I'm sure they're tracking the shit out of it. It just seems like they aren't doing anything effective with all that data. At least thats the vibe I get from the guys I know and the articles I've read.

I guess it's not all that much different than what we see in some areas of civilian industry. The lower paying companies know they can't compete on salary so they start implementing what I call "naturally capped" benefits. Stuff like parental leave, fertility help, etc. Stuff that, while excellent to have, either effects a small minority or where people only get to claim it an average of 2.5 times in their life (eg costs the employer less than higher pay). It's something recruiters can use in their pitch to distract from pay.

Part of the problem is that for all everyone (rightly) drags the Bureau, they also have their hands tied by Congress. You can only promote and move around officers as prescribed by Federal law, and until the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act gets reformed, you're ultimately stuck in the land of up-or-out where folks' promotion clocks are ticking the moment they commission. It's an industrial-age model that's strangely like a union seniority list, but without the employment guarantee.