Pentagon doubles monthly hostile fire pay for troops

NewsThe Pentagon is seen from an airplane, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)APBy Kayode Crown | kcrown@al.comChanges in special duty pay for military members have taken effect.A Defense Department memo from July directed that beginning Oct. 1, hostile fire pay, or HFP, be increased to $450 a month, and imminent danger pay, or IDP, be increased to $9.16 a day, for a maximum of $275 monthly.“Since October 2002, both HFP and IDP pay have been set at a flat monthly rate of $225,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in an Oct. 1 statement. “The new tiered model better reflects the differences between serving in an area where danger is possible and facing hostile fire.”He said the new pay is about appropriately compensating service members for the varying levels of operational risk they face while serving around the world.Any month troops are exposed to a hostile fire event, they would receive $450 — even if it was only one day in that month. And they would get additional pay of $9.16 for each day they are in a place designated imminent danger area.“If an IDP-designated area escalates into active combat, commanders can transition personnel from IDP to HFP immediately,” said Parnell.Troops can receive one form of the pay in a given month, but not both.Kayode Crown covers trending news and national stories, with a focus on money, federal benefits, military contracts, space news, collectibles and government programs that affect readers across the country. He...