The Assignment Incentive Program - Korea is a system which gives members of the
U.S. military
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...
an
incentive pay for voluntarily extending their tour of duty in the
Republic of Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
.
Reasons
A typical tour of duty in South Korea is unaccompanied and one year in duration. This provides for a number of problems involving unit and mission continuity as people are constantly coming, being trained, training their replacements, and then leaving. The KAIP is a chance for the member to receive extra money in exchange for staying for two years instead of one.
Terms
KAIP typically pays a member $300 (taxable) extra per month for every month that they are in Korea.
Over a two-year tour, this can amount to an extra $7,200. Some units may allow a member to renew KAIP for a third year. Acceptance of KAIP means losing the chance to take advantage of the follow-on base program. Follow-ons are the number one reason why the service members do short tours in the first place. Typically, if a member gains accompanied status (called command sponsorship), then their regular tour is extended to two years. If they sign up for KAIP then it becomes a three-year tour.
Some services require the member to accept or decline KAIP before their Permanent Change of Station. Others allow the member the option of signing up after they have been in Korea no more than three months. In that case the KAIP money goes into effect upon signing.
See also
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United States military pay
United States military pay is money paid to members of the United States Armed Forces. The amount of pay varies according to the member's rank, time in the military, location duty assignment, and by some special skills the member may have.
Pay w ...
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United States Forces Korea
The United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a Unified Combatant Command#Subordinate Unified Command, sub-unified command of United States Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK was initially established in 1957, and e ...
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Leave and Earnings Statement
A Leave and Earnings Statement, generally referred to as an LES, is a document given on a monthly basis to members of the United States military which documents their pay and leave status on a monthly basis.
Employees in the Civil service in the ...
References
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United States military pay and benefits
United States military in South Korea
Incentives