OUR REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT, WINNING THE WAR ON WAGES:

 President Barack Obama announced Monday he will back sweeping overhauls to the military retirement and health care systems as a way to ensure the costly benefits survive into the future.

Obama said he will provide Congress a list of proposals by the end of April that will be based on the recommendations of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission, a panel created by lawmakers to find solutions to ballooning personnel expenses.

The panel has advised the military to modernize its 20-year pensions by reducing payouts and adding a 401(k)-style option, and replace Tricare health coverage with a wide variety of private insurance plans. Those and a list of 15 changes to military compensation -- including a consolidation of commissaries and exchanges -- could save almost $5 billion next year and up to $10.4 billion per year by 2020, the panel claims. [...]

It found the lifelong pensions guaranteed to those who put in 20 years of service have racked up big expenses and the military could save money by contributing smaller amounts to military thrift savings plans over the course of servicemembers' careers.

Follow @brothersjudd