The Pentagon doubled hostile fire pay to $450 a month and raised imminent danger pay to $275 as of Thursday, the first boost to the two combat stipends since 2002.
A mid-July memo from Timothy Dill, assistant secretary of war for manpower and reserve affairs, took effect at the start of the new fiscal year, Navy Times reported.
Imminent danger pay will be prorated at $9.16 per day, up from $7.50, with a $275 monthly cap tied to days in a designated zone. Service members cannot collect both pays in the same period.
Anthony Tata, undersecretary of war for personnel and readiness, said troops facing combat "deserve higher compensation that reflects the risks" they take for the country, Stars and Stripes reported.
The increase lands as the Iran conflict enters its seventh month, with American troops still exposed to combat and reprisal strikes across the Middle East.
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which administers military pay, lists 58 locations as eligible for the imminent danger stipend.
The two stipends have been locked at a flat $225 per month since October 2002. Before that, hazardous-duty rates varied by rank and duty, typically ranging from $100 to $240 per month, officials said.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said the tiered model separates areas of potential danger from zones with hostile fire and lets commanders shift troops from imminent danger pay to hostile fire pay the moment a designated area tips into active combat, Navy Times reported.
Parnell called the arrangement a "clear and timely mechanism" to acknowledge sharper risk.
The Marine Corps adopted the new rates last week. The Pentagon's action extends them to soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Space Force guardians.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.This article originally appeared on Newsmax at https://ift.tt/uBs0DGwfrom yahoo.com/news Top Stories https://ift.tt/uBs0DGw
No comments:
Post a Comment