Are US soldiers paid too little?

[OneFootInTheGrave]

I have read on a Croatian site that privates in US are paid only 1300 USD per month. Now that being a Croatian site obviously makes me think if that is correct as the subsequent 26000 USD/ year seem low to me for a professionals who are expected to risk their life at work .

Is this true? That the pay is so low, and if that is so, what about the benefits, do they make up for the difference or not really?

Anyway if true this is kind of suprising to me that a country with by far highest expenditure on military in the world has its soldiers on a below average pay (at least I do not think that 26000 USD is average), but I might be wrong on that. Anyway seems kind of low for a soldier.

Assuming for a civilian a 37.5 hrs job (162.5 hr/month) that would be 8$/hour is that the price for life?

Do they get paid more if they go to war?

[SlowwHand]

GROSSLY underpaid.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
GROSSLY underpaid.

so is $1300/month true?

[Az]

that's underpaid? you haven't seen the conscript's paycheck: 315 NIS (70 USD), 10 Euros....

[SlowwHand]

I'm not familiar with current pay, but you can stand assured that they aren't getting rich digging a ditch.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Originally posted by Azazel
that's underpaid? you haven't seen the conscript's paycheck: 315 NIS (70 USD), 10 Euros....

SO what is 315NIS for a month? Can he live of that? Still he is a conscript, so I guess when he finishes his duty a job will be waiting for him to continue. (I hope there is some gov, support for a possible family). But in US they are all professionals, that is the only thing they do.

[Boris Godunov]

We wouldn't want to pay them too much, lest middle-class folks find the military an appealing option and go gettin' themselves killed in wars. Only the poor folks are supposed to get themselves killed, after all.

[SlowwHand]

Shut up, Boris.

http://www.dfas.mil/money/milpay/pay/

[Drake Tungsten]

We wouldn't want to pay them too much, lest middle-class folks find the military an appealing option and go gettin' themselves killed in wars. Only the poor folks are supposed to get themselves killed, after all.

Oh god. Rangel's an idiot, Boris, and you're making yourself look like one by reapeating his stupid rhetoric...

[Boris Godunov]

You shut up, Sloww. Nyah-nyah-nyah-boo-boo.

[Az]

OFITG: they cannot, but they are given food and clothing by the army. there are also some benefits to people that are released from the army. not enough though.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

We wouldn't want to pay them too much, lest middle-class folks find the military an appealing option and go gettin' themselves killed in wars. Only the poor folks are supposed to get themselves killed, after all.

Oh god. Rangel's an idiot, Boris, and you're making yourself look like one by reapeating his stupid rhetoric...

What about your lack of recognizing irony? How's that make you look?

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Those rates are grossly overinflated.

The US soldier is paid under $1100 a month. They work 5:45 am to 6:00 pm in peacetime and are on call 24/7. That's 60 hours a week at best.

They do get hazard pay if they are in a warzone, I think it is $150 a month.

If a US soldier is married and has a kid they are well below poverty level and qualify for virtually EVERY welfare program in existence.

During the holidays the higher ranking soldiers and those with multiple incomes donate money to help the soldiers with families buy presents and food for their families.

Its kinda of sad that the US pays the citizens who are volunteering to give their lives up to defend the country $1064 a month and the self interested congressmen who embezzle it blind get over $200,000 a year to set on their buts.

[Drake Tungsten]

What about your lack of recognizing irony? How's that make you look?

How exactly was your statement ironic? I think you've been listening to a little too much Alanis...

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Well can XYZ billion military budget add a few billion on for them. I guess that from 1million US soldiers more than a half fall in that non-officer rank.

Lets say there are 500000 of them at that rate - they cost ~ 13BN a year. What was the budget for the year - nearly 400bn with the latest increases proposed for 2003

here http://www.cdi.org/issues/budget/FY03Highlights-pr.cfm

anyway that leaves the pay for the low ranking soldiers to be just 3-4% of the budget.

look at this quote

It is also 15 percent above the Cold War average, to fund a force structure that is one-third smaller than it was a decade ago.

Well they could have found another 15bn to increase the pay for 50% (7 for privates and the rest should surely go to officer pockets) I bet that wouldn't hurt the morale.