Military’s new budget could give 7% pay raise to most junior troops
Junior enlisted service members would see the largest of a three-tiered pay raise for troops next year under the latest proposed budget from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Troops at the lowest five enlisted ranks — E-5 and below — would receive a 7% increase in their basic pay, according to the White House. Service members between the ranks of E-6 and O-3, which includes senior noncommissioned officers, warrant officers, and company grade officers, would receive a 6% raise; and all other commissioned officers would get a 5% raise.
For an E-3 with up to three years of service, the raise would translate to an extra $180.90 per month for a total of $2,170.80 more in base pay annually.
If approved by Congress, the pay raises would be effective as of Jan, 1, 2027.
“This Administration recognizes the importance of our warfighters and their families,” a White House fact sheet says.
The proposed raise would be bigger than the 3.8% pay increase in basic pay that service members received this year.
But in 2025, junior enlisted service members received a major increase. All troops got a 4.5% pay bump that year, and service members between the ranks of E-1 and E-4 received an additional 10% increase in base pay that April.
In prior years, service members received 5.2% pay raise in 2024; a 4.6% increase in 2023; and a 2.7% raise in 2022, according to the Defense Department.
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The Trump administration is requesting about $1.5 trillion in total for its proposed defense budget, according to the White House. That breaks down to $1.1 trillion in the base budget and another $350 billion through an expedited Congressional process known as budget reconciliation.
The budget also calls for $65.8 billion to build 34 ships, along with funding to buy “12 critical munitions” and develop the F-47 fighter, which the White House says is expected to make its first flight in 2028.
In total, the Trump administration is asking Congress to approve about $444 billion more for the national defense budget than it approved for this fiscal year, which began in October. That would be an increase of more than 40%.
Since February, Congress has appropriated about $900 billion in defense spending and approved another $150 billion for defense as part of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” for the current fiscal year.
The Pentagon is expected to release more information later this month about the proposed budget for the Defense Department.