MIL News Weekly

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.

We’ll 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.

Here’s what’s 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 Pendleton’s

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 year’s 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 $831–832 billion (about

flat with FY2025), including a 3.8%

pay raise for service members in 2026.

(The House Appropriations Committee’s
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
administration’s 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 week’s 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 – 2.5%

in 2025 – 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 July 1, 2025, Servicemembers’
Group Life Insurance (SGLI)

premiums will drop from $0.06

to $0.05

per $1,000 of coverage.

Veterans’ 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 DFAS’s 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 doesn’t alter entitlement amounts.)

In summary, while no new retiree pay
increases or benefit overhauls were

finalized June 15–21, Congress’s
budgeting and ongoing legislative

measures continue to shape the
broader retiree benefits landscape.

Issues That Affect Veteran’s 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 Servicemembers’

Group Life Insurance (SGLI).

Likewise, Veterans’ 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 “gender ideology,”

suggesting the VA could now refuse care
to “Democrats” or unmarried veterans.

VA officials and veterans’ 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 “all eligible veterans will always
be welcome at VA and will always receive

the benefits and services they’ve earned”.

He called the supposed policy shift
“just a formality” 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 – which

ban patient discrimination by politics
or marital status – remain in force.

VA Deputy Asst.

Secretary Macaulay Porter likewise flatly
declared the Guardian’s implication to

be “false,” 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, veterans’
issues saw continued activity

in Congress (though much of that
occurred just before this week).

The Veterans’ 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 15–21, but

lawmakers in both parties say they
are closely monitoring VA programs.

Budget-wise, the House Appropriations
Committee (on June 12) approved its

Military Construction–VA spending
bill, which included significant

funding increases for veterans’ 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 week’s 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 veterans’ 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 veterans’
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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We’ll be back next week with another
roundup of the news that matters most

to the military and veteran community.