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The Pentagon is raising pay for troops serving in combat zones and dangerous areas for the first time since 2002, as the war with Iran enters its eighth month.
Getting into it: Starting Thursday, hostile fire pay, which goes to troops who come under direct enemy fire or are killed or wounded by hostile action, doubles from $225 to $450 a month. Imminent danger pay, which goes to troops stationed in designated dangerous locations, rises from $225 to a maximum of $275 a month, paid at $9.16 a day. Troops can’t receive both in the same month, but commanders can immediately switch them to hostile fire pay if an area turns into active combat. The memo setting the new rates was signed in July but only took effect with the start of the new fiscal year. To stay under set caps, the Pentagon is also cutting a separate hardship duty pay from $150 to $100 a month.
“Those who face combat deserve higher compensation that reflects the risks that they willingly undertake on behalf of our nation,” said Anthony Tata, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for personnel and readiness. “Raising imminent danger and hostile fire pays for the first time in two decades is a step toward recognizing that sacrifice.”
The Pentagon now lists 58 locations as eligible for imminent danger pay, 18 of them added since the Iran war began in February, including the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan. Reactions in the ranks were mixed, with some troops welcoming the raise online and others joking that it isn’t worth the risk, with one writing, “I can now afford to buy three [Monster Energy drinks].”
This all comes as the Pentagon reports 19 US service members killed and more than 860 wounded since the war began, though US officials told the Washington Post the actual death toll in the Middle East is at least 22.
