These 33 Air Force jobs no longer qualify for monthly bonuses

Mesha, an 88th Security Forces Squadron military working dog, and her handler, Staff Sgt. Matthew Watkins, run through hurdles Aug. 18 on the new MWD obstacle course at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS JACK GARDNER

Mesha, an 88th Security Forces Squadron military working dog, and her handler, Staff Sgt. Matthew Watkins, run through hurdles Aug. 18 on the new MWD obstacle course at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS JACK GARDNER

More than 30 Air Force jobs no longer qualify for special pay based on their level of difficulty, according to an annual service review.

An Air Force board that reviews pay for special-duty assignments looked at more than 100 career fields and determined there are 70 specialties that will still receive the monthly bonus in fiscal 2024, which begins Oct. 1. That’s down from 103 in the previous year.

Bonus pay for these jobs ranges from $75 to $450 monthly and varies based on skill level, assignment location and training levels, the Air Force said.

The jobs losing the bonus pay include cryptologic language analyst, flight attendant, diagnostic medical sonography, defense courier, dog handler, airborne mission system operator and some weather support jobs, according to a list of changes confirmed by the Air Force.

The service said last month that these decisions were made separate from budget considerations, though its proposed 2024 budget included a reduction of about 3,700 airmen receiving the special bonus pay at a savings of more than $4 million.

These cuts were made to “maintain parity with specialties of similar duties, responsibilities and training,” the service said in a statement about the bonus changes.

The Air Force also added four new jobs to the list, increased pay for 11 positions and decreased pay for seven.

The new jobs receiving special-duty pay are material management, bomber airborne maintenance support, enlisted faculty instructor at the Air Force Academy, and special missions support.

This review did not include pilot incentives and bonuses, which are handled separately.

The Space Force conducted the same board review for the first time since the military branch was created three years ago. The service inherited its bonus pay structure from jobs that it acquired from the Air Force, and last month announced it will remove three of the 14 jobs receiving special pay and add two new ones.

Airmen and guardians can expect the changes to take effect Oct. 1. For those in a job that will be removed from the list, they will continue to receive half the amount that they collected in 2023 through the next fiscal year.

The Air Force announced similar cuts to special-duty pay last year, but Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall reversed the decision weeks before the changes would have gone into effect.

Jobs added

* Material Management

* Bomber Airborne Maintenance Support

* U.S. Air Force Academy Enlisted Faculty Instructor

* Special Missions Support

Jobs discontinued

* President’s Emergency Operations Center

* Cryptologic Language Analyst

* Electronic Security Systems

* Aircraft Battle Damage Repair Exp Depot Mx

* Defense Threat Reduction Agency

* 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group

* Defense Couriers

* 31 Communication Squadron and 39 Communication Squadron NC3

* Army Support Weather Operations

* Flight Attendants

* 52nd Munitions Maintenance Group NC3

* Airborne Mission System Operators

* Flight Engineers

* Loadmasters

* Sensor Operators

* Special Mission Aviators

* Contracting

* RPA Cyber Technicians

* International Enlisted Engagements Managers

* RPA Ops — Weather Support

* Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System

* Super High Frequency Operators

* Advanced Intelligence Instructors

* Ski Mission — Flight Eng and Loadmasters

* Airborne MSS — Host Nation Riders

* 55th Operations Group Management Operator

* 336 Training Squadron and 98th DRA Aircrew Flight Equipment

* Diagnostic Med Sonogram

* Honor Guard

* ANG RPA Cyber Operations

* Radar, Airfield, & Weather Systems

* Casualty Cell

* Military Working Dog Handlers

Jobs with pay reduced

* Military Human Intelligence

* 724th Special Tactics Group Operations Support

* Subsurface Analyst

* Parachuting Instructor

* 33rd Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Operating Location Alpha

* Mission Field Chef

* Special Operations Surgical Team

Jobs with pay increased

* Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Specialists, SERE

* cyber Warfare Operations

* Flying Crew Chiefs

* Special Reconnaissance

* Air Force Office of Special Investigations

* First Sergeant

* CCM

* 844th Communication Squadron

* Independent Duty Medical Technician

* Respiratory Care

* Fire Protection

Source: U.S. Air Force

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