Certain flight engineers, loadmasters, remotely-piloted aircraft sensor operators and cyberspace mission forces could be newly eligible for hefty additional payments each month under the Air Force’s latest expansion of special duty assignment pay.
The updated special duty pay list, which goes into effect Nov. 1, shows 10 different jobs are now eligible. They include certain special missions aviators, airfield managers and deputy airfield managers, digital network analysts, RPA cyber technicians, special operations surgical teams, and Korean cryptologic language analysts.
In all, 13 duty assignments were added to the pay list because some jobs that have different qualifications were included twice.
“The Air Force meticulously evaluates this program to ensure we are accurately compensating our airmen working in rigorous career fields with an unusual degree of complexity, difficulty or responsibility,” Senior Master Sgt. Joey Williams, airman support branch superintendent at the Air Force Personnel Center, said in a Thursday release. ”We hope to provide an incentive for airmen to volunteer for and perform duties in critical career fields in order to best support future Air Force missions.”
The biggest new payouts will go to special operations surgical teams, who could receive the maximum $450 a month. Korean crypto language analysts and digital network analysts could receive $300 or $375 a month, depending on their skill level. Certain flight engineers, loadmasters, special missions aviators, RPA sensor operators and cyberspace mission forces could receive $300 a month, depending on their qualifications.
A handful of other duties already on the list are getting bumps up in special pay amounts. For example, airmen assigned to Joint Special Operations Command headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Joint Communications Integration Element, Joint Interagency Task Force at the Pentagon, or JSOC Intelligence Brigade at Fort Bragg will have their monthly payments increased from $75, $150 or $225 — depending on how long they’ve been in that special duty — to $225, $300 or $375.
Airmen assigned to the Joint Communications Unit, Alpha 68th Network Warfare Squadron, or Aviation Tactics Evaluation Group at Fort Bragg will see the same increases.
Certain 1C3X1 command and control operations airmen, who previously received $75 a month, will now receive $225 a month.
However, airborne parachutist course instructors at Fort Benning, Georgia, and military free fall parachute instructors at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, are having their monthly pay cut from $300 to $150. And eligible special operations weather or weather airmen who are jump qualified, with at least 12 months, will have their monthly pay cut from $450 to $375.
This expansion is larger than last year, when four duties were newly added ― munitions systems, contracting specialists, independent duty technicians, and presidential logistics squadron, flying communications technicians.
The list of special duty assignment pay amounts can be found here.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
