Marines will boost special combat pay in October

Marines serving in certain dangerous areas will see an income boost in October, the service announced Tuesday.

The Marine Corps will double its hostile fire pay from $225 to $450 per month and increase its imminent danger pay from a cap of $225 per month to $275 per month on Oct. 1, according to a Marine administrative message. It marks the first special combat pay boosts for American troops in decades.

The Pentagon proposed the special combat pay boost in its fiscal year 2027 budget request to Congress in April, but officials said at that time that a final decision had not been made. Spokespersons for the other military services with combat forces — the Army, Air Force and Navy — did not immediately respond to inquiries seeking comment on their plans for hostile fire pay in fiscal 2027, which begins Oct. 1.

Hostile fire pay applies to troops serving in an area where commanders have certified a hostile incident — such as an attack or explosion — has occurred or a service member has been killed or injured by enemy action. Troops are paid the full $225 per month when a commander authorizes hostile fire pay for that time frame. Eligible Marines will receive the new $450 per month beginning in October.

Imminent danger pay is authorized for troops serving in countries or regions where the Pentagon has determined they likely face the “threat of physical harm or imminent danger based on civil insurrection, civil war, terrorism or wartime conditions.” Imminent danger pay is paid at $7.50 per day for each day a service member is located in a designated location, up to $225 per month. Beginning on Oct. 1, Marines will begin receiving their new rate of $9.16 per day in imminent danger locations with a cap of $275 per month, according to the new message.

Troops cannot receive both hostile fire pay and imminent danger pay in the same month.

The Pentagon currently recognizes 58 locations as eligible for imminent danger pay, according to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Eighteen have been added since the United States began Operation Epic Fury targeting Iran in February.

They include those serving in the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey and Diego Garcia, among others. Other locations, like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and Ukraine have been designated imminent danger zones for years.

The Air Force first mentioned a potential boost to special combat pay in April when Maj. Gen. Frank Verdugo, the deputy assistant secretary for the Air Force budget, briefly mentioned the proposal during an overview briefing on the Air Force and Space Force 2027 budget proposal.

Officials said the special combat pay boost would recognize the “unique expertise and the immense sacrifices” of troops serving in dangerous areas and was “aimed at recruiting and retaining warfighters.”