What troops need to know about military retirement pay in 2024

All service members entering the military are automatically enrolled in the Blended Retirement System, or BRS. Only those who served before 2018 remain in the legacy, all-or-nothing 20-year pension plan.
BRS combines the traditional monthly retirement checks of the legacy system with new features that let military members take some government benefits with them, even if they don’t serve for 20 years to qualify for a pension. Historically, only 19% of active duty troops and 14% of Guardsmen and reservists in the legacy system stayed in uniform long enough to earn retirement benefits.