thedrifter
08-31-06, 05:29 PM
August 31, 2006
Marines in new commando units to get special pay
By Christian Lowe
Staff writer
The Marine Corps has begun offering up to $375 in extra monthly pay for leathernecks assigned to its new commando units.
According to an Aug. 24 Corps-wide message announcing the change, more than 1,200 Marines assigned to the new Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command will receive special duty assignment pay. Retroactive to June, Marines in designated billets could receive anywhere from $125 to $375 in monthly stipends.
“This is special pay for Marines in arduous assignments and in duties with increased responsibility,” said Capt. Phillip Bonincontri, compensation policy chief with Manpower and Reserve Affairs in Quantico, Va. The different pay levels correspond to “what level of arduousness and stress” each of the jobs is subjected to.
The pay applies to E-4 through E-9 Marines in all of MarSOC’s individual components, from the special operations battalions — the door-kicking cadre — to headquarters units. But not everyone in the Corps’ spec ops community qualifies for extra pays, Bonincontri added.
In the past, only a few Marines in very specific jobs — including recruiters, drill instructors, Marine security guards and helicopter rescue swimmers, for example — qualified for the special duty pay. Now the Corps’ special operators will qualify while assigned to MarSOC.
The pays are structured to the risk and responsibilities of the specific job within each community, Bonincontri said, with those who qualify for SDAP in the Marine Special Operations Support Group’s Intelligence Company earning $125 per month, while all the SDAP billets in the Foreign Military Training Unit companies earn the maximum $375, according to MarAdmin 398/06.
In Kilo Company, 2nd Special Operations Battalion, for example, about half of those who qualify for SDAP in that unit receive the $150 bonus, while the other half receive $375, the message states.
The Marine Corps order outlining SDAP for all special duties shows pay levels from $75 to $450 per month.
The Corps stood up its spec ops command early this year after decades of staying out of the commando world. The ambitious program calls for a nearly 2,500 Marine command broken down into five major components based on the East and West Coasts.
Only a small handful of the command’s units have been filled, with four of the anticipated 24 Foreign Military Training Unit teams deployed so far and two of the planned 10 special ops companies filled.
Bonincontri said he doesn’t expect any changes to the SDAP program as MarSOC units continue to add men to their ranks.
“We tried to scrub it pretty good and make sure we got it right the first time,” he said.
Ellie
Marines in new commando units to get special pay
By Christian Lowe
Staff writer
The Marine Corps has begun offering up to $375 in extra monthly pay for leathernecks assigned to its new commando units.
According to an Aug. 24 Corps-wide message announcing the change, more than 1,200 Marines assigned to the new Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command will receive special duty assignment pay. Retroactive to June, Marines in designated billets could receive anywhere from $125 to $375 in monthly stipends.
“This is special pay for Marines in arduous assignments and in duties with increased responsibility,” said Capt. Phillip Bonincontri, compensation policy chief with Manpower and Reserve Affairs in Quantico, Va. The different pay levels correspond to “what level of arduousness and stress” each of the jobs is subjected to.
The pay applies to E-4 through E-9 Marines in all of MarSOC’s individual components, from the special operations battalions — the door-kicking cadre — to headquarters units. But not everyone in the Corps’ spec ops community qualifies for extra pays, Bonincontri added.
In the past, only a few Marines in very specific jobs — including recruiters, drill instructors, Marine security guards and helicopter rescue swimmers, for example — qualified for the special duty pay. Now the Corps’ special operators will qualify while assigned to MarSOC.
The pays are structured to the risk and responsibilities of the specific job within each community, Bonincontri said, with those who qualify for SDAP in the Marine Special Operations Support Group’s Intelligence Company earning $125 per month, while all the SDAP billets in the Foreign Military Training Unit companies earn the maximum $375, according to MarAdmin 398/06.
In Kilo Company, 2nd Special Operations Battalion, for example, about half of those who qualify for SDAP in that unit receive the $150 bonus, while the other half receive $375, the message states.
The Marine Corps order outlining SDAP for all special duties shows pay levels from $75 to $450 per month.
The Corps stood up its spec ops command early this year after decades of staying out of the commando world. The ambitious program calls for a nearly 2,500 Marine command broken down into five major components based on the East and West Coasts.
Only a small handful of the command’s units have been filled, with four of the anticipated 24 Foreign Military Training Unit teams deployed so far and two of the planned 10 special ops companies filled.
Bonincontri said he doesn’t expect any changes to the SDAP program as MarSOC units continue to add men to their ranks.
“We tried to scrub it pretty good and make sure we got it right the first time,” he said.
Ellie