Military pay raise goes into effect Published Jan. 13, 2009 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- On Oct. 14, 2008, the defense funding bill, which included a 3.9 percent military pay raise for fiscal year 2009, was officially signed into law by President George W. Bush. The measure authorized a pay raise for U.S. military personnel which is a half percentage point more than President Bush sought in his budget request back in February 2008. The President's proposal of 3.4 percent was in keeping with the 2007 Employment Cost Index, or ECI, published by the Department of Labor. U.S. military pay is distributed on the first and fifteenth day of the month. If the first or fifteenth fall on a weekend or national holiday, payment will be made the working day prior. The pay scales are valid for active and reserve components of the Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard.