Military Bonus Controversy Rocks D.C.

"The Pentagon and Congress are both promising quick fixes to the scandal surrounding excessive National Guard bonus payments to soldiers. However, the nearly 10,000 California Guard soldiers involved may be just the tip of the iceberg.
The U.S. military prompted outrage and Congress’ attention over the weekend when news spread that

it was demanding thousands of California National Guard service members pay back bonuses. Those payments were offered when it became difficult to recruit enough soldiers for enlistment or reenlistment during the most active years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Los Angeles Times first reported Saturday that the California Guard had sent payback notices to almost 10,000 guard members.

On Wednesday, Department of Defense Secretary Ash Carter paused all further repayment requests from the Pentagon.

According to the Rand Corporation, “[m]ore than 1.5 million military personnel were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2002 and 2007, many of them more than once.” The report adds that the U.S. Department of Defense increased retention by expanding “and [increasing] generosity of reenlistment bonuses.” It cites the Army as the group whose “number of occupations eligible for a bonus as well as the dollar amount of bonuses” were raised more than any other service." ZH