage, deterring China is now the
second priority, with a focus on "strength, not confrontation".
Interestingly, the strategy calls for opening more military-to-military
communication with China to support stability and de-escalation,
which is a bit of a departure from the more restricted
contacts weâve seen in the past.
But a strategy is only as good as the people executing it,
and this week we learned that the military is growing again.
Congress has authorized a total increase of more than 30,000
active-duty service members.
This growth isn't uniform, though.
The Army is set to grow to 454,000 active-duty personnel,
an increase of 11,700.
The Navy is getting the largest bump with 12,300 new slots, bringing
its end strength to 334,600.
The Air Force will add 1,500 personnel, and the Space Force will
see a modest increase of 600 members.
The Coast Guard is also expanding significantly, jumping to 50,000 members
to help with Arctic surveillance and border security, while the Marine
Corps is staying steady at 172,300.
Now, letâs talk about your wallet.
As of this month, active-duty troops and drilling Guard and
Reserve members are seeing a 3.8
percent basic pay raise.
To give you an idea of what that looks like on a monthly check, an
enlisted E-1 with less than two years of service is seeing a bump
of about 88 dollars, bringing their monthly basic pay to 2,407 dollars.
For an O-4 with over six years of service, that raise is about 305 dollars
a month, for a total of 8,332 dollars.
Itâs not just basic pay, either.
The Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, is going up by an average of 4.2
percent, although that varies depending on where you're stationed.
The Basic Allowance for Subsistence, or BAS, is up 2.4
percent, which brings the monthly payment for enlisted members
to 476 dollars and 95 cents.
And for those of you dealing with deployments, the Family Separation
Allowance has received its first increase since 2002, jumping 20 percent from
250 dollars to 300 dollars per month.
On the legislative front, the House of Representatives was busy this week.
On 22 January 2026, they passed H.R.
7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, with a 341 to 88 vote.
This bill locks in that 3.8
percent pay raise and allocates 855.7
billion dollars for the Department of War.
They also passed H.R.
7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, which
funds the Coast Guard and reinforces border enforcement technology.
There was some controversy this week, though.
On 22 January 2026, the Pentagon announced it is taking greater
control over the independent military newspaper, Stars and Stripes.
Spokesman Sean Parnell said on social media that the paper would move away
from what he called "woke distractions" and refocus on "war fighting, weapons
systems, fitness, and lethality".
This has raised some concerns about the paper's editorial independence, which
Congress has protected for over 30 years.
Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel
First, letâs talk about the 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment, or COLA.
As of 1 January 2026, Social Security recipients, military
retirees, and veterans receiving disability checks saw a 2.8
percent increase.
However, there is a bit of a disparity here that has people talking.
While those under the Civil Service Retirement System,
or CSRS, got the full 2.8
percent, those under the Federal Employee Retirement System, or FERS,
are only seeing a 2 percent increase.
This is due to a law that caps FERS COLAs when inflation is between 2 and 3 percent.
Groups like the National Treasury Employees Union are pushing for
the Equal COLA Act to fix this gap.
Healthcare is another area seeing major changes.
The Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, released the 2026 premium rates for
the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, and the news is a bit tough:
premiums are up by an average of 10.2
percent.
OPM says this is being driven by the rising cost of care and the
increased use of expensive prescription drugs, especially GLP-1 medications
for weight loss and diabetes.
There are also some significant policy shifts in these 2026 plans.
For instance, coverage for medical or surgical modification of sex traits,
including gender transition procedures, has been removed for all ages.
On the other hand, plans are now required to cover FDA-approved HIV PrEP
drugs and related monitoring with no cost-sharing, and they must provide at
least one opioid rescue agent at no cost.
If you are just now transitioning out of the military, pay attention.
On 22 January 2026, the Defense Health Agency issued a reminder that
retirement is a "Qualifying Life Event".
This means you have exactly 90 days from your retirement date to
enroll in a TRICARE health plan.
Your coverage does not continue automatically, and if you miss that
window, your claims could be denied.
Youâve got options like TRICARE Prime or Select, and if youâre
eligible for Medicare, youâll be looking at TRICARE For Life.
On the tax front, the 2026 filing season is the first to include
the benefits from the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" signed last year.
This includes a new 6,000-dollar "seniors deduction" for those 65 and older.
The standard deduction has also increased, which could cut taxes for
married taxpayers by up to 555 dollars.
For those still in the workforce or planning their future, the Thrift
Savings Plan contribution limit has increased to 24,500 dollars for 2026,
and the IRA limit is up to 7,500 dollars.
And if youâre thinking about "buying back" your military service time for federal
retirement credit, the interest rate for that has dropped slightly to 4.25
percent for 2026.
Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs
The goal of the reorganization, which was launched on 15 January 2026, is
to strip the VHA Central Office of its day-to-day operational duties and let it
focus on high-level policy and oversight.
Decision-making power is being pushed down to local hospital
directors and regional networks.
Secretary Collins said the current structure is "riddled with
redundancies" that slow down care.
This is expected to take 18 to 24 months to fully implement, but the
VA says it won't result in staff reductions at your local medical centers.
In another major move, the VA published a ruling on 13 January
2026, that will change how disability benefits are "apportioned".
Starting on 9 February 2026, the VA will stop making new "need-based"
apportionments, which is when a portion of a veteranâs check is
sent directly to a dependent.
The VA argues that state family courts are better suited to
handle these financial matters.
They will still allow apportionments in cases where a veteran is incarcerated
or institutionalized, and those who are already receiving these payments
won't be affected, but no new claims will be granted after the deadline.
Access to care is also getting a fresh look.
On 23 January 2026, the VA released a request for proposals for a new round
of Community Care Network contracts.
Community care now makes up about 40 percent of all VA medical care,
and these new contracts are designed to improve quality by letting
multiple health plans compete for a veteran's business in each region.
On 20 January 2026, the President signed three important bills into
law that veterans need to know about.
First is H.R.
224, the Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act, which requires that service-connected
disability compensation be excluded when determining if someone qualifies
as "low income" for housing support.
Then there's H.R.
1823, which requires the VA to report on budget shortfalls, and H.R.
4446, the FAST VETS Act, which updates how vocational
rehabilitation plans are developed.
Thereâs also some exciting legislation moving through the House right now.
Representative Abe Hamadeh introduced H.R.
7103, the Improving Emerging Tech Opportunities for Veterans
Act, on 15 January 2026.
This bill would expand the VET TEC program to include training in high-growth
fields like artificial intelligence and semiconductor manufacturing.
Meanwhile, Representative Nancy Maceâs H.R.
6755, the Accountable Leadership for Veterans Act, aims to give the VA
Secretary more flexibility to hire outside experts for senior roles and hold
leadership accountable for performance.
Financially, the VA is in a strong position for the coming year.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, which we mentioned earlier, provides 115 billion
dollars for VA medical careâthatâs 2.3
billion dollars more than last year.
It also includes 52.7
billion dollars for the Toxic Exposures Fund to support veterans affected
by burn pits under the PACT Act.
Thereâs also 342 million dollars specifically for rural health to improve
access to transportation and telehealth.
And that's your Weekly Briefing.
Staying on top of these changes is key to navigating your career,
your retirement, and your benefits.
Thank you for tuning in.
Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, so you never miss an update.
Weâll be back next week with another roundup of the news that matters most
to the military and veteran community.