Assignment Incentive Pay is designed to attract qualified volunteers for extended tours in South Korea, and for soldiers in designated skill areas, such as special operations and explosive ordnance disposal, and soldiers who extend their tours in a combat zone.
Korea AIP of $300 per month applies to officers, warrant officers and enlisted soldiers down to the rank of specialist who are placed on orders to South Korea, or who already are serving on the peninsula.
AIP 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.
The other AIP categories primarily apply to enlisted soldiers in explosive ordnance disposal, and special operations units, with monthly payments ranging from $50 to $1,000 for tour extensions beyond 12 months in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Budget projections indicate that 1,400 officers and enlisted soldiers will qualify for Korea AIP annually in 2016 and 2017, while another 6,500 will qualify for the other AIP categories.
