MIL News Weekly

Edward: Welcome to the MIL News Weekly
for 18-24 January 2026, 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 Personnel

The biggest story of the week
dropped on Friday, 24 January 2026.

The Department of War—recently renamed
from the Department of Defense—released

the unclassified version of the 2026
National Defense Strategy, or the NDS.

If you want to understand the
direction the military is heading,

this document is the roadmap.

In a memorandum to senior leadership,
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth set the tone

with three simple phrases: "America First.

Peace Through Strength.

Common Sense".

The 2026 NDS represents a massive shift.

For the first time, "Homeland Defense"
is listed as the military’s top priority.

This includes a heavy focus on border
security, counter-unmanned aerial

threats, and a concept called the
"Golden Dome" for missile defense.

The strategy also outlines a
"Trump Corollary" to the Monroe

Doctrine, prioritizing the Western
Hemisphere and ensuring military

and commercial access to key terrain
like the Panama Canal and Greenland.

When it comes to the global
stage, deterring China is now the

second priority, with a focus on
"strength, not confrontation".

Interestingly, the strategy calls
for opening more military-to-military

communication with China to support
stability and de-escalation,

which is a bit of a departure
from the more restricted

contacts we’ve seen in the past.

But a strategy is only as good
as the people executing it,

and this week we learned that
the military is growing again.

Congress has authorized a total
increase of more than 30,000

active-duty service members.

This growth isn't uniform, though.

The Army is set to grow to
454,000 active-duty personnel,

an increase of 11,700.

The Navy is getting the largest
bump with 12,300 new slots, bringing

its end strength to 334,600.

The Air Force will add 1,500
personnel, and the Space Force will

see a modest increase of 600 members.

The Coast Guard is also expanding
significantly, jumping to 50,000 members

to help with Arctic surveillance and
border security, while the Marine

Corps is staying steady at 172,300.

Now, let’s talk about your wallet.

As of this month, active-duty
troops and drilling Guard and

Reserve members are seeing a 3.8

percent basic pay raise.

To give you an idea of what that
looks like on a monthly check, an

enlisted E-1 with less than two
years of service is seeing a bump

of about 88 dollars, bringing their
monthly basic pay to 2,407 dollars.

For an O-4 with over six years of
service, that raise is about 305 dollars

a month, for a total of 8,332 dollars.

It’s not just basic pay, either.

The Basic Allowance for Housing, or
BAH, is going up by an average of 4.2

percent, although that varies
depending on where you're stationed.

The Basic Allowance for
Subsistence, or BAS, is up 2.4

percent, which brings the monthly
payment for enlisted members

to 476 dollars and 95 cents.

And for those of you dealing with
deployments, the Family Separation

Allowance has received its first increase
since 2002, jumping 20 percent from

250 dollars to 300 dollars per month.

On the legislative front, the House
of Representatives was busy this week.

On 22 January 2026, they passed H.R.

7148, the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, with a 341 to 88 vote.

This bill locks in that 3.8

percent pay raise and allocates 855.7

billion dollars for the Department of War.

They also passed H.R.

7147, the Department of Homeland
Security Appropriations Act, which

funds the Coast Guard and reinforces
border enforcement technology.

There was some controversy
this week, though.

On 22 January 2026, the Pentagon
announced it is taking greater

control over the independent military
newspaper, Stars and Stripes.

Spokesman Sean Parnell said on social
media that the paper would move away

from what he called "woke distractions"
and refocus on "war fighting, weapons

systems, fitness, and lethality".

This has raised some concerns about the
paper's editorial independence, which

Congress has protected for over 30 years.

Issues That Affect
Retired Military Personnel

First, let’s talk about the 2026
Cost-of-Living Adjustment, or COLA.

As of 1 January 2026, Social
Security recipients, military

retirees, and veterans receiving
disability checks saw a 2.8

percent increase.

However, there is a bit of a disparity
here that has people talking.

While those under the Civil
Service Retirement System,

or CSRS, got the full 2.8

percent, those under the Federal
Employee Retirement System, or FERS,

are only seeing a 2 percent increase.

This is due to a law that caps FERS COLAs
when inflation is between 2 and 3 percent.

Groups like the National Treasury
Employees Union are pushing for

the Equal COLA Act to fix this gap.

Healthcare is another
area seeing major changes.

The Office of Personnel Management, or
OPM, released the 2026 premium rates for

the Federal Employees Health Benefits
program, and the news is a bit tough:

premiums are up by an average of 10.2

percent.

OPM says this is being driven by
the rising cost of care and the

increased use of expensive prescription
drugs, especially GLP-1 medications

for weight loss and diabetes.

There are also some significant
policy shifts in these 2026 plans.

For instance, coverage for medical or
surgical modification of sex traits,

including gender transition procedures,
has been removed for all ages.

On the other hand, plans are now
required to cover FDA-approved HIV PrEP

drugs and related monitoring with no
cost-sharing, and they must provide at

least one opioid rescue agent at no cost.

If you are just now transitioning
out of the military, pay attention.

On 22 January 2026, the Defense
Health Agency issued a reminder that

retirement is a "Qualifying Life Event".

This means you have exactly 90
days from your retirement date to

enroll in a TRICARE health plan.

Your coverage does not continue
automatically, and if you miss that

window, your claims could be denied.

You’ve got options like TRICARE
Prime or Select, and if you’re

eligible for Medicare, you’ll
be looking at TRICARE For Life.

On the tax front, the 2026 filing
season is the first to include

the benefits from the "One Big
Beautiful Bill Act" signed last year.

This includes a new 6,000-dollar "seniors
deduction" for those 65 and older.

The standard deduction has also
increased, which could cut taxes for

married taxpayers by up to 555 dollars.

For those still in the workforce or
planning their future, the Thrift

Savings Plan contribution limit has
increased to 24,500 dollars for 2026,

and the IRA limit is up to 7,500 dollars.

And if you’re thinking about "buying back"
your military service time for federal

retirement credit, the interest rate
for that has dropped slightly to 4.25

percent for 2026.

Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs

The goal of the reorganization, which
was launched on 15 January 2026, is

to strip the VHA Central Office of its
day-to-day operational duties and let it

focus on high-level policy and oversight.

Decision-making power is being
pushed down to local hospital

directors and regional networks.

Secretary Collins said the
current structure is "riddled with

redundancies" that slow down care.

This is expected to take 18 to 24
months to fully implement, but the

VA says it won't result in staff
reductions at your local medical centers.

In another major move, the VA
published a ruling on 13 January

2026, that will change how disability
benefits are "apportioned".

Starting on 9 February 2026, the VA
will stop making new "need-based"

apportionments, which is when a
portion of a veteran’s check is

sent directly to a dependent.

The VA argues that state family
courts are better suited to

handle these financial matters.

They will still allow apportionments in
cases where a veteran is incarcerated

or institutionalized, and those who
are already receiving these payments

won't be affected, but no new claims
will be granted after the deadline.

Access to care is also
getting a fresh look.

On 23 January 2026, the VA released a
request for proposals for a new round

of Community Care Network contracts.

Community care now makes up about
40 percent of all VA medical care,

and these new contracts are designed
to improve quality by letting

multiple health plans compete for a
veteran's business in each region.

On 20 January 2026, the President
signed three important bills into

law that veterans need to know about.

First is H.R.

224, the Disabled Veterans Housing Support
Act, which requires that service-connected

disability compensation be excluded
when determining if someone qualifies

as "low income" for housing support.

Then there's H.R.

1823, which requires the VA to
report on budget shortfalls, and H.R.

4446, the FAST VETS Act,
which updates how vocational

rehabilitation plans are developed.

There’s also some exciting legislation
moving through the House right now.

Representative Abe Hamadeh introduced H.R.

7103, the Improving Emerging
Tech Opportunities for Veterans

Act, on 15 January 2026.

This bill would expand the VET TEC
program to include training in high-growth

fields like artificial intelligence
and semiconductor manufacturing.

Meanwhile, Representative
Nancy Mace’s H.R.

6755, the Accountable Leadership for
Veterans Act, aims to give the VA

Secretary more flexibility to hire
outside experts for senior roles and hold

leadership accountable for performance.

Financially, the VA is in a strong
position for the coming year.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, which
we mentioned earlier, provides 115 billion

dollars for VA medical care—that’s 2.3

billion dollars more than last year.

It also includes 52.7

billion dollars for the Toxic Exposures
Fund to support veterans affected

by burn pits under the PACT Act.

There’s also 342 million dollars
specifically for rural health to improve

access to transportation and telehealth.

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.

Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your
podcasts, so you never miss an update.

We’ll be back next week with another
roundup of the news that matters most

to the military and veteran community.