Tester Delivers Cold Weather Assignment Incentive Pay Raise for Malmstrom Airmen

Senator voted to provide Cold Weather Assignment Incentive Pay raise to airmen at select military bases located in coldest regions, including Malmstrom Air Force Base

As a part of his continued efforts to ensure that our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to keep Montana and our country safe, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced today that airmen at Malmstrom Air Force Base will receive a Cold Weather Assignment Incentive Pay (AIP-CW) raise. 

Funding for the AIP-CW raise provided to Malmstrom airmen was authorized by Tester as part of his vote for the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The additional payment will help servicemembers at Malmstrom offset the costs of items such as extreme cold weather gear, all season and/or snow tires, tire mounts and alignments, engine block heaters and emergency winter car kits.

“Malmstrom airmen play a key role in keeping Montana and our country safe, and they do it often while facing cold and challenging conditions,” said Tester. “I’m proud to have secured this pay raise for Malmstrom’s missileers so they won’t have to worry about the added cost of winter gear and can remain focused on their critical mission.”

As the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Tester has consistently delivered the resources needed for servicemembers at Malmstrom Air Force Base (MAFB) and Montana Air National Guard (MANG) to keep Montana and our country safe.

Last month Tester passed his annual Defense Appropriations bill into law, which prepares our military against our adversaries and ensures America retains its competitive edge over China while using made-in-Montana cutting-edge solutions and next-generation research. Tester’s Defense budget included a 5.2% pay raise for American troops, which is the largest pay raise in two decades.

Tester also voted to authorize major wins for Montana and American servicemembers as part of the FY2024 NDAA, including $10.3 million for MAFB construction and land acquisition that will go towards a new fire station bay and storage area, and $30 million for MANG to construct new fueling facilities to support the fueling of aircraft assigned to MANG and to provide a gas station, including fuel storage, fuel off-loading, fuel dispensing and an operations building for fueling operations.

In January, Tester spoke with MAFB and MANG Airmen at the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce’s Military Committee monthly luncheon regarding updates on threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party, recent wins in the National Defense Authorization Act, securing new C130-J aircraft for MANG, and upcoming needs in his defense appropriations bill.  

And last April, Tester brought Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and top Air Force leadership to Malmstrom Air Force Base and the Montana Air National Guard’s 120th Airlift Wing to meet directly with servicemembers, receive updates on Malmstrom’s response to the Chinese spy balloon, discuss DOD’s response to incidents of rare cancers among missileers, and assess readiness capabilities as Congress works on next year’s military budget. In August, following a report from the Air Force which revealed findings of unsafe levels of a likely carcinogen at MAFB, Tester sent a letter demanding the DOD take immediate action to ensure all potentially impacted missileers and their families receive swift answers and appropriate care.