Edward: Welcome to the Mil Weekly Briefing 15-21 June 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.
Issues That Affect Active and Reserve Military
The Pentagon issued several announcements for active-duty and
Reserve forces during this period.
In mid-June the Department of Defense announced a new Recruitment Task Force to
sustain its recent gains in enlistments.
On June 18, DoD spokesman Sean Parnell said Secretary Hegseth
directed an inter-service task force (co-chaired by senior personnel and
public affairs officials) to develop coordinated recruiting strategies,
remove barriers, and capitalize on recent high enlistment levels.
This initiative aims to preserve recruiting momentum (the highest in
decades) amid growing service demands.
Domestic operations were another focus.
In response to unrest in Los Angeles, 700 Marines from Camp Pendletonâs
2nd Battalion, 7th Marines were moved into the city in mid-June
to protect federal property and personnel during large protests.
These troops augmented over 4,000 California National Guard already on duty.
According to a June 19 AP report, the Marines entered under strict rules of
engagement: they carried standard service weapons (but no tear gas) and received
written guidance forbidding warning shots and emphasizing de-escalation.
Defense Secretary Hegseth had publicly floated the idea of using active-duty
forces, surprising some senior leaders.
Officials clarified that deploying units to guard federal facilities
let the military help without triggering the Insurrection Act.
As of June 21, Guard forces continued to build up (with about 2,000
planned), and the Marines stood ready under those restrictive guidelines.
Legislatively, Congress turned to next fiscal yearâs budget.
On June 16 the House GOP introduced H.R.
4016, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for FY2026.
That bill would fund the Pentagon at roughly $831â832â¯billion (about
flat with FY2025), including a 3.8%
pay raise for service members in 2026.
(The House Appropriations Committeeâs announcement and floor debate made
clear this raise was a key priority).
The bill is early in the process, but if enacted its funding would
cover nearly all military personnel and operations for the year ahead.
For current service members, the 3.8%
raise and continued benefits would boost pay; for retired personnel, the
appropriations bill itself contains no direct changes to retiree pay (those are
typically set in the Authorization bill).
However, by ensuring robust personnel funding and readiness, H.R.
4016 indirectly supports all military families and enables retirees
to receive promised benefits.
(A link to H.R.
4016 on Congress.gov
is provided for reference.)
New appointments and nominations were also announced.
On June 20, the Pentagon released a batch of Marine Corps
general-officer nominations.
Notably, Lieutenant General Christopher J.
Mahoney was tapped to become the next Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, pending Senate confirmation.
Other nominees included Marine general officers for top
staff and command billets.
These moves mark the Biden/Trump administrationâs next generation
of military leadership; if confirmed the appointees will set
priorities and policies affecting all active and Reserve forces.
Issues That Affect Retired Military
This weekâs federal news offered limited direct changes for military
retirees, but Congress and agencies continued work on long-standing issues.
In Congress, retiree pay and benefits are largely addressed through annual
budget and authorization bills.
As noted, H.R.
4016 (the FY2026 defense funding bill) provides higher active-duty pay, but does
not itself raise retired pay or COLAs.
(The annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment â 2.5%
in 2025 â was announced last fall by law.)
Pending legislation in Congress could affect some retirees, for
example combat-injured veterans.
The Major Richard Star Act (H.R.
2102/S.
1032), reintroduced earlier this year, is designed to help wounded retirees:
it would allow veterans who retired early for combat-related disabilities
to receive full concurrent retirement pay and VA disability compensation.
If enacted, that would increase retired income for eligible retirees.
No new votes occurred this week, but both H.R.
2102 and its Senate companion remain active in committee.
On administration side, retirees should note miscellaneous benefit updates.
For example, on June 18 the Veterans Affairs Department announced lower life
insurance premiums for many beneficiaries.
Effective Julyâ¯1, 2025, Servicemembersâ Group Life Insurance (SGLI)
premiums will drop from $0.06
to $0.05
per $1,000 of coverage.
Veteransâ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) premiums are also being reduced across all
age brackets, by roughly 11% on average.
These changes automatically improve the affordability of life insurance
for current and retired service members (and their spouses) without
any action needed on their part.
Finally, agencies reminded retirees of program changes coming in 2025.
For instance, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) is
shifting Survivor Benefit Plan billing this year from the Treasury
to DFASâs own systems (as announced in a March retiree newsletter).
Retirees who pay SBP premiums directly will soon receive
new billing notices from DFAS.
(This is a procedural change requiring retirees to adjust their payment address,
but it doesnât alter entitlement amounts.)
In summary, while no new retiree pay increases or benefit overhauls were
finalized June 15â21, Congressâs budgeting and ongoing legislative
measures continue to shape the broader retiree benefits landscape.
Issues That Affect Veteranâs Affairs
Recent VA news has focused on veteran benefits and public
perception of VA policy changes.
Veterans and VA issues drew significant attention this week.
On June 18 the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a key
benefit update: lower life insurance costs for many vets and families.
Under the new rates, active-duty, National Guard and Reserve members
will pay only five cents (down from six cents) per $1,000 on Servicemembersâ
Group Life Insurance (SGLI).
Likewise, Veteransâ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) premiums will drop by roughly 11%
on average, automatically reducing monthly costs for disabled and retired veterans.
These adjustments mean more take-home pay or benefits remain
for veterans with life insurance.
No action is required by beneficiaries; the VA stated retirees and service
members will see the lower premiums reflected in their statements.
In contrast to these positive developments, the VA also had to
address a viral media report about hospital discrimination rules.
On June 16, The Guardian published a story claiming VA health centers had
stripped explicit protections that barred doctors from discriminating
against patients based on marital status or political affiliation.
The report tied the changes to a recent presidential order on âgender ideology,â
suggesting the VA could now refuse care to âDemocratsâ or unmarried veterans.
VA officials and veteransâ groups immediately rebutted this narrative.
VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz tweeted that the story was misleading
and confirmed no veterans would lose access to earned care.
In a statement quoted by CBS News and later by the Economic Times, he emphasized
that âall eligible veterans will always be welcome at VA and will always receive
the benefits and services theyâve earnedâ.
He called the supposed policy shift âjust a formalityâ of legal language,
not a genuine change in care policy.
Similarly, American Legion National Commander James LaCoursiere said VA
leaders had assured him that longstanding VA Directives 1019 and 1124 â which
ban patient discrimination by politics or marital status â remain in force.
VA Deputy Asst.
Secretary Macaulay Porter likewise flatly declared the Guardianâs implication to
be âfalse,â reiterating that federal law continues to bar such discrimination.
In short, despite the news reports, the VA and advocates confirmed
that no VA veteran health benefit or entitlement has been revoked.
On the legislative front, veteransâ issues saw continued activity
in Congress (though much of that occurred just before this week).
The Veteransâ Affairs Committees have introduced various bills to improve
claims processing and benefits (for example, measures to streamline appeals
and expand education and housing benefits), but those were announced
earlier in June and remain in committee.
No major new veterans bills were marked up on June 15â21, but
lawmakers in both parties say they are closely monitoring VA programs.
Budget-wise, the House Appropriations Committee (on June 12) approved its
Military ConstructionâVA spending bill, which included significant
funding increases for veteransâ medical care and benefits infrastructure.
That measure would also preserve most current VA programs and
benefits, though its exact effects remain subject to final passage.
In summary, the weekâs big Veterans Affairs news combined a positive
benefit change with a media controversy.
The life-insurance premium cuts directly raise disposable income for
many veterans and their families.
Meanwhile, assurances from VA leadership and veteransâ organizations have
quieted fears that any veteran would be denied care on improper grounds.
Other VA and veterans services continue as usual, including homelessness programs and
health initiatives not reported this week.
Congress has yet to enact any new veterans legislation in this window,
but it remains engaged with veteransâ issues in pending bills and hearings.
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.