Plan to Cut Key Army Benefits Sparks Backlash

The Army is considering making sweeping cuts to education benefits that could impact 100,000 troops, according to Military.com, prompting criticism from analysts and retired personnel.

Tuition assistance and credentialing assistance are two popular programs, the latter of which Congress last year called a "very important retention tool" and which has been praised by several military services for its positive impact on recruitment. Now, both could be facing funding cuts even as the Army is in the midst of a dire recruitment shortage.

The Department of Defense called the 2023 fiscal year "without a doubt the toughest recruitment year for the Military Services since the inception of the All-volunteer Force" in a report published in December. Data in that report showed that the Army, Navy, and Air Force had all missed recruiting targets for active-duty service members. The Marine Corps and Space Force exceeded their goals by 21 and 45 individuals, respectively. All services exceeded their retention goals, the DOD said.

Military.com said it was unclear what the cuts to the educational benefits would entail, but the proposals were met with fierce criticism from some people on social media.

"This is an epically stupid proposal. Especially at a time when Army recruiting is down," wrote Paul Rieckhoff on X (formerly Twitter), a national security analyst, veteran and founder of independent media organization Righteous Media.

Retired soldier Robert Clarke concurred, writing, "Smacks of bureaucratic poison pill tactics."

"They can't even meet yearly recruiting goals on a year over year basis and now they want to take a big benefit away. Who thinks of these things?" wrote X user Jason Clabaugh.

Another X user, called Katy, wrote, "Seriously? Could you make a less intelligent move?? Come on."

The Army did not respond to a request for comment from Newsweek via email before publication but spokesperson Major Andrea Kelly said in a statement to Military.com that, "The Army recognizes the value of both [programs] to support our soldiers' professional development and readiness levels [...] However, in order to ensure their long-term sustainability, the Army is conducting a thorough review of both programs."

The tuition assistance program is aimed at active-duty soldiers, members of the Army Reserve and the National Guard. It provides up to $4,000 annually to help pay for school or professional training, according to the Army's website. The credentialing assistance program helps pay for courses and exams and is subject to the same funding limit. Eligible soldiers can be on both programs though they cannot exceed $4,000 in benefits.

The educational benefits cost the Army around $278 million last year, according to Military.com. Tuition assistance has been around since the late nineties and credentialing assistance was introduced in its current form in 2020, the outlet said.