Assignment Incentive Pay is a special pay designed to attract qualified volunteers for extended tours in South Korea, and for soldiers in designated skill areas, such as special operations, cyber and explosive ordnance disposal.
It is also for soldiers who extend their tours in a combat zone.
Korea AIP of $300 per month applies to officers, warrant officers and enlisted soldiers in the rank of specialist and above who are placed on orders to South Korea, or who already are serving on the peninsula.
AIP, which will remain available in Eighth Army until at least the end of fiscal 2015 on Sept. 30, allows soldiers to extend their tours in 12-month increments, but no more than twice for a total of 24 months.
The special incentive is paid lump-sum, for a total of $3,600, at the beginning of the 12-month extension period.
The other AIP categories primarily apply to enlisted soldiers in explosive ordnance disposal, cyber mission force and special operations units, with monthly payments ranging from $50 to $1,000 for tour extensions beyond 12 months in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Pay rates for cyber mission force officers, warrant officers and enlisted soldiers were just announced by the Army.
They total $200 monthly for soldiers certified as cyber force apprentices, $300 for journeymen and $500 for masters.
Budget projections indicate that 4,060 officers and enlisted soldiers will qualify for Korea AIP annually in 2015 and 2016, while another 8,150 will qualify for other AIP categories.
