January 8, 2015: In December 2014 the U.S. Air Force announced that personnel operating combat and support aircraft over Syria would receive "imminent danger pay" ($7.50 a day and up to $225 a month for being in a combat zone). This will cost the air force up to $135,000 a month ($1.62 million a year) if they keep the number of people involved as 600. That number may as much as double before the end of 2015, but it’s still not a lot of money. The decision to provide the imminent danger pay was retroactive to September 21st when major air operations in Syria began.

The "imminent danger” here is the fact that much of the Syrian air defense system is still intact. NATO air forces could pretty much eliminate that air defense threat in less than a week, but that would cost money and put the aircrew involved in the SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) operation at some additional risk. The other "imminent danger” is any of the American aircraft running into mechanical or electrical problems and having some crew parachute to where they could be captured by Islamic terrorists. That would be extremely dangerous.

There are several thousand American military personnel on the ground in Iraq and none (officially) in Syria. Some of the troops on the ground are getting "imminent danger pay” and other special duty pay. While the Americans in Iraq are not supposed to be in combat, the enemy has a say in how that works and some American troops have been in combat.

It was a year ago that the U.S. Department of Defense ordered imminent danger pay cut for American military personnel in some 20 places. This included most of the Persian Gulf countries, those serving off Somalia, personnel in Guantanamo Bay and most of those based in Central Asia. This saved the government about $100 million a year, and cost the some 50,000 troops the same amount. Over $300 million in imminent danger pay was still going to troops in places like Afghanistan and other areas where there is definitely some imminent danger. This is another sign that the war on terror is winding down.

Until the war on terror came along the most dangerous assignment for American troops was the Balkans. You knew it was dangerous, because the mass media said it was, and the army was giving you the imminent danger bonus while you were there. Turned out that the place wasn't that dangerous. But none of the troops were complaining. There were very few combat injuries, and no combat deaths after over a decade of Balkans peacekeeping. Rather nice bases were built for the troops, and much attention was paid to base security. In addition to the combat and hazardous duty pay, there were the tax breaks (you did not have to pay taxes on what you made in a combat zone.) OK, there was no booze, and not much opportunity to party with the locals.

After September 11, 2001, and the invasion of Iraq, the troops in Kosovo got razzed by their buddies going off to Iraq and Afghanistan. Collecting combat pay, when there was no combat, seemed too good to be true for the troops in the Balkans. It didn’t last and the imminent danger pay for the Balkans was cut, but by then there were few American troops left in there.

The U.S. military has several kinds of bonuses for troops going into dangerous areas. For example, although Haiti isn't a combat zone, U.S. troops serving there were given additional "special duty" pay for being in a disaster zone. In addition single troops get an additional $430 a month (Hardship, Temporary Duty and Imminent Danger pay), while married troops get an additional $250 a month for Family Separation.

This additional pay for a disaster relief mission arose from the several different special duty pay programs implemented since September 11, 2001. As a result, the Pentagon has been having difficulty in sorting out who qualifies for what. Some of these program ran into problems with technology. For example, the air force, faced with morale issues when pilots were switched to operating UAVs for three year tours, allowed them to still get flight pay anyway. Some of the problems were bureaucratic. For example, active duty and reserve troops are entitled to different types of benefits. But when the reservists were activated it was found that while they were doing the same work as the active duty troops, especially in a combat zone, they were getting paid less. Worst of all, their dependents were eligible for fewer services. This has been a sore point for years, and the Department of Defense eventually had to do something about it.

One of the more irritating problems has been some troops gaming the system. For example, a soldier could fly into a "special pay" zone, stay or a day or two, and qualify for a months’ worth of special benefits. This annoyed the troops who are there all the time, as well as those who could exploit the system like this, but didn't. Efforts to crack down on this were more difficult although just paying these benefits by the day usually worked.

The current "special duty pay" system began during World War II. Back then, the average enlisted soldier got paid (adjusted for inflation) about $500 a month. They received an extra $100 a month if they were overseas, and an extra $100 if they were in combat. Sailors were also given extra pay for being at sea, and flight crews got a similar bonus. Paratroopers did best of all, getting the equivalent of $500 a month extra. Ironically, paratroopers ended the war with a lower casualty rate than most regular infantry units. That was mainly because airborne units were pulled out of the fighting to be rebuilt and train for their next jump, while regular units just kept getting replacements while they continued fighting.

The "hazardous duty pay" concept continued after World War II, with more categories being added. We now have "family separation allowance" ($250 a month for being away from your family), "imminent danger pay" and "hazardous duty incentive pay" for particularly dangerous jobs (using a parachute regularly, working on a Carrier Flight Deck, Demolition/handling explosives Duty, Experimental Stress Duty, Handling Toxic Fuels or Propellants Duty, Handling Toxic Pesticides Duty, Dangerous Viruses or Bacteria Lab Duty, Handling Chemical Munitions). For some very dangerous jobs, like high altitude parachute (HALO) jumping, you get an extra $220 a month. This all adds up, increasing the pay of many troops by more than fifty percent.

Many senior officers are OK with dangerous duty bonuses, but don't want to set a precedent for extra pay for those who are inconvenienced. This "inconvenience pay" is a pet project among some politicians. The other side of the argument is that the dangerous duty pay IS an "inconvenience pay" issue. Getting shot at is an inconvenience and bad for morale. So is being away from your family and in a combat zone for extended periods of time.

What is often forgotten in all of this is that soldiers have always received "combat pay." Until the last century or so it was better known as plunder (given permission to loot enemy territory). In times past, the prospect of plunder was more of an incentive to join an army than the promise of regular pay. It was like the lottery, and many soldiers got very rich. During the 14th century Hundred Years War between France and England, many English farmers joined up as archers, and came back wealthy men (after capturing a French aristocrat and holding him for a huge ransom). Since the 18th century, Western armies have gradually decreased the opportunities to loot, at least on a large scale and with permission. The whole "distress pay" concept says, in effect, "if some of you can't strike it rich, at least all of you will be a little better off," for going to war. Times change, but many customs don't go away.