Report urges more combat pay for junior troops

[bruno]

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/0...-QRMC-062112w/

The Pentagon should overhaul its combat pay system to provide more money to the younger enlisted troops who face the most danger on combat deployments, according to a recently released report.

The current system is unfair because a large share of the financial benefits for deployed troops go to the more senior officers in places that pose few risks, according to the Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation, an influential study required by law every four years.

“There is little correlation between exposure to danger and compensation benefits,” concluded the report released Thursday, the 11th in a series.

Congress and the Pentagon should consider a series of measures to “strengthen the relationship between combat and compensation so that combat compensation more appropriately rewards those service members who face the greatest possibility of being injured or losing their lives as a result of hostile action....”

'Bout time. Every Service member deployed does not face the same risks and it is a travesty to reward those in relatively safe and comfortable rear echelon assignments - deployed or not- the same or even better benefits than those doing most of the fighting and dying -and make no mistake there are definitely branches and units that are doing the heavy lifting in these wars- take a look at the Army times "Faces of the fallen" and see who the preponderance of KIA's are, and what branch and MOS they have. http://www.militarytimes.com/valor/

[Jcleppe]

Agreed.

[kp2001]

Unfortunately I don't feel like you can simply do it justice the way that has been proposed. I would propose that you do it based on what you actually do while deployed.

Take my prior squadron: the pilots and aircrew faced far more danger than the aircraft maintainers. This proposal would not meet that risk/reward ratio.

Or take physicians: a large percentage sit in Role 3 hospitals on large bases; however, there are also many who face daily dangers by traveling the roads of Kandahar trying to build a medical system. Those are usually senior physicians and I would say they are in danger every time they go out the wire. Not quite the same as those on patrol, but yet the danger is much higher than those who sit in the role 3 hospital.

I would suggest instead of changing the current pay structure they consider adding on an additional pay for those who have the more dangerous routine daily life.