RAF pilots denied danger money for Libya mission
Tom Coghlan Defence Correspondent
Last updated May 2 2011 12:00AM
British pilots flying combat missions over Libya will not receive the pay bonus for dangerous duties given to their colleagues in Afghanistan.
The Times understands that personnel were surprised and disappointed by the decision, not least because operations over Libya are seen as more dangerous for aircrew than those in theatres where the allowance is being paid.
The money was given in Iraq and is being paid in Afghanistan, according to a defence source. “It is a combination of danger money and recognition of service overseas,” the source said. “This is not the be-all and end-all but I’d love to know the justification for not paying it. It is disappointing and angers me because it seems to imply that [this] is not operational flying. The threat level is higher than in Afghanistan.”
Personnel flying Typhoon and Tornado jets on operations to enforce UN Resolution 1973, which authorises the use of force to protect civilians in Libya, have destroyed dozens of tanks, other armoured vehicles and artillery pieces used by forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi since March 19.
In response, the Gaddafi Government has put up barrages of anti-aircraft artillery. The regime also possesses more than 216 surface-to-air missiles — possibly as many as 400. These include a long-range Soviet missile system, known to Nato as the SA-5A Gammon, which can shoot down aircraft at up to 150km range.The revelation follows a day of intense military and diplomatic activity in which:
- Libya claimed that a Nato airstrike on Colonel Gaddafi’s Tripoli compound had killed his youngest son and three grandchildren;
- Pro-Gaddafi mobs set fire to the UK and Italian diplomatic missions in Tripoli and the United Nations announced it was recalling its staff;
- Britain expelled Libya’s ambassador to London;
- Libyan government troops shelled the besieged port of Misrata as an aid ship attempted to unload food and medical supplies.
Personnel serving on Operation Herrick (Afghanistan), Operation Telic (Iraq) and Combined Task Force Iraqi Maritime (naval operations in the Gulf) all qualified for the extra “operational allowance”, as did personnel in the Balkans peacekeeping operations until 2007.
The allowance was increased from £14.51 a day to £29.02 for personnel in Afghanistan by David Cameron last June. This followed complaints that US troops received tax-free pay on operations and that Canadian, French and Australian forces all have bonus schemes for operational tours overseas. For personnel on a six-month tour it meant a tax-free £5,280.88 windfall on their return.
At the time Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, said: “I am delighted that we have doubled the operational allowance for those of our troops who are engaged in the very highest areas of conflict. In doing so we have fulfilled a key commitment set out in our coalition Programme for Government.”
In a further effort to achieve deep cuts in defence spending, the Ministry of Defence has declared service personnel supporting the operation over Libya from Italy to be living in “field accommodation”. This means they do not qualify for allowances usually paid to those abroad, such as subsistence payments, saving the MoD about £600 a month per person.
Field deployment usually means that they are being fully catered for and living under canvas. However, the personnel are being put up in hotels near the Italian base of Gioia Del Colle.
When approached by The Times, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the operational allowance was not being paid. An MoD statement said: “Operational allowance is paid to those service personnel on operations where they are working at high risk over a sustained period.”
However, it added that the policy could be changed if the risk was reassessed by Permanent Joint Headquarters. “The risk to those deployed on operations in Libya is kept constantly under review by PJHQ and, if it is judged appropriate, operational allowance will be paid.”