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entitled 'Military Personnel: DOD Needs to Assess Certain Factors in 
Determining Whether Hazardous Duty Pay Is Warranted for Duty in the 
Polar Regions' which was released on April 29, 2003.

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Report to the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House 
Committee on Armed Services:

United States General Accounting Office:

GAO:

April 2003:

MILITARY PERSONNEL:

DOD Needs to Assess Certain Factors in Determining Whether Hazardous 
Duty Pay Is Warranted for Duty in the Polar Regions:

Military Personnel:

GAO-03-554:

GAO Highlights:

Highlights of GAO-03-554, a report to the Senate Committee on Armed 
Services and the House Committee on Armed Services.

Why GAO Did This Study:

The 109th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard, conducts supply 
missions for scientific research in the polar regions.  Most unit 
members do not spend more than 30 consecutive days in the polar 
regions.  Therefore, they are not eligible for hardship duty pay, which 
requires more than 30 consecutive days of duty in a designated hardship 
location.  Congress considered legislation in 2002 to make an exception 
to the 30-day hardship duty pay threshold for polar duty.  This 
legislation was not approved.  In addition, the 109th Airlift Wing 
proposed designating polar duty as a hazardous duty.    

The Conference Report accompanying the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2003 directed GAO and DOD to conduct separate 
reviews of special and incentive pays for polar duty.  GAO assessed 
DODs rationale for hardship duty pay and the implications of making 
an exception to hardship duty pay.  In addition, GAO assessed the 109th 
Airlift Wings justification for hazardous duty pay for polar duty.       

What GAO Found:

Hardship duty pay is intended to compensate military personnel assigned 
to areas for more than 30 consecutive days where quality-of-life 
conditions are substantially below those in the continental United 
States.  DOD did not support the hardship duty pay legislation on the 
basis that this pay was not intended to compensate stays of short 
duration and the legislation circumvented a DOD process designating 
hardship duty locations and rates.  

Granting an exception to the 30-day hardship duty pay threshold for 
109th Airlift Wing personnel deployed to the polar regions would result 
in minimal costs, but this exception could set a precedent for DOD 
personnel performing other short-term missions and could further 
increase costs.  Had this exception been in effect in 2001-2002, the 
109th Airlift Wing estimated the costs would have totaled about 
$127,000.  The National Science Foundation would incur most of these 
costs because it reimburses DOD for logistic support in the polar 
regions.  The costs of granting an exception for short-term missions 
conducted by DOD personnel at other hardship locations are unknown.  
Based on its review of the intent of hardship duty pay and the 
implications of granting an exception, GAO believes that an exception 
to the 30-day threshold is not justified under current DOD policy.    

The 109th Airlift Wing justified its proposal for hazardous pay on the 
basis of extreme working conditions and exposure to medical hazards.  
For example, maintenance personnel work in temperatures as cold as 
minus 59 degrees Fahrenheit without the protection of hangars and are 
exposed to potential medical hazards such as frostbite, hypothermia, 
and carbon monoxide poisoning.  Unit officials expressed concern about 
the retention of personnel who require additional training for polar 
operations, but they did not know what impact hazardous duty pay would 
have on retention.  Recent data from exit surveys show that 
dissatisfaction with pay was not among the most frequently cited 
reasons for leaving.

What GAO Recommends:

GAO recommends that DOD, in conducting its congressionally mandated 
study of special and incentive pays for reservists performing polar 
duty, assess certain factors to determine if personnel performing polar 
duty should receive hazardous duty pay. DOD concurred with this 
recommendation. 

www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-554.

To view the full report, including the scope
and methodology, click on the link above.
For more information, contact Derek B. Stewart (202) 512-5140 or 
stewartd@gao.gov.

[End of section]

Contents:

Letter:

Results in Brief:

Background:

DOD's Rationale for Hardship Duty Pay:

Granting a Hardship Duty Exception for the Polar Regions Could Set a 
Precedent for Other Short-Term Missions:

Factors Cited as Justifying Hazardous Duty Pay for Personnel Performing 
Duty in Polar Regions:

Conclusions:

Recommendation for Executive Action:

Agency Comments:

Scope and Methodology:

Appendix I: Extreme Operating Conditions and Potential Medical Hazards 
Encountered by Personnel Deployed to the Polar Regions:

Difficult Working Conditions:

Potential Medical Hazards:

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Defense:

Figures:

Figure 1: Ski-Tipped LC-130 Aircraft Operated by the 109th Airlift 
Wing, New York Air National Guard:

Figure 2: Main Factors Influencing Members of the 109th Airlift Wing to 
Leave the Unit (2001-2003):

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United States General Accounting Office:

Washington, DC 20548:

April 29, 2003:

The Honorable John W. Warner
Chairman
The Honorable Carl Levin
Ranking Minority Member
Committee on Armed Services
United States Senate:

The Honorable Duncan Hunter
Chairman
The Honorable Ike Skelton
Ranking Minority Member
Committee on Armed Services
House of Representatives:

Military personnel serving outside the continental United States may 
perform duty in locations with adverse living conditions. Personnel who 
spend more than 30 consecutive days in areas designated by the Office 
of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) as hardship duty locations are 
eligible for hardship duty pay.[Footnote 1] OSD has designated 170 
hardship duty locations and has authorized a monthly pay rate of $50, 
$100, or $150, depending on the severity of living conditions. The 
polar regions of Antarctica and Greenland have been designated as 
hardship duty locations qualifying for the maximum monthly pay rate of 
$150. The 109th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard, conducts 
supply missions in the polar regions in support of scientific research 
programs sponsored primarily by the National Science Foundation. 
However, according to a 109th Airlift Wing official, most unit members 
who perform polar duty do not serve more than 30 consecutive days and 
are therefore not eligible to receive hardship duty pay.

With the goal of securing incentive pay for polar duty, the 109th 
Airlift Wing developed a proposal in 2000 to authorize hazardous duty 
pay for duty performed in the polar regions. Hazardous duty pay, which 
is separate from hardship duty pay, is intended as an incentive for 
personnel to occupy hard-to-fill occupations that involve risky or 
hazardous duty.[Footnote 2] The proposal was submitted to the New York 
Guard and subsequently brought to the attention of Congress, but it was 
not provided to the Department of Defense (DOD) for consideration in 
DOD's process for reviewing personnel compensation proposals. Although 
the 109th Airlift Wing's proposal addressed hazardous duty pay, 
Congress considered a legislative provision in 2002 to authorize 
hardship duty pay, on a prorated basis, for each day of work performed 
in the polar regions.[Footnote 3] The provision would, in effect, have 
made an exception to DOD's 30-day threshold requirement and would have 
increased the monthly rate established by DOD from $150 to $240. 
Although the provision was not approved, the Conference Report 
accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2003[Footnote 4] directed us to review special and incentive pays for 
reservists[Footnote 5] who perform frequent and continuous duty on ski-
equipped aircraft operating in the polar regions while assigned 
temporarily to locations where conditions are extremely harsh. The 
Conference Report also directed DOD to include a study of the same 
issue in a review of reserve component personnel compensation directed 
by the Senate.[Footnote 6] In response to the mandate, we reviewed (1) 
DOD's rationale for hardship duty pay, including the 30-day threshold; 
(2) the potential implications, including costs, of making an exception 
to the 30-day threshold; and 
(3) the 109th Airlift Wing's justification for granting hazardous duty 
pay for polar duty. In subsequent discussion with your staff, we agreed 
to provide an assessment of granting an exception to the 30-day 
hardship duty threshold for personnel performing duty in the polar 
regions.

Results in Brief:

Hardship duty pay is intended to compensate military personnel assigned 
to areas where quality-of-life conditions are substantially below those 
experienced by most personnel assigned in the continental United 
States. OSD, which establishes and reviews hardship duty pay locations 
and rates, concluded that personnel on duty in a hardship location for 
30 consecutive days or less do not endure the same range of physical 
hardships experienced by those who are permanently assigned. According 
to an OSD official, an OSD working group linked the 30-day hardship 
duty threshold to family separation allowance, which compensates 
military personnel deployed away from their family for more than 30 
consecutive days. OSD did not support the legislative provision to 
create an exception to the 
30-day threshold for missions to the polar regions. OSD asserted that 
the proposed legislation circumvents DOD's hardship duty location and 
rate designation process. We found no basis to disagree with the 
criteria DOD has established for hardship duty pay.

Allowing an exception to the 30-day threshold for members of the 109th 
Airlift Wing deployed to the polar regions would result in minimal 
costs, but this exception could set a precedent for DOD personnel 
performing other short-term missions. The 109th Airlift Wing estimated 
that granting this exception for its personnel would cost approximately 
$125,000 to $130,000 a year based on past years' deployment trends. The 
National Science Foundation, which reimburses DOD for 109th Airlift 
Wing logistic support in the polar regions, would incur most of these 
increased costs. DOD officials said granting this exception would set a 
precedent for additional exceptions at other hardship duty locations 
that, if approved, could increase future hardship duty pay costs. DOD 
refused a similar request from the Navy in 2002 for an exception to the 
30-day threshold for duty on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. The costs of 
granting an exception for DOD personnel performing short-term missions 
conducted at other hardship locations are unknown.

The 109th Airlift Wing justified its proposal for hazardous duty pay 
for military personnel performing duty in the polar regions on the 
basis of the extreme working conditions they encounter and their 
exposure to potential medical hazards. For example, flight crews 
routinely conduct takeoffs and landings in remote areas on snow and 
ice, and maintenance personnel work in temperatures as low as minus 59 
degrees Fahrenheit, without the protection of hangars. Furthermore, 
personnel are exposed to potential medical hazards such as hypothermia, 
frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, ultraviolet radiation exposure, 
and dehydration. Unit officials also expressed concern about the 
retention of unit personnel who require additional training for the 
unit's specialized missions in the polar regions. However, they did not 
know what impact the proposed hazardous duty pay for polar duty would 
have on retention. Exit surveys conducted at the unit with separating 
personnel show that dissatisfaction with pay was not among the most 
frequently cited reasons for leaving.

Based on our review of the intent of hardship duty pay and the 
implications of granting an exception, we believe that granting an 
exception to the 30-day hardship duty threshold is not justified under 
current DOD policy. Concerning the 109th Airlift Wing's request for 
hazardous duty pay for polar operations, this report contains a 
recommendation that DOD, in conducting its congressionally mandated 
study of special and incentive pays for reservists performing duty in 
the polar regions, assess certain factors in determining whether 
personnel performing polar duty should receive hazardous duty pay. In 
commenting on a draft of this report, DOD concurred with our 
recommendation.

Background:

The National Science Foundation conducts scientific research in the 
polar regions of Antarctica and Greenland and funds and manages the 
U.S. Antarctic Program. This program sends nearly 3,000 scientists and 
support personnel to Antarctica each year to support scientific 
research in areas such as astrophysics, atmospheric chemistry, biology, 
earth sciences, ocean and climate systems, and glaciology. The National 
Science Foundation also chairs an interagency committee to coordinate 
the scientific research efforts of all federal agencies in the Arctic 
region, including Greenland. The 109th Airlift Wing is the main 
provider of air logistic support for National Science Foundation 
activities in Antarctica. The unit also supports the activities of the 
National Science Foundation and other agencies in Greenland. Members of 
the 109th Airlift Wing train on and operate unique LC-130 ski-equipped 
aircraft that take off and land on snow and ice (see fig. 1). The unit 
operates 10 LC-130 aircraft.

Figure 1: Ski-Tipped LC-130 Aircraft Operated by the 109th Airlift 
Wing, New York Air National Guard:

[See PDF for image]

[End of figure]


The 109th Airlift Wing supports U.S. Antarctic Program mission 
requirements from mid-October to the end of February each 
year.[Footnote 7] It employs 220 full-time Active Guard and Reserve 
members whose principal task is to support this program. It receives 
additional support from "traditional" guardsmen, other Active Guard and 
Reserve members, and military technicians of the 109th Airlift Wing, as 
well as members from other military units.[Footnote 8] Operations are 
conducted from McMurdo Station, the permanent logistics station for 
U.S. operations in Antarctica. The 
109th Airlift Wing schedules between 450 and 500 flights in Antarctica 
for the 5-month operational season to meet National Science Foundation 
requirements. According to the 109th Airlift Wing, personnel typically 
deploy for a period of 1 to 13 weeks, which includes up to 1 week of 
travel from New York to Antarctica. These deployments are conducted on 
a rotational basis. The 109th Airlift Wing maintains a presence of 
approximately 120 personnel (50 operational, 61 logistic, and 9 
support) at McMurdo Station from October to the end of February.

In Greenland, the 109th Airlift Wing performs training missions for 
unit personnel who will deploy to Antarctica. The unit also performs 
scientific support missions for the National Science Foundation as well 
as for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European 
research programs.[Footnote 9] Unit operations in Greenland run from 
mid-March to September each year and are conducted from staging 
locations at Thule Air Base and Kangerlussuaq. Missions are flown to 
all parts of the Greenland Ice Cap, northern Canadian locations, and 
Arctic Ocean camps. The 109th conducts 10 to 12 1-week deployments to 
Greenland.

Within OSD, the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) is 
responsible for DOD personnel policy, including oversight of reserve 
affairs and military personnel pay and benefits. The Under Secretary of 
Defense (Personnel and Readiness) leads the Unified Legislation and 
Budgeting process, which was established in 1994 to develop and review 
personnel compensation proposals.[Footnote 10] In addition, the Office 
of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) is 
conducting the congressionally mandated review of special and incentive 
pays for reservists performing duty in the polar regions.

DOD's Rationale for Hardship Duty Pay:

Hardship duty pay compensates military personnel on duty for more than 
30 consecutive days in harsh or difficult living conditions. The 
Secretary of Defense has the authority to establish implementing 
regulations for such pay, including the designation of hardship duty 
locations and rates.[Footnote 11] Within OSD, the Assistant Secretary 
of Defense (Force Management Policy) tasked a working group in 1998 to 
develop hardship duty pay policy.[Footnote 12] The working group 
determined that (1) uniformed members who perform duty in designated 
hardship locations for more than 
30 consecutive days are eligible for hardship duty pay and (2) this pay 
is not intended to compensate for difficult working conditions. 
According to DOD, personnel assigned to an area for a short period do 
not endure the same range of physical hardships as those in the area on 
a long-term basis. According to an OSD official, the working group 
linked the 30-day hardship duty threshold to family separation 
allowance,[Footnote 13] which compensates members who are away from 
their families for more than 
30 consecutive days. We found no basis to disagree with the criteria 
DOD has established for hardship duty pay.

OSD, in its appeal submitted in response to the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003, opposed the legislation 
creating an exception to the 30-day hardship duty threshold for 
missions to the polar regions on the grounds that it "unnecessarily 
circumvents a process that has proven to be a fair and equitable means 
of setting hardship duty pay location rates worldwide." The Assistant 
Secretary of Defense (Force Management Policy)[Footnote 14] regularly 
reviews and determines hardship duty locations and rates. In certain 
instances, the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management Policy) 
automatically designates hardship duty locations. All installations 
located on land areas or an ice shelf above 66 degrees 33 minutes north 
latitude (Arctic region) or below 60 degrees south latitude 
(Antarctica) are designated as hardship duty locations. For all other 
locations, unified commanders with regional responsibilities submit a 
completed Hardship Duty Location Assessment Questionnaire to the 
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management Policy), who reviews 
these requests twice a year. Monthly pay rates for hardship duty are 
$50, $100, and $150 and are based on the severity of living conditions. 
Living conditions are placed into three categories: (1) physical 
environment, which includes factors such as climate and physical and 
social isolation; (2) living conditions, including sanitation, disease, 
medical facilities, housing, food, and recreational and community 
facilities; and 
(3) personal security, including political violence, harassment, and 
crime. Hardship duty performed for more than 30 consecutive days in 
Antarctica and Greenland qualifies at the $150 monthly rate.

Granting a Hardship Duty Exception for the Polar Regions Could Set a 
Precedent for Other Short-Term Missions:

Allowing an exception to the 30-day hardship duty threshold for members 
of the 109th Airlift Wing who deploy to the polar regions would result 
in minimal additional costs. The National Science Foundation reimburses 
DOD for 109th Airlift Wing logistic support in the polar regions and 
would incur most of these additional costs. However, allowing this 
exception could set a precedent for DOD personnel performing other 
missions lasting 30 days or less. The costs of granting an exception 
for short-term missions conducted at other hardship locations are 
unknown.

Estimated Costs of Granting the 109th Airlift Wing an Exception to the 
30-Day Threshold:

The 109th Airlift Wing estimated that granting an exception to the 30-
day hardship duty threshold for unit members deployed to the polar 
regions would cost approximately $125,000 to $130,000 a year based on 
deployment trends in past years. We did not verify the cost data. In 
fiscal year 2002, for example, the unit had a total of 1,478 
deployments to the polar regions, including 690 to Antarctica and 788 
to Greenland.[Footnote 15] Unit members deployed for a total of 15,846 
days, including 11,906 days in Antarctica and 3,940 days in Greenland. 
According to a unit official, approximately 30 unit members deployed 
for more than 30 consecutive days. The 109th Airlift Wing estimated 
that if the exception to the 30-day threshold had been in effect in 
fiscal year 2002, hardship duty pay costs for that year would have 
increased by about $127,000, including approximately $95,000 for 
deployments to Antarctica and approximately $32,000 for deployments to 
Greenland.

The National Science Foundation would incur most of these increased 
costs. It directly reimburses DOD for 109th Airlift Wing logistic 
support performed in Antarctica, including personnel and training costs 
above and beyond the unit's wartime task requirements. The 
reimbursements from the National Science Foundation include funding for 
the 220 full-time Active Guard and Reserve members employed for the 
polar mission and for all flying training hours required for these 
personnel to maintain their qualifications. The National Science 
Foundation reported that the total costs in fiscal year 2002 for the 
unit's support of Antarctic missions were $22.7 million. For operations 
in Greenland, the 109th Airlift Wing is reimbursed by its customers, 
including the National Science Foundation, based on a rate structure 
established by DOD for each particular mission. For example, the 
National Science Foundation reimbursed the 109th Airlift Wing about 
$375,000 in fiscal year 2002 for missions in Greenland.

Other military personnel performing short-term assignments in the polar 
regions would also benefit from an exception to the 30-day hardship 
duty threshold. For example, the Air Force Reserve's 445th Airlift Wing 
and the 452nd Airlift Mobility Wing conduct passenger and cargo flights 
on 
C-141 wheeled aircraft between Christchurch, New Zealand, and McMurdo 
Station, Antarctica. An OSD official said information was not readily 
available on the additional estimated costs of granting the exception 
for these personnel.

Other Short-Term Missions Could Claim an Exception to the 30-Day 
Threshold:

According to officials within the Office of the Under Secretary of 
Defense (Personnel and Readiness), allowing an exception to the 30-day 
hardship duty threshold would set a precedent for other short-term 
missions that last 30 consecutive days or less. Of the 170 hardship 
duty locations, 
67 locations (39 percent) qualify at the maximum monthly pay rate of 
$150.[Footnote 16] In 2002, DOD refused a request by the Navy for an 
exception to the 30-day threshold for duty on Vieques Island, Puerto 
Rico.[Footnote 17] The Navy stated that security personnel who are 
deployed to the island on a 14-day rotational schedule live in 
"substandard conditions." DOD, in turning down the request, stated that 
"members on a short-term duration tour-of-duty do not endure the range 
of physical hardships experienced by those who are permanently 
assigned." According to an official within the Office of the Under 
Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness), granting an exception 
to the 30-day threshold for other short-term missions would result in 
additional hardship duty pay costs, but these costs are unknown because 
DOD has not conducted a cost analysis.

Factors Cited as Justifying Hazardous Duty Pay for Personnel Performing 
Duty in Polar Regions:

The 109th Airlift Wing justified its proposal for hazardous duty pay 
for military personnel performing duty in the polar regions on the 
basis of the extreme working conditions they encounter and their 
exposure to potential medical hazards. Unit officials also expressed 
concern about the retention of unit personnel, but they did not know 
what impact hazardous duty pay for polar duty would have on retention.

A senior unit official said the unit submitted a proposal in 2000 to 
the New York Guard seeking modifications to a DOD regulation[Footnote 
18] to designate polar operations as hazardous duty. Hazardous duty pay 
is a type of incentive pay intended to induce personnel to volunteer 
for duties that may be hazardous. According to the senior unit 
official, the New York Guard submitted the proposal to Congress. The 
proposal was not provided to DOD for consideration in the DOD Unified 
Legislation and Budgeting process, which reviews personnel compensation 
proposals. Although the 109th Airlift Wing's proposal addressed 
hazardous duty pay, Congress developed a legislative provision in 2002 
to grant an exception to the 
30-day hardship duty pay threshold. The senior 109th Airlift Wing 
official said the unit's justification for hazardous duty pay for polar 
operations could also be applied to hardship duty pay.

Extreme Operating Conditions and Exposure to Potential Medical Hazards:

According to information provided by the 109th Airlift Wing, military 
personnel performing duty in the polar regions encounter extreme 
working conditions and face exposure to potential medical hazards. 
Flight crews routinely conduct takeoffs and landings in remote areas on 
snow and ice. In zero visibility conditions, they must use emergency 
whiteout landing procedures. Maintenance personnel work in temperatures 
as low as minus 59 degrees Fahrenheit without the protection of 
hangars. Operations in these conditions expose personnel to potential 
medical hazards such as hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide 
poisoning, and ultraviolet radiation exposure. In addition, the unit 
indicated that the dry conditions in Antarctica can lead to dehydration 
and fatigue. A small clinic at McMurdo station is capable of treating 
minor injuries, but all major injuries and surgeries must be treated in 
Christchurch, New Zealand. 
(App. I provides a more detailed description of the conditions in which 
deployed members operate and their exposure to potential medical 
hazards.):

National Science Foundation officials acknowledged that the operating 
environment in Antarctica can be harsh and that employees from all 
participating agencies and organizations - not just 109th Airlift Wing 
personnel - face difficult working conditions.[Footnote 19] They said 
the National Science Foundation has adopted a variety of procedures 
that mitigate the hazards faced by U.S. Antarctic Program participants, 
including scientists, support contractor personnel, civilian federal 
employees, and DOD civilian and military personnel. National Science 
Foundation officials said operational improvements were implemented to 
make Antarctic flight operations safer and to mitigate the impact of 
the harsh environment on personnel. For example, an emergency divert 
airfield was established in 2002, and navigational aids and more 
accurate weather forecasting capabilities have been implemented and 
remain a high priority.

While duty performed for more than 30 consecutive days in the polar 
regions of Antarctica and Greenland qualifies for hardship duty pay, 
duty in the polar regions has not been designated as a hazardous duty. 
Section 301 of title 37 of the United States Code designates certain 
duties entitled to hazardous duty pay. These duties include parachute 
jumps, demolition of explosives, and participation in flight deck 
operations on an aircraft carrier. Other hazardous duties include 
exposure to above-normal levels of toxic fuels or propellants, and the 
handling of chemical munitions. Personnel handling these materials are 
compensated for the potential for accidental or inadvertent exposure 
and not for actual detectable exposure to these materials.

No Clear Linkage between Retention and Performance of Duty in Polar 
Regions:

A 109th Airlift Wing official expressed concern over the retention of 
unit personnel who require additional training for polar duty. Flight 
crews receive training in Greenland and Antarctica on how to land on 
and take off from snow and ice and in zero visibility conditions. 
Flight crews are also required to attend arctic survival training in 
Greenland where they learn how to survive on an ice cap for extended 
periods with no heat and limited survival gear. Flight crews typically 
take 3 years to receive their qualification to fly ski-equipped 
aircraft. Maintenance personnel attend a maintenance recovery school in 
Greenland, which teaches basic polar survival skills to enable them to 
cope with the extreme conditions they confront when they repair 
aircraft with little support equipment.

A 109th Airlift Wing official said the unit is experiencing a high 
turnover of Active Guard and Reserve members who directly support polar 
missions in aerospace maintenance (pay grades E-5 and E-7) and aircraft 
hydraulics (pay grades E-5 and E-7). For the entire 109th Airlift Wing, 
the unit has difficulty retaining "traditional" guardsmen in the 
following critical skills: aerospace maintenance and ground equipment, 
avionics, and aircraft fuels. Despite retention difficulties in some 
critical skills, the unit filled 
98 percent of the Active Guard and Reserve positions who directly 
support operations in Antarctica in 2002. The retention fill rate for 
the entire unit was 97 percent during the same year.

A unit official said it is unknown what impact hazardous duty pay for 
polar duty would have on retention of unit personnel. Exit surveys 
conducted with separating personnel show that dissatisfaction with pay 
is one of several reasons for leaving, but is not the primary 
separation factor. Between 2001-2003, 165 members left the unit. The 
most frequently cited separation factors were family conflict, civilian 
job conflict,[Footnote 20] and weekend drills (see fig. 2).

Figure 2: Main Factors Influencing Members of the 109th Airlift Wing to 
Leave the Unit (2001-2003):

[See PDF for image]

Notes:

Includes 2003 data as of February 3, 2003.

One hundred sixty-five persons completed the exit survey, and each 
respondent could give multiple reasons for separating.

[End of figure]

The unit cannot track specific mission concerns such as deployments to 
the polar regions as separation factors. The exit surveys used by the 
109th Airlift Wing do not indicate whether an individual's reason for 
leaving is connected specifically with polar duty. A unit official 
stated that, based on responses for reasons for leaving, it is possible 
to "subjectively deduce that length of deployments and distance from 
home, as in polar deployments, are key factors influencing retention 
decisions." The exit surveys also do not track separation factors based 
on personnel categories such as military technicians, Active Guard and 
Reserve, Active Guard and Reserve who support the U.S. Antarctic 
Program, and drilling reservists. Based on our discussions with the 
109th Airlift Wing concerning the exit surveys, the unit has modified 
the exit survey to track deployments to the polar regions as a 
separation factor.

Conclusions:

The hardship duty pay legislation introduced in 2002 --directed at the 
109th Airlift Wing --would have created an exception to (1) the 30-day 
hardship duty pay threshold and (2) the monthly hardship duty rate 
established by DOD for the polar regions. We believe that granting such 
an exception for hardship duty pay is not justified under current DOD 
policy. First, DOD intends for hardship duty pay to compensate military 
personnel who endure a range of hardship on a long-term basis --defined 
by DOD as more than 30 consecutive days. Granting this exception could 
set a precedent for DOD personnel performing other missions that do not 
meet the 30-day threshold, which could increase hardship duty pay 
costs. Second, under current DOD policy, hardship duty pay is intended 
to compensate personnel for harsh or difficult living conditions, 
rather than for difficult working conditions. However, the 109th 
Airlift Wing cited the extreme working conditions encountered by 
personnel deployed to the polar regions.

According to the 109th Airlift Wing, unit personnel are subjected to 
extreme conditions and are exposed to potential medical hazards while 
on duty in the polar regions. These factors warrant consideration as 
part of DOD's review of special and incentive pays for personnel 
performing duty in the polar regions. In addition, because one of the 
purposes of hazardous duty pay is to induce personnel to volunteer for 
duties that may be hazardous, we believe that retention data should 
also be considered as part of DOD's review. Officials from the 109th 
Airlift Wing expressed concerns about current retention rates, but they 
did not know what impact hazardous duty pay for polar duty would have 
on retention. Exit surveys conducted with separating personnel show 
that dissatisfaction with pay was not among the most frequently cited 
reasons that members of the unit provided for leaving. At the time we 
conducted our review, the 109th Airlift Wing was not collecting 
retention data related to members who were deployed to the polar 
regions. Collecting this data would be helpful to target retention 
incentives to the personnel categories experiencing the highest 
turnover rates. According to an official of the 109th Airlift Wing, the 
unit has modified the exit survey it uses to track deployments to the 
polar regions as a separation factor.

Recommendation for Executive Action:

Congress has directed DOD to study special and incentive pays for 
reservists performing duty in the polar regions. As part of this study, 
we recommend that the Secretary of Defense direct the Under Secretary 
of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) to assess certain factors in 
determining whether personnel performing polar duty should receive 
hazardous duty pay. These factors are:

* the extreme working conditions that military personnel encounter 
while performing polar duty,

* the exposure of military personnel to potential medical hazards 
related to polar duty, and:

* retention data for military personnel performing polar duty.

Agency Comments:

In written comments on a draft of this report, DOD concurred with our 
recommendation on assessing certain factors to determine whether 
personnel performing polar duty should receive hazardous duty pay. 
DOD's comments are reprinted in appendix II.

DOD and the National Science Foundation also provided technical 
comments that we incorporated as appropriate.

Scope and Methodology:

Our review focused on special and incentive pay for DOD personnel 
performing duty in the polar regions. To develop the information in 
this report, we interviewed DOD officials in the Office of the 
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, the Office of 
Military Compensation, and the Air National Guard. We also met with 
officials at the National Science Foundation. We visited Stratton Air 
Guard Base, where we interviewed officials from the 109th Airlift Wing, 
New York Air National Guard. In addition, we reviewed DOD Financial 
Management Regulations related to hardship duty pay and hazardous duty 
pay.

To assess DOD's rationale for hardship duty pay, including the 30-day 
threshold, we reviewed the legislative history concerning hardship duty 
pay, analyzed DOD policies implementing this pay, and interviewed OSD 
officials. To assess the potential implications, including costs, of 
making an exception to the 30-day threshold, we reviewed cost data from 
the 109th Airlift Wing and interviewed officials from OSD, the 109th 
Airlift Wing, and the National Science Foundation. We did not verify 
cost data provided by the 109th Airlift Wing. To assess the 
justification for hazardous duty pay for polar duty, we obtained 
documentation on the 109th Airlift Wing's operational activities and 
the conditions unit members encounter when deployed to polar regions. 
We also obtained and analyzed retention data for 109th Airlift Wing 
personnel performing duty in the polar regions.

We conducted our review from December 2002 to March 2003 in accordance 
with generally accepted government auditing standards.

We are sending copies of this report to the Secretary of Defense; the 
Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness); the Director, 
National Science Foundation; and the Director, Office of Management and 
Budget. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on GAO's 
Web site at www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff have any questions regarding this report, please 
call me at (202) 512-5140 or Brenda S. Farrell at (202) 512-3604. Major 
contributors to this report were Kelly Baumgartner, Thomas W. Gosling, 
and Timothy Wilson.

Derek B. Stewart
Director, Defense Capabilities and Management:

Signed by Derek B. Stewart

[End of section]

Appendix I: Extreme Operating Conditions and Potential Medical Hazards 
Encountered by Personnel Deployed to the Polar Regions:

The 109th Airlift Wing submitted a proposal in 2000 to the New York 
Guard seeking to modify the Department of Defense's (DOD) current 
hazardous duty pay regulation by designating as hazardous duty (1) duty 
involving frequent and regular participation in flight operations in 
ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft conducting ski landings and takeoffs on 
snow in polar locations and (2) duty involving maintenance of LC-130 
ski-equipped aircraft as a primary duty in polar locations. The 109th 
Airlift Wing justified its proposal to designate polar operations as 
hazardous duty on the basis of two primary factors --difficult working 
conditions, including cold temperatures, and exposure to potential 
medical hazards.

Difficult Working Conditions:

According to the 109TH Airlift Wing, flight crews and maintenance 
personnel operate and maintain LC-130 ski-equipped aircraft in 
difficult working conditions. Specific hazards and risks include the 
following:

* Ski takeoffs include steering with asymmetrical use of the throttles 
and the rudder only, since use of the nose wheel will cause aircraft 
damage. The aircraft is highly susceptible to sliding off ski ways in 
high winds, particularly at low speeds (below 60 knots), when the 
rudder is not effective.

* Ski landings are performed in extreme, remote areas of Antarctica and 
Greenland, hundreds of miles from any station or site; on glaciers and 
open snow locations in areas not surveyed and never before visited by 
humans; on crevasses that are hidden under snow bridges; and in 
katabatic winds that often make landing and taxiing on skis extremely 
difficult.

* Whiteout procedures require flight crews to perform an approach and 
landing in a designated area in zero visibility weather conditions.

* Ski approaches in bad weather include a lack of external navigation 
aids to orient the aircraft on approach, flying in weather conditions 
down to 300 feet above ground and 1 mile visibility, and flying in 
conditions that can induce extreme vertigo when there is no contrast 
between the white snow and white clouds.

* Many missions are flown to high altitude elevations. Each year over 
250 missions are flown to the South Pole at an elevation of over 9,300 
feet. Many missions are flown to camps in Antarctica and Greenland at 
field elevations greater than 10,000 feet and some as high as 12,000 
feet.

* Assisted take-off rockets are routinely used for getting an aircraft 
airborne on a takeoff from high altitude sites. Aircraft must achieve a 
higher than normal ground speed to reach the proper indicated airspeed 
to get enough lift for takeoff due to thin air. The snow at high 
altitude locations is often unprepared, which creates additional drag 
and makes it more difficult to build up speed during the takeoff slide.

* Unit personnel fly missions to locations where there is no camp, no 
personnel, and no equipment, which creates the risk of being stranded. 
There is no rescue capability at these locations other than another 
LC-130 aircraft.

* Personnel are exposed to extremely cold temperatures as low as minus 
59 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind chills can be as high as minus 100 degrees 
Fahrenheit.

* All fueling and cargo operations are conducted with engines running, 
which requires a flight engineer to operate the refueling panel outside 
for 30 to 40 minutes directly behind running engines. Loadmasters are 
also outside of the aircraft for periods of 1 to 3 hours off-loading 
and on-loading cargo from the snow with engines running.

* Cargo loading and unloading are extremely difficult, often with 
little or no material handling equipment. Two to three hours of manual 
labor are often required by the flight crews to load and unload cargo 
in the snow. This activity is extremely hazardous due to the extreme 
physical exertions required with little oxygen in the atmosphere and 
exhaust fumes from the aircraft engines.

Potential Medical Hazards:

According to the 109TH Airlift Wing, polar operations expose 109th 
Airlift Wing personnel to a variety of potential medical hazards. 
Potential medical hazards include the following:

* Frostbite and hypothermia --Brief exposure to polar temperatures can 
have a severe impact. For example, exposed flesh freezes at 
minus 59 degrees Fahrenheit within 1 minute, with no wind.

* Carbon monoxide poisoning --Aircraft maintenance and unloading 
activities expose flight crews over a prolonged period to potentially 
hazardous exhaust fumes.

* Continuous exposure to intense sunlight --Operations during the 
5 months in Antarctica are conducted in 24-hour direct sunlight. 
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation is greatly increased due to the 
hazard of the "ozone hole" over the Antarctic continent.

[End of section]

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Defense:

RESERVE AFFAIRS:

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 1500 DEFENSE PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC 
20301-1500:

17 APR 2003:

Mr. Derek B. Stewart:

Director, Defense Capabilities Management U. S. General Accounting 
Office Washington, D. C. 20548:

Dear Mr. Stewart:

This is the Department of Defense (DoD) response to the GAO draft 
report GAO-03-554, "MILITARY PERSONNEL: DoD Needs to Assess Certain 
Factors in Determining Whether Hazardous Duty Pay is Warranted for Duty 
in the Polar Region," dated Apri1 1, 2003, (GAO:

Code 350281). I appreciate the opportunity to review and comment on the 
draft GAO report.

We concur with each of the GAO recommendations, number 1 - 3. However, 
the supporting data necessary for the assessments is not readily 
available. Thus, there is the potential for a complex and lengthy 
analysis phase to collect the appropriate data to support the 
assessments. Additional costs to conduct the assessments are not 
anticipated, as current resources appear to be adequate to meet data 
gathering requirements, given sufficient time.

The DoD comments to the draft report recommendations are provided in 
the enclosure. Suggested technical changes for clarification and 
accuracy have been provided separately to the GAO staff.

Sincerely,

T. F. Hall:

Signed by T. F. Hall:

Enclosure: As stated:

GAO DRAFT REPORT - DATED APRIL 1, 2003 GAO CODE 350281/GAO-03-554:

"MILITARY PERSONNEL: DoD Needs to Assess Certain Factors in Determining 
Whether Hazardous Duty Pay Is Warranted for Duty in the Polar Regions":

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMMENTS TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS:

RECOMMENDATION 1: The GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense 
direct the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) to 
assess the extreme working conditions that military personnel encounter 
while performing polar duty in determining whether those military 
personnel should receive hazardous duty pay. (Page 16/GAO Draft 
Report):

DOD RESPONSE: Concur.

RECOMMENDATION 2: The GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense 
direct the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) to 
assess the exposure of military personnel to potential medical hazards 
related to polar duty in determining whether those military personnel 
should receive hazardous duty pay. (Page 16/GAO Draft Report):

DOD RESPONSE: Concur.

RECOMMENDATION 3: The GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense 
direct the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) to 
assess the retention data for military personnel performing polar duty 
in determining whether those military personnel should receive 
hazardous duty pay. (Page 16/GAO Draft Report):

DOD RESPONSE: Concur.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Section 305 of title 37 U.S.C. authorizes special pay for uniformed 
servicemembers performing hardship duty and directs the Secretary of 
Defense to prescribe regulations implementing hardship duty pay. There 
are two types of hardship duty pay. "Hardship duty pay for location 
assignment" is payable to members for duty in a designated hardship 
location for more than 30 consecutive days. Personnel must be in a 
designated hardship location at least 31 days to qualify for this pay. 
"Hardship duty pay for mission assignment" is payable to members who 
perform investigative or remains-recovery duty in remote, isolated 
areas such as Vietnam and Cambodia regardless of the time spent on the 
mission. This report focuses solely on hardship duty pay for location 
assignment, which hereafter is referred to as hardship duty pay.

[2] Both hardship duty pay and hazardous duty pay are categorized as 
"special and incentive pays," which are compensation to uniformed 
servicemembers in addition to their basic pay and allowances. These 
pays are authorized to help the uniformed services meet specific 
manpower requirements. 

[3] House Resolution 4546, National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2003, 
section 615.

[4] H. Rept. 107-772.

[5] For this report, we use the terms "reserves" and "reservists" to 
refer to the collective forces of the Air National Guard, the Army 
National Guard, the Army Reserve, the Naval Reserve, the Marine Corps 
Reserve, and the Air Force Reserve.

[6] Senate Report 107-151 accompanying the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 directed the Secretary of 
Defense to conduct a reserve personnel compensation review aimed at 
determining the extent to which personnel compensation policies and 
statutes appropriately address the demands placed on guard and reserve 
personnel. The results of this review are to be submitted no later than 
August 1, 2003. 

[7] Under a 3-year transition period beginning in fiscal year 1997, the 
109th Airlift Wing assumed responsibility for operating and maintaining 
the LC-130 aircraft from the Department of the Navy in support of the 
U.S. Antarctic Program. The National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 1996 authorized the Air National Guard to assume the Navy's 
role in air logistic support to the National Science Foundation. The 
Navy had provided support to this program since 1955 when U.S. presence 
at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, was established. The 109th Airlift Wing 
began to support the Navy in 1988. 

[8] Active Guard and Reserve members provide full-time active duty 
support to Guard, Reserve, and Active Component organizations. Military 
technicians are dual status active duty members who perform day-to-day 
management, administration, and maintenance. They are civil service 
employees of the federal government who must be military members of the 
unit that employs them.

[9] The 109th Airlift Wing took over the mission of supporting the 
Defense Early Warning radar installations located on the Greenland Ice 
Cap from the Air Force Alaskan Air Command in 1975 and has conducted 
support for scientific research since 1978. 

[10] The Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) chairs 
biannual meetings, which are attended by the principal voting members 
from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and 
Readiness), including the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Reserve 
Affairs), the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), and the 
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management Policy); the Office of 
the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); the Joint Staff; and the 
service secretaries. 

[11] 37 U.S.C. 305. 

[12] Hardship duty pay was authorized in 1999 and went into effect on 
January 1, 2001.

[13] 37 U.S.C. 427. 

[14] This position has been replaced by the Principal Deputy Under 
Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness).

[15] These figures include unit members who deployed more than once to 
the polar regions. Thus, the total number of individuals deployed was 
less than the total number of deployments.

[16] Locations qualifying at the $150 monthly rate include Kazakhstan, 
Turkmenistan, and Vietnam. 

[17] While DOD rejected the Navy's request for an exception to the 30-
day threshold, DOD approved the Navy's request to designate Vieques 
Island as a hardship duty location.

[18] DOD Financial Management Regulation 7000.14-R, vol. 7A, ch. 24, 
"Parachute Duty, Flight Deck Duty, Demolition Duty, Experimental Stress 
Duty and Others Listed."

[19] The National Science Foundation reimburses its personnel for 
travel expenses in addition to their regular salary while deployed to 
the polar regions. National Science Foundation personnel also receive a 
pay differential equivalent to 25 percent of their regular salary 
effective on the 43rd day of their deployment and continuing through 
the end of their deployment. This pay differential is not retroactive.

[20] According to a unit official, civilian job conflict would be a 
separation factor only for traditional guardsmen and for not Active 
Guard and Reserve members since the latter serve full time. 

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