President Obama has announced he’ll be supporting broad changes to military benefits, including retirement and health care.

The Stars and Stripes newspaper reported this week that Obama has said he will provide suggestions to Congress by the end of the month, and that they will be based on the recommendations of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission.

The commission was given the job by lawmakers of finding a way to cut personnel costs.

Among other things, the commission recommended changing the military’s 20-year pension system by cutting payouts and introducing a 401(k)-type option. The 401(k) option is supposed to help address the problem of service members who leave the military before completing 20 years of active-duty service.

Under the current system, the minimum amount of service required for a retirement benefit is 20 years. However, according to Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, 80 percent of service members do not stay that long and those who leave before completing 20 years receive nothing at retirement. That takes a toll on both recruitment and retention. However, there has been no word on how the Department of Defense might fund a new 401(k) system.

Other changes Obama is said to favor are the replacement of the existing Tricare medical coverage with a variety of private insurance plans — the commission suggested something similar to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program — as well as changes to the commissary system and other military compensation changes.

According to the report, Obama said in a letter to Congress, “I believe the recommendations are an important step forward in protecting the long-term viability of the all-volunteer force, improving quality-of-life for service members and their families, and ensuring the fiscal sustainability of the military compensation and retirement systems.”

He intends to send his proposals by April 30, and to ask that they be passed without delay.

The panel spent close to two years on its research and deliberations before coming up with the proposals it offered in January. Its suggestions have met with mixed reactions among military members and their families, although support on Capitol Hill has been broad.

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Obama endorses changes to military retirement, health coverage

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