Pentagon authorizes hazard pay for US troops in Ukraine – Military Times

Servicemen will be able to qualify for “imminent danger pay” on top of base salaries and other bonuses

The Pentagon has introduced additional hazard pay for American troops serving in Ukraine, the Military Times reported on Friday, citing a US defense official. 

The outlet stated that the bonus, known as imminent danger pay (IDP), will be offered to all service members operating in areas where they could be harmed by hostile fire or mines, insurrection, civil war, or terrorism. 

The introduction of the payment was first revealed in a memo reportedly written by the Pentagon’s top personnel official, Grier Martin, which was dated July 13 and was posted to an unofficial US Air Force account on Facebook on Thursday. The Military Times claims that a source within the Pentagon has now confirmed the authenticity of the document. 

According to the memo, the entire land area and airspace above Ukraine will be retroactively designated as an IDP area, effective April 24, 2022. That means all US military personnel currently on duty in Ukraine or who have served there since that date are eligible for an extra $7.50 per day, with a cap of $225 per month.  

The Military Times noted that the IDP payments come on top of a service member’s base salary and other bonuses, and that some troops could qualify to receive the bonus as back pay. 

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The memo also stated that there will be a reduction in the monthly rate of so-called Hardship Duty payments, which gave American service members in Ukraine an additional $150 a month. After the introduction of IDP, that bonus will drop to $100 per month, meaning troops will be able to earn a maximum of $325 in monthly hazard pay. 

Officially, the US only has a small number of troops currently stationed in Ukraine. According to the Military Times, part of that contingent works at the American Embassy in Kiev, operating as its security detail and accounting for billions of dollars of military equipment that Washington has sent Ukraine.  

According to ABC News, another special operations team working out of the US Embassy has been helping Ukrainian troops with intelligence operations and providing security for high-level visitors since the early days of the Russian military campaign. The outlet claimed that this team does not take part in military operations or visit the front lines.