Military Salary | How much do soldiers get paid?

It's a question that many ask, but few actually know. XT46 is here to help you understand just how the military pay system works.

Currently, the military compensation system has over 70 separate types of pay and allowances, according to Military.com. -- that's a lot to keep track of, especially if you're knee deep in military training. In general, annual military pay raises are linked to the increase in civilian wages. However current laws governing annual pay raises no longer guarantee that military pay will be at automatically set above civilian average pay increases.

There are two broad categories at play here: "Pay" and "Allowance". Typically, pay is money which is based upon remuneration for employment, while allowance is money necessary for the efficient performance of duty. Generally speaking, pay is income, while allowances are reimbursements.

Given how many ranks there are in the military, it's difficult to judge just how much money a soldier makes - could be $1,600 a month for younger recruits, could be substantially more as experience racks up. But here is a military pay calculator to help you learn more.

Do you think soldiers are underpaid?

Krav Maga | Hand to Hand Combat techniques

Ever had a fellow bro buck up to you? For the sake of argument, we'll assume "Yes."

What would you do? Would you be able to defend yourself, or would the confrontation end with a shower of four-letter words and teardrops?

We wanted to share a bit about Krav Maga, a self-defense combat art developed originally in Israel. Outside Israel, Krav Maga is used by various special police, military and intelligence forces, such as American CIA, FBI, US Marshals, USAF, DEA, Federal Air Marshals, various police departments (SWAT teams), etc.

Krav Maga is known for its brutal counter attacks and efficiency.

A few examples: 
Thumbstrikes to the throat
Hammerfists to the face
Palm-heel strike to the kidneys

See the below graphic for a set of vital targets, as deemed worthy by Krav Maga.

After seeing the diagram, have some food for thought: Learn more about Krav Maga or, if you're facing someone who knows its techniques by heart, prepare for your innards to transform into the texture of squashed grapes.

Want to learn Krav Maga techniques? Check out these resources:

Combat Guide

Krav Maga wiki

Military back on alert? | Obama Threatens Military Action

Wondering what the military thinks about this? It seems that tensions continue mounting in the Middle East -- enough to entice President Obama to bring out major threats against Iran.

From Reuters, citing a recent interview:

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama issued his most direct threat yet of U.S. military action against Iran if it builds a nuclear weapon, but in a message to Israel's leader ahead of White House talks he also cautioned against a pre-emptive Israeli strike.
 "As president of the United States, I don't bluff," Obama warned Iran in a magazine interview published on Friday, three days before he will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.
 

What do you think?