Number of officers receiving command pay reduced
by Tech. Sgt. David A. Jablonski
Air Force Print News
9/24/2004 - WASHINGTON -- Command Responsibility Pay now received by some field-grade officers in command positions will end in October.
In a Sight Picture titled, “Recognizing the Responsibility of Command,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper announced the Air Force would reduce the number of command positions that qualify for CRP. Personnel officials said that about one third of the officers now receiving it will be affected.
Congress authorized CRP in 1958 and by law each service is authorized to pay up to 10 percent of their servicemembers in each of their command ranks of colonel, lieutenant colonel and major. It is paid monthly at $50 for majors, $100 for lieutenant colonels and $150 for colonels.
But, during the past two years, more commanders have deployed as part of the air and space expeditionary force to meet the overwhelming demands of new and evolving threats to national security. Because of these critical expeditionary commitments, the number of command positions has grown beyond the congressional authority to pay them.
Now, specific command billets for the pay will be based on one or more of the following characteristics:
-- Likelihood of deploying to a combat zone.
-- Uniqueness or criticality of primary mission.
-- Deployment for a year or more.
“Leading Airmen as a commander of a wing, group or squadron is one of the most important and challenging opportunities in our Air Force,” General Jumper said.
“Two years ago, Secretary [of the Air Force Dr. James G.] Roche and I put into action two initiatives for commanders charged with leading (Airmen),” he said. “First, we authorized wear of the command insignia. Secondly, we instituted Commander Responsibility Pay as an additional way to recognize and emphasize the leadership responsibilities of command.”
“We’re trying to acknowledge those positions that have unique responsibilities and compensate those commanders,” said Maj. Gen. John M. Speigel, Air Force director for personnel policy.
“We refocused and reoriented the program because of the growth we had over the last couple of years and the pending growth,” he said. “It’s a percentage point or two that we’re over; it’s not much, but it could continue to grow, so we had to re-baseline the program.”
The leaders are focusing CRP on commanders who would deploy and lead their troops into combat. There are instances where the Air Force has commanders who are currently at home station and the likelihood of them deploying as a commander to take their unit into combat is remote. In those cases, they will no longer receive CRP, officials said.
Conversely, there are some commanders who are in unique positions of responsibility, such as space operations and missiles, whose deployed location is their home station. Some of those commanders will continue to receive CRP.
“We wanted to make sure we acknowledged them and what they brought to the fight,” General Speigel said.
“We value the role commanders play -- the arduous nature of their job,” he said. “It’s unique to the military -- there’s nothing like it in the civil sector. As we’ve looked at this, we’ve had to make some hard decisions and reorient the program. We think now is the time to align the program with the focus on the air [and space] expeditionary force, the warfighting nature of the Air Force and our deployed operations.”
The commanders affected by the CRP reduction would see the adjustment in their October pay. |
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