Proper Pay for Our Military

Proper Pay for Our Military

FOXNews.com - Politics - Bush Signs Huge Defense Authorization Bill

President Bush signed a $401.3 billion defense authorization bill (search) Monday, granting soldiers an across-the-board average 4.15 percent pay increase as well as hazardous service and family separation pay.

"In this time of war our military is facing greater sacrifice, our men and women in uniform are facing longer separations," Bush told defense officials in a speech delivered at the Pentagon.

"Our military is making America proud," he said.

Focusing on the personnel aspects of the bill, Bush pointed out changes in hiring and bonus pay. He said the bill allows civilian managers to be moved to areas where they can offer the most help, speeds up the hiring process and gives the defense secretary much greater latitude in the hiring and firing of 700,000 civilian employees.