CUT SPENDING: Bring 401k's to the military. I very much doubt that it will significantly cut spending - at least in the short term - but it is still a very good idea, for the same reason as privatizing Social Security. Secondly, it takes 20 years to earn a military retirement; if you leave before 20 years, you get nothing. A 401k can be vested immediately; therefore even short-termers will leave with something as opposed to nothing.