The U.S. Air Force will implement cold weather special duty pay this year for certain service members, including those located at three bases in North Dakota after U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) pressed officials to make the policy changes.
“Congress authorized this special pay to help our service members and their families shoulder financial burdens unique to living in colder temperatures, including winter clothes and snow tires,” Sen. Hoeven said on April 1.
The cold weather pay is for service members working in areas where the temperature is expected to drop below minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The special pay will help offset the extra costs that military families incur when purchasing items such as cold weather gear, snow tires, engine block heaters, and emergency winter car kits.
Airmen and Guardians serving at Minot Air Force Base, Grand Forks Air Force Base, and Cavalier Space Station in North Dakota will be eligible for cold weather pay after the Air Force implements the pay beginning July 1.
On March 5, Sen. Hoeven joined three other senators in sending a bipartisan letter to U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall requesting that the Air Force implement the cold weather pay. “We should make it easier, not harder, for service members and their families to live and thrive in Alaska, Montana, and North Dakota,” the letter said.
The additional funding is a result of provisions Sen. Hoeven supported in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to authorize special duty pay for cold-weather locations and the 2024 NDAA, which clarified the parameters to qualify an area as a cold-weather location.
“We’ve been pressing the Air Force to provide this cold weather pay and will continue working to ensure that the Air Force implements this policy in a way that meets the needs of those serving our country at bases in Minot, Grand Forks, and Cavalier,” Sen. Hoeven said.