UDP per diem rate changes upcoming
for some Marines at Okinawa, Iwakuni
By Sandra Jontz, Washington
bureau
ARLINGTON, Va. — By summer 2002, Marines deployed for six months or more to
Okinawa and Iwakuni, Japan, will see differences in their per diem rates as the Corps
shifts to a flat-rate distribution rate.
Enlisted Marines are likely to see an average boost of $200 a month, while officers
will see an average $500 decrease, Marine officials said.
The policy change reflects a leveling of the disparity between the rates for enlisted
and officers, Marine spokesman Maj. Tim Keefe said.
When deployed to Okinawa or Iwakuni as part of the Unit Deployment Program, or UDP,
officers had limited dining facilites available to them and resorted to eating in
restaurants on the economy — thus needing more money, Keefe explained.
But during the past few years, the Corps boosted the number of on-base dining
facilities for officers, and will change the rate to reflect that, Keefe said.
The rate, which essentially will be the same for all Marines, takes effect June 1.
The Marine Corps started the UDP in 1977 to reduce the number of unaccompanied tours,
increase family stability and improve unit cohesion, said Maj. Karl Hackbarth, a manpower
analyst at Quantico, Va.
UDP is available only for Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Camp Pendleton,
Calif., or in Hawaii, and is an administrative rotation of Marine battalions, batteries,
squadrons and companies from the United States going to Okinawa and Iwakuni.
The per diem was adjusted to reflect the average time spent in the field, and now
averages about $9.60 a day, or about $288 per month.
However, there still will be "minor" differences in rates paid to some
officers and some enlisted personnel and differences between ground forces and those in
aviation, Hackbarth said.
"But we’re talking pennies, maybe a dime," he said. "It’s a
relatively small difference compared to the differences now seen."
At current rates, enlisted Marines get about $3 per day, or about $90 a month, and
officers receive about $26 a day, or nearly $800 a month.
"See, there is a significant difference," Hackbarth said.
Enlisted Marines already deployed before the effective date will begin receiving the
new rate effective June 1. Officers already deployed will be grandfathered and receive the
current rate for the remainder of their deployment. Officers who deploy on or after June 1
will receive the new rate of per diem.
There is no chance the rate change will affect other Marine deployments, Hackbarth
said.
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