Meh, this is sensationalized reporting. Personal financial training is mandatory and financial counseling is offered for free on all military bases. One of the many hats I wore while active duty was as a financial counselor. The great majority of the time a servicemember was experiencing financial difficulties was due to money mismanagement. I remember one guy who had a letter from the IRS threatening collection along with steep late fees and penalties if he didn't pay a tax bill. When I asked him why he didn't pay, he stated, no kidding, "I forgot." On top of this he was paying a car note with a 23% interest rate.

It simply comes down to personal accountability. The story mentions a wife who said her husband joined and they both had student loans. Enlisted pay scales are readily available. They should have researched what his pay would be and balanced it against their student loan and living expenses before he joined. Or, perhaps put off having children until the servicemember makes rank and a bigger paycheck.

I'm not speaking in a vacuum here. My wife and I had 5 kids while I was active duty. Unlike welfare, the military does not pay extra with each dependent. A servicemember with a spouse makes the same amount as me with a spouse and 5 children. Yes, there were times when I remember eating ramen noodles and hotdogs in order to afford diapers and baby formula, but I understood what I was getting into with my income and expenses. And that was when the military was paying much less in comparison to economic scales than they pay today.

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