WP: U.S. Troops in Kosovo could lose benefits

WP: U.S. Troops in Kosovo could lose benefits

The decision, expected within the next month, would indicate that Pentagon officials do not believe Kosovo is still a combat zone, despite rising tensions in the Balkans over Kosovo's ongoing bid for independence and frequent U.S. missions that involve dangerous interdictions of smuggling rings, raids on armed extremist groups and encounters with improvised bombs.

It would also mean that hundreds of National Guardsmen and Reservists would lose a coveted tax exclusion that allows them to earn their pay tax-free while tacking on hundreds more in combat pay. They would also lose government-funded flights back to the United States when they take leave.

The issue puts a spotlight on soldiers who are part of a U.S. mission that began in 1999 but now receives little attention amid the worsening wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Defense officials said all areas designated as combat zones are under a periodic review and that early policy recommendations from the Pentagon are that all areas in the Balkans -- designated as a combat zone under presidential order since March 24, 1999 -- be downgraded because of improved security there. Top military officers in Europe have officially disagreed, but they have been told the change could come as early as April 1.

"Combat Zone Tax Exclusion and Imminent Danger Pay are both under review for all designated areas," Maj. Stewart Upton, a Pentagon spokesman, said in an e-mail. "The Department will not comment beyond that until the reviews are complete."

The soldiers in Kosovo understand their work is not as dangerous as that of U.S. troops in Iraq, but they operate in a region where the government is shaky and where criminal enterprises use violence as a means of intimidation. Strife between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo has calmed, but military commanders are concerned about the possibility for increased tension as a plan for Kosovo's statehood and separation from Serbia is scheduled to go before the UN Security Council.

The Enlisted Association of the National Guard has contacted members of Congress because it is concerned that soldiers deployed to Kosovo could suffer financial hardship if they were to lose significant amounts of pay. "It's a morale killer. It says that what they were doing was important yesterday, but today not so much",  said Frank Yoakum, the group's legislative director