(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – Financial challenges have led the United States Air Force to slash the yearly salaries of hundreds of airmen by up to $5,400 in the 2023 fiscal year, which begins at the start of next month.
The annual pay cut will range between $900 and $5,400 and will affect 30,000 airmen with the most difficult jobs in the Air Force, Military.com reported, as cited by Newsmax.
The slashing of funds is due to reductions of the Special Duty Assignment Pay (SDAP) for FY 2023 and will see many of the active communities of the USAF with downgraded wages.
SDAP pays an extra $75-$450 per month in order “to compensate enlisted service members who serve in duties which are extremely difficult,” according to budget documents.
“The Air Force saw an overall reduction of over $3 million to the FY23 SDAP budget based on fiscal constraints. Due to the reduced funding levels, SDAP rates for 44 functional communities saw reductions,” explained service spokeswoman Laurel Falls.
The US Air Force has asked the federal government for more than $90.2 million in SDAP for the new fiscal year. Those are to be apportioned among 30,845 airmen.
The total figure is a reduction of $1.5 million and by some 500 airmen compared with the budget for the 2022 fiscal year.
For FY 2022, the Air Force asked for $91.7 in SDAP for 31,334 servicer personnel. In 2021, the extra pay funds amounted to $90.8 million for 30,967 airmen.
The service’s overall shortfall in the Special Duty Assignment Budget for 2023 stands at $3 million.
Among those dozens of Air Force career fields expected to lose their special pay are the Air Force Recruiting Service recruiters. They will receive $75 fewer per month and $900 fewer per year.
The report noted that the loss of the extra pay would hurt the morale of the Air Force recruiters who, over the past couple of years, have been working through the coronavirus pandemic, sky-high inflation, and changes in the workforce.
The head of the Air Force Recruiting Service, Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, has vowed to try to get the extra pay restored for the next fiscal year.
“[Gen. Thomas] recognizes the unique challenges Air Force recruiters and their families experience, and he is working to have the monthly $75 payment restored in the future,” his spokesman Randy Martin commented.
Enlisted airmen will receive $900 to $5,400 less pay annually, beginning next month, as the service tackles financial challenges that affect the ranks. https://t.co/pwKsn2ZXyH
— Newsmax (@newsmax) September 7, 2022
