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

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-com...