Discussing this with a colleague last night. There are so many people who try to get out of deployments for one reason or another. Some I feel for, like the multiple almost back to back deployments. Especially the at sea deployments.

I know you typically get some additional TAD type pay for deployment, but it's a pretty trivial amount. And I know if you deploy longer than 7 months you get something like an additional $350 or so a month.

But what if you got a substantial pay boost during deployment? Like $5/day for the first 3 months, and $10/day for the next 3 months, and $15/day thereafter? For an average 6 month deployment, that's an easy $1350 extra pay. For officers, not a huge difference, but for junior enlisted that's a lot.

I'm sure many of y'all have dealt with junior enlisted, or an occasional senior enlisted or officer, that tried getting out of deployment for some reason or another. Some have faked illness or injury. Some have threatened to kill themselves. And some have been legitimately going through a tough time. But do you think it would make a difference?

I think it might make a slight difference for some, and you'd have some people volunteering to go. I doubt it'll ever happen anytime soon though.

In Afghanistan we were on a Polish FOB. We learned they were getting paid a bonus to deploy. In some cases a full rank higher than they would have at home.

As a result many were there just to get the extra money and had no interest in actually doing anything except work out, sun tan, and eat. It was pervasive and infected everything they did from the top down.
We were regularly mortared from 3 km outside the FOB walls and they wouldn't do foot patrols to clear out the poo sites. Just hid in their bunkers and waited it out.

For junior sailors, they often take a hit when getting sea pay as it is less than their BAS. BAS stops when at sea.

For officers, we pay wardroom bill, which is more than BAS. Somewhere around $13/day. Mandatory when at sea.

Unless going to a combat zone, the only money to be made deploying is in not spending money. Combat zone, I make good money.

Navy is probably way different from the Army. I considered going that route when I was 17. Army just always had appealed to me more. But I find maritime history quite fascinating.

Great example about the Polish soldiers.

When I lived in Australia, they would talk about going to Iraq or AFG for like 3-6 months. In the Aussie culture, a 6 month deployment was treated like it was forever. Contrast that with one of my TXARNG buddies who posts on here from time to time, who extended his deployment to 18 months in AFG.

For the OP, I'd be careful about what you want to reward. As described with the Polish soldiers, I can imagine a fair number of unmotivated troops wanting to deploy so they can collect the extra $$$ without doing the required work once deployed.

I haven't served in over 20 years but, I do send staff into high pressure situations around the world on a regular basis. During Covid, a lot of folks acted like asking them to get on an airplane was like going into a combat zone. Thankfully there were a strong few who didn't mind doing the required work.

People can come up with all kinds of reasons to get out of doing anything they don't want to do and come up with reasons to participate in anything they really want to do or anything that is perceived to be a reward.

At my work (pre-Covid) we used to have an annual global meeting in Vegas for about 700 technical staff. I attempted to lead technical training during those meetings (futile I know, but it was some sort of corporate tax write-off thing). It used to infuriate me at how many of our staff would come to Vegas, skip out on the training, party all week and then quit the company as soon as they got home from Vegas.

Long story short, more money might not achieve the desired result.

Y'all make some great points. As I'm sure y'all would agree, it just gets frustrating dealing with people that try to get out of these things.

I do like the idea of incentivizing staying physically/administratively/medically ready, so that when it comes time to deploy there are no excuses. As it is, it's like pulling teeth trying to get people to stay up with their medical readiness.

CT'97 said:

---

In Afghanistan we were on a Polish FOB. We learned they were getting paid a bonus to deploy. In some cases a full rank higher than they would have at home.

As a result many were there just to get the extra money and had no interest in actually doing anything except work out, sun tan, and eat. It was pervasive and infected everything they did from the top down.
We were regularly mortared from 3 km outside the FOB walls and they wouldn't do foot patrols to clear out the poo sites. Just hid in their bunkers and waited it out.

---

I was in a COP in that province with a Polish LRS PLT. One night I'm drinking some "shreck" with the CPT and a grom dude. Come to find out the CPT was a LT with a temp promotion to CPT, for the deployment. As I understood it though, a big reason for the temp promotions was to put their officer corps on a more equal footing as their US and NATO counterparts.

This was right after a Polish CPT was killed (the reason my team went to the COP) and the Poles weren't allowed to leave the COP, save the GROM guys. My team patrolled with the Afghans and GROM guys, and the LRS unit guys sunbathed on the roof back in the COP. They did want to go out, but the politics in Poland wasn't going to tolerate more dead soldiers at that time.

The GROM guys seemed legit and worked with a platoon of Seals. Those guys were active and we even got used as cover for insertions on a couple of their ops. A bunch of Americans show up in a bunch of vehicles, look around load up and leave a few behind, nobody is the wiser, until things start blowing up in the night.

I'm not doubting that politics back in Poland played a role but sitting in the Polish TOC for their briefings and in the chow hall made it very clear there was no will from their senior officers to even stop the direct attacks on the FOB. I still to this day can not comprehend being mortared and rocketed from within walking distance and not going out to do something to stop it. Just sitting there being a target. Even after taking casualties there was no anger or will to fight back. Just an acceptance that it's a risk you take for coming over here and right back to sun bathing.

When I was in Egypt, Kiwis do the same thing with promotion. Major back home but a LTC on this deployment.

CT'97 said:

---

I'm not doubting that politics back in Poland played a role but sitting in the Polish TOC for their briefings and in the chow hall made it very clear there was no will from their senior officers to even stop the direct attacks on the FOB. I still to this day can not comprehend being mortared and rocketed from within walking distance and not going out to do something to stop it. Just sitting there being a target. Even after taking casualties there was no anger or will to fight back. Just an acceptance that it's a risk you take for coming over here and right back to sun bathing.

---

No doubt, but you also described the 3 miserable months I spent at bagram. Salsa night, green beans coffee and burger king and 8 to 4pm workday. Develop a regular pattern, taps for the incoming flights with KIAs, and then mortars. No one hadn't done dirt patrols around the base in months.

I'm in Iraq now and with tax free, HDP, IDP and Family Sep my pay is almost +1k/month. So in some regards we already do incentivize deploying. One change I'd make is just have Seperation Pay vs Family Sep. That $250 is nice and the single Soldiers are usually separated from a loved one as well.