What are the salaries of NATO military personnel?
How much do NATO military personnel earn in different countries?
Approximate figures for enlisted personnel (entry-level position, before tax):
USA — approximately $24,000–28,000 per year plus benefits (accommodation, meals, health insurance), which adds a further ~$15,000–25,000 equivalent. That is, €2,500–3,000.
United Kingdom — around £25,000 per year after initial training. That is €2,500 per month.
Germany (Bundeswehr) — from €2,300 to €2,700 per month for a private; contract soldiers receive more.
France — around €1,600–1,800 net per month to start with, plus service allowances.
Poland — approximately 6,000 PLN per month (~€1,400) for a new contract soldier.
Romania, Bulgaria, the Baltic states — from €700 to €1,500 per month for enlisted personnel.
Turkey — the lowest figures among alliance members, around $500–800 per month.
Officers receive significantly more: a captain in the US earns $70,000–90,000 a year, a colonel — $120,000+, a general — from $180,000. In Germany, a major receives around €5,500–6,500 a month.
Is there a combat allowance?
Yes, all NATO countries offer allowances for combat operations, service in high-risk areas and the performance of dangerous tasks. The names, amounts and conditions vary, but the principle is the same everywhere: a basic salary plus allowances for specific service circumstances.
The US has one of the most extensive systems. Hostile Fire Pay / Imminent Danger Pay amounts to $225 per month for service in an area officially designated as dangerous. Combat Zone Tax Exclusion fully exempts a serviceman’s pay received whilst in a combat zone from federal tax (there is an upper limit for officers). Hardship Duty Pay ranges from $50 to $150 per month for service in difficult conditions. Separately, there is Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay — $150–250 per month for parachute jumps, working with explosives, flying missions, etc. Family Separation Allowance — $250 per month if a service member is separated from their family for more than 30 days due to service.
The UK pays an Operational Allowance — around £30 per day (approximately £900 per month), tax-free, plus a Longer Separation Allowance, which increases with each new deployment. Council tax is refunded for the period of service abroad.
Germany has the Auslandsverwendungszuschlag — an allowance for overseas service ranging from €30 to €145 per day depending on the risk level (six categories). The highest rates apply to Mali, Afghanistan (previously), and operations involving a real combat threat. This allowance is tax-free.
France pays the Indemnité de sujétions pour service à l'étranger and additional coefficients for combat operations (OPEX). A soldier may receive between 1.5 and 3 times their basic salary for the duration of their stay in a combat zone, plus partial tax exemption.
Poland pays a daily allowance of between $60 and $110 per day of service in the operational zone during participation in overseas missions, which amounts to several thousand dollars a month on top of the basic salary.
Canada has a Hardship Allowance and a Risk Allowance, which are combined — ranging from several hundred to over $2,000 a month, plus exemption from income tax whilst serving in a zone with a risk level of 3 or higher.
Smaller NATO countries (the Baltic states, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia) also pay allowances for participation in missions abroad, usually in the form of a daily allowance of $50–100 per day, which for their military personnel means a salary several times higher than the standard rate.
Separately, almost all countries pay compensation for injuries, disability and to the families of those killed — these are no longer ‘bonuses’ but insurance payments and pensions, yet they too form part of the overall system.
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