thedrifter
01-19-07, 07:40 PM
Pay for extensions coming soon
By Gordon Lubold - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jan 19, 2007 16:16:20 EST
The Pentagon soon will announce its plan to pay troops who are extended in a combat zone or are redeployed earlier than expected, a senior defense official said.
David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the finishing touches are being put on a compensation package to pay troops who are deployed before they get the full amount of time at home they are due, as well as to troops extended in the field.
A detailed policy will be announced in a week to 10 days, said Chu, who spoke at the Pentagon on Jan. 19.
The Pentagon already pays up to $1,000 a month to troops whose combat tours are extended. The new policy, which will pay troops at the front end of a deployment for lost time at home, may well look different.
The goal, Chu said, is to pay for “broken dwell time” when active troops are deployed more often than the Pentagon’s standards dictate.
Those standards say that active troops coming off deployment should get twice as much time at home as they just spent away — a 1-to-2 ratio — before they deploy again. For reservists, the standard is one year of mobilization should be followed by at least five years of demobilization.
The compensation package is aimed at troops whose “dwell time” deviates significantly from those standards, Chu said.
“Significantly” is the operative word, Chu said. A deployment that begins or ends a day or two early, for example, would not fall under the program.
Troops who lose a few days of dwell time should not expect the extra compensation.
“I don’t think any of our people believe, nor do I think the American taxpayers believe, we should suddenly give you a big compensation for that,” he said. “But if I’m a year or two years early — let’s take a reservist as an example — yes, then I think we need to demonstrate that we understand we have imposed on you, your family, your employer, a significant burden.”
Each of the services will have some flexibility to tweak the policy based on their needs, Chu added.
“There will be some differences among the services because each has a different set of circumstances,” Chu said, adding that it could take as much as three weeks before all the details are available. The “authorizing memorandum” to the services, however, will be issued within 10 days, he said.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the policy last week as part of a package of personnel changes geared to manpower needs for the war in Iraq.
Ellie
By Gordon Lubold - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jan 19, 2007 16:16:20 EST
The Pentagon soon will announce its plan to pay troops who are extended in a combat zone or are redeployed earlier than expected, a senior defense official said.
David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the finishing touches are being put on a compensation package to pay troops who are deployed before they get the full amount of time at home they are due, as well as to troops extended in the field.
A detailed policy will be announced in a week to 10 days, said Chu, who spoke at the Pentagon on Jan. 19.
The Pentagon already pays up to $1,000 a month to troops whose combat tours are extended. The new policy, which will pay troops at the front end of a deployment for lost time at home, may well look different.
The goal, Chu said, is to pay for “broken dwell time” when active troops are deployed more often than the Pentagon’s standards dictate.
Those standards say that active troops coming off deployment should get twice as much time at home as they just spent away — a 1-to-2 ratio — before they deploy again. For reservists, the standard is one year of mobilization should be followed by at least five years of demobilization.
The compensation package is aimed at troops whose “dwell time” deviates significantly from those standards, Chu said.
“Significantly” is the operative word, Chu said. A deployment that begins or ends a day or two early, for example, would not fall under the program.
Troops who lose a few days of dwell time should not expect the extra compensation.
“I don’t think any of our people believe, nor do I think the American taxpayers believe, we should suddenly give you a big compensation for that,” he said. “But if I’m a year or two years early — let’s take a reservist as an example — yes, then I think we need to demonstrate that we understand we have imposed on you, your family, your employer, a significant burden.”
Each of the services will have some flexibility to tweak the policy based on their needs, Chu added.
“There will be some differences among the services because each has a different set of circumstances,” Chu said, adding that it could take as much as three weeks before all the details are available. The “authorizing memorandum” to the services, however, will be issued within 10 days, he said.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the policy last week as part of a package of personnel changes geared to manpower needs for the war in Iraq.
Ellie