Edward: Welcome to the MIL News Weekly for 31 August - 6 September
2025, 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.
Global Engagements: Projecting Power in Key Theaters
In Europe, U.S.
forces continued their mission of deterring aggression
and supporting NATO allies.
Soldiers from the Massachusetts Army National Guard's 1060th Transportation
Company returned from a support mission in Poland, a critical hub
for NATO's eastern flank operations.
Signaling the continued growth of the alliance, New York National Guard officers
were also preparing to travel to Sweden to assist with a division-level command
post exercise, integrating the newest NATO member into collective defense planning.
Closer to home, the U.S.
is escalating military operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean.
U.S.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, Air Force General Dan Caine, visited Puerto Rico this week to
support ongoing training exercises.
This heightened posture includes the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to the
region and a major amphibious training exercise by the 22nd Marine Expeditionary
Unit, which commenced on August 31, 2025.
Domestic Operations and Force Modernization
On the home front, the National Guard's dual mission was evident as over 2,000
Guard members from six states and the District of Columbia remained on
duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force â District of Columbia.
These forces are providing critical support to local and federal law
enforcement agencies to ensure public safety in the nation's capital.
Readiness of the reserve component is also being rigorously tested.
At Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, approximately 7,000 Army Reserve
soldiers are participating in Combat Support Training Exercise
(CSTX) 25, dubbed "Global Strike."
This large-scale annual exercise is specifically designed to prepare units
for major combat operations, incorporating training to counter modern threats
such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and the integration of artificial
intelligence on the battlefield.
Force modernization remains a top priority.
On September 6, 2025, the U.S.
Army officially announced its plans for the M1E3 Abrams
Tank modernization program.
This significant investment aims to ensure the platform's technological
superiority and battlefield dominance for decades to come, addressing the
challenges of future armored warfare.
The State of the Force: A System Under Strain
Despite these operational and modernization efforts, the foundation
of the All-Volunteer Force is showing signs of significant strain.
The Department of Defense reported a welcome 12.5%
increase in recruitment for Fiscal Year 2024, bringing in 225,000 new members.
However, Katie Helland, the Director of Military Accession Policy,
cautioned that this success must be viewed with cautious optimism.
The military continues to struggle against a low propensity to serve
among American youth, a highly competitive civilian labor market, and
a shrinking pool of eligible candidates.
The reasons for this struggle are becoming increasingly clear.
A troubling report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that
a mental health screening of over 50,000 troops transitioning out of the military
in 2023 found that two-thirds were at risk for a mental health condition.
Even more alarming, over half of those identified with a potential issue
refused a referral for follow-up care, indicating a persistent stigma or lack of
faith in the available support systems.
This data is reinforced by a 2023 Medical Surveillance Monthly Report
from the Military Health System, which identified mental health
disorders as the single largest cause of hospitalization for active-duty
service members, accounting for 31.1%
of all hospitalizations and surpassing even pregnancy-related conditions.
In a direct response to this escalating crisis, the Army announced
on September 1, 2025, that it is expanding mental health support by
fully implementing the Brandon Act.
This critical policy empowers service members to initiate a confidential mental
health evaluation referral through a commanding officer or supervisor, a
process designed to reduce barriers and stigma associated with seeking help.
The mental health crisis is compounded by deteriorating living conditions
and inadequate compensation.
A landmark report from the House Armed Services Committee's Quality of Life
Panel identified recurring, systemic failures in five key areas: pay, housing,
healthcare, childcare, and spouse support.
A separate GAO investigation provided stark evidence of these failures,
detailing poor barracks conditions across the services, including sewage overflows,
mold, broken windows, and inoperable fire systems, all of which directly impact
troop morale, health, and readiness.
The U.S.
military is effectively fighting on two fronts.
The external front involves projecting power globally through a high
operational tempo, which demands a ready, resilient, and motivated force.
The internal front is a battle against the decay of the very foundations that support
that forceâinadequate pay, unsafe housing, and a pervasive mental health crisis.
These two fronts are inextricably linked.
A demanding operational schedule exacerbates stress and accelerates
the wear on facilities, contributing to the physical and
mental breakdown of personnel.
This degradation of the force's well-being directly impacts recruitment
and retention, creating a vicious cycle.
A smaller, more strained force is less capable of meeting global
demands, which in turn increases the stress on those who remain.
The greatest strategic vulnerability for the U.S.
military may not be an adversary's weapon system, but its own crumbling
foundation of personnel support.
Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel
For the retired military community, this week brought important updates
regarding their financial stability and the administrative systems they rely
on to access their earned benefits.
Annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) has officially confirmed a 2.5
percent Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for most military retired pay and
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities.
This adjustment, which is based on the annual increase in the
Consumer Price Index, will become effective on December 1, 2024.
The COLA is a critical mechanism designed to protect the purchasing
power of retirement annuities from being eroded by inflation.
Administrative and System Changes
Retirees are being advised of two significant procedural changes
that require their attention.
First, beginning in August 2025, DFAS will alter the payment process for retirees
who pay their Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) premiums via direct remittance.
Previously handled by the U.S.
Treasury's Centralized Receivables Service (CRS), these retirees will
now be billed directly by DFAS and must submit their payments through
the federal government's Pay.gov
website.
This is a major procedural shift that requires affected retirees to
adapt to a new system to ensure there is no lapse in their SBP coverage.
Second, DFAS and the Department of Defense are continuing their push
to have all military retirees and their eligible dependents update
their identification cards to the new, more secure Next Generation
Uniformed Services ID (USID) card.
While retirees can make this transition at their convenience for
the time being, officials have stated that older, paper-based ID cards
will eventually become invalid for accessing military installations and
the benefits they provide, such as commissaries and healthcare facilities.
Support Systems for Retirees
The vital role of support networks for the retired community was
also highlighted this week.
The Army Echoes newsletter, an official publication for retired soldiers,
emphasized the continued availability of Army Emergency Relief (AER).
AER serves as a critical financial safety net, providing grants and
zero-interest loans to retired soldiers and their families who face unexpected
financial hardships, such as those resulting from natural disasters, urgent
auto repairs, or medical emergencies.
While financial adjustments like the annual COLA are essential for the
economic well-being of retirees, the landscape of military benefits is marked
by persistent administrative evolution.
The shift in SBP payment processing and the mandatory upgrade to a new ID card,
while necessary for modernization and security, place a significant bureaucratic
burden on an aging population.
For these benefits to be effective, they must not only be funded
but also be easily accessible.
The effectiveness of the entire retirement system is contingent on
the individual retiree's ability to navigate an increasingly complex
and digitized administrative world.
Therefore, clear communication and user-friendly systems are
paramount to ensure that procedural modernizations do not inadvertently
become barriers that prevent retirees from utilizing the benefits they have
earned over a lifetime of service.
Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is in the midst of a profound transformation,
driven by the historic PACT Act.
This week's news highlights the immense progress being made in delivering benefits
to more veterans than ever before, but it also exposes the significant operational
and technological challenges that threaten to undermine these landmark gains.
The PACT Act: Landmark Progress and Implementation Challenges
The PACT Act, which expands VA healthcare and benefits for
veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances,
continues to have a massive impact.
According to the latest data released by the VA, more than 2.1
million veterans have now received a toxic exposure screening
since the law was enacted.
Furthermore, as of July 2024, the VA has approved more than 1.1
million PACT Act-related disability claims, delivering
long-awaited care and compensation.
However, the sheer success of the PACT Act's outreach has strained the VA's
infrastructure to a breaking point.
This was starkly illustrated when the VA.gov
website crashed in August 2025, as thousands of veterans rushed
to submit an "intent to file" claim before a key deadline.
In response, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman,
Representative Mike Bost, sent a sharply worded letter to VA Secretary Denis
McDonough demanding a full explanation.
The letter, which required a response by August 31, 2025, criticized the VA for its
"unacceptable" failure to anticipate and prepare for a foreseeable surge in website
traffic, a failure that blocked veterans from accessing their earned benefits.
Modernizing Disability Claims and Healthcare
To cope with this unprecedented demand, the VA is aggressively modernizing
its disability claims process.
A key component of this effort is the Automated Decision Support (ADS) system.
This technology is designed to automate routine administrative tasks, compile
medical evidence from various sources, and provide claims processors with a
summary document, allowing them to make faster and more consistent decisions.
The ADS system is currently being used in 16 of the VA's regional benefits offices
and can assist with the processing of over 40 different disability conditions.
Financially, veterans are set to receive a 2.5
percent cost-of-living adjustment for their disability
compensation payments in 2025.
This increase, which mirrors the COLA for military retirees, will
provide crucial, tax-free financial relief to millions of veterans
with service-connected conditions.
For a single veteran with a 100% disability rating, this
adjustment will result in an annual compensation of over $44,000.
In healthcare, the VA is pioneering new treatments by
expanding its use of precision medicine through pharmacogenomics.
This cutting-edge field analyzes a veteran's unique genetic makeup to help
doctors personalize prescriptions, which can significantly reduce adverse side
effects and improve the effectiveness of treatments for a variety of conditions.
Addressing Veteran Needs
Oversight of existing programs remains a key concern for Congress.
This week, a House subcommittee held a hearing to examine the VA's Fiduciary
Program, which is responsible for appointing and overseeing individuals
who manage the VA benefits for over 67,000 vulnerable veterans who are
unable to manage their own finances.
Lawmakers raised serious concerns about the VA's ability to prevent,
investigate, and remedy instances of fraud and misuse of funds, calling
for enhanced oversight and streamlined procedures to protect these beneficiaries.
On a technical note, the VA is reminding all veterans and their families that
they must switch from the old DS Logon system to a more secure Login.gov
or ID.me
account by September 30, 2025.
This transition is mandatory to maintain uninterrupted online access
to VA benefits and healthcare services.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is currently caught in a paradox of progress.
Historic legislative achievements like the PACT Act have successfully
encouraged millions of veterans to seek the benefits they are owed.
This has created an unprecedented wave of demand that the VA's aging infrastructure
and bureaucracy are struggling to handle.
The result is critical system failures, like the VA.gov
website crash, which erode veteran trust at the very moment the VA is delivering
more benefits to more people than ever.
The push to modernize with technology like the ADS system is the VA's primary
strategy to resolve this paradox by increasing its processing capacity.
However, this technological solution is being rolled out gradually and
does not fix all underlying issues.
The future of veteran services will be defined not just by the passage
of new laws, but by the VA's ability to build a robust, scalable, and
trustworthy infrastructure to deliver on those promises without collapsing
under the weight of its own success.
Congressional Watch: Legislative Impact and Future Priorities
An analysis of congressional activity for the week of August 31
to September 6, 2025, reveals a focus on the implementation and oversight
of existing laws rather than the introduction of new legislation.
The legislative conversation is dominated by the execution of recently passed
bills and the priorities being set for the next major defense policy package.
Recently Enacted Laws in Focus
Two recently enacted laws are in their crucial implementation phase:
Wounded Warrior Access Act (Public Law 118-21): This law addresses a
long-standing frustration for veterans by requiring the VA to establish a
secure online portal for them or their representatives to request records
related to their benefits claims.
The law mandates that the VA must acknowledge receipt of a request
within 10 days and fulfill it within 120 days, aiming to streamline
a notoriously slow process.
The bill can be reviewed as H.R.
1226.
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2023 (Public Law
118-6): This is the legislation that authorized the 2.5%
COLA for VA disability compensation and Dependency and Indemnity
Compensation (DIC) for survivors, which was discussed earlier.
The bill can be reviewed as S.
777.
Shaping the Future: The FY25 NDAA and Quality of Life
The contours of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) are being heavily influenced by the findings of the House Armed Services
Committee's Quality of Life Panel.
The panel has put forth a clear and ambitious set of recommendations that
signal a major legislative push to address the military's internal readiness crises
: Â 15% Pay Raise for Junior Enlisted: A landmark proposal to increase basic pay
across the board for service members in the grades of E-1 through E-4, directly
targeting financial hardship among the most junior members of the force.
Full Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH): A recommendation to reverse a
previous 5% reduction and restore BAH to cover 100 percent of calculated
housing costs in a given area.
Childcare Fee Elimination: A proposal to require all military services
to cover 100 percent of childcare fees for the first child of staff
members enrolled in a Department of Defense Child Development Program.
Full Funding for Barracks: A directive to compel the military services to
fully fund their stated requirements for unaccompanied housing sustainment,
restoration, and modernization (FSRM), addressing the unsafe and inadequate
conditions documented in recent reports.
The current legislative environment demonstrates a significant lag.
The solutions being implemented today, such as improved records access for
veterans, are responses to problems that have been identified for years.
Meanwhile, the urgent crises facing the force right nowâinadequate pay for
junior troops, crumbling barracks, and a shortage of affordable childcareâare
being addressed with solutions that are still in the recommendation phase.
The process of drafting, debating, passing, and implementing these
proposals into the next NDAA will take at least another year.
This inherent delay in the political process means service members and their
families are perpetually living in the gap between when a problem is identified
and when a solution is finally delivered.
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.
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Weâll be back next week with another roundup of the news that matters most
to the military and veteran community.