Rep. Panetta Advocates for and Secures Imminent Danger Pay for Servicemembers in Burkina Faso

Monterey, CA – Today, U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) applauded the Secretary of Defense's authorization of Imminent Danger Pay (IDP) to servicemembers operating in Burkina Faso, effective retroactively back to February 01, 2022. Rep. Panetta consistently advocated for IDP for servicemembers operating in Burkina Faso in congressional hearings with senior military commanders including Commander General Bryan Fenton of U.S. Special Operations Command, Commander General Michael Langley of U.S. Africa Command, as well as Secretary Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. Servicemembers operating in IDP-designated areas are afforded additional financial support as a small token for the dangerous circumstances they confront while protecting our national security.

Since January 2022, Burkina Faso has experienced two military coups, regional insurgencies linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and overt outreach from Russia's Wagner Group, which is active in neighboring Mali. U.S.-designated terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda-affiliated JNIM and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, control much of Burkina Faso's national territory. With the withdrawal of French military forces from Burkina Faso this past February, which provide critical medical evacuation support, U.S. servicemembers are expected to shoulder additional burdens as they confront terrorist and mercenary threats.

The granting of IDP recognizes the realities these servicemembers face on the ground and the mounting challenges they face to complete their assigned missions. While IDP is a small exchange for the challenges our servicemembers face, it is an important reminder that our servicemembers stationed in the Sahel are not forgotten, and that we are obligated to support them and their families as they defend against expanding threats.

"Burkina Faso presents our military personnel with threats from violent extremist organizations and mercenary forces that can quickly escalate and spread with little to no warning," said Rep. Panetta. Affording IDP is not just for our servicemembers that sacrifice so much, but it's also for their families. That is why I am also pushing to designate Burkina Faso, alongside Mali, Niger, and Chad, as Qualified Hazardous Duty Areas in order to servicemembers stationed there to be granted tax exclusion benefits as a small token in exchange for the risks they confront to protect our national security."

On February 24, 2023, Rep. Panetta led a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin with Rep. Austin Scott (GA-08), alongside Reps. Jim McGovern (MA-02), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Carlos Gimenez (FL-28), and James Moylan (GU-AL) requesting that he authorize USAFRICOM's March 2022 request to grant servicemembers stationed in Burkina Faso with Imminent Danger Pay (IDP) due to the heightening security circumstances and the considerable risks while operating there.

"Given the instability in the region and the terrorist activities of both Al Qaeda and the Islamic State within Burkina Faso, it is important to recognize the risks our men and women in uniform face," said Rep. Austin Scott. "Imminent Danger Pay is a small part of a larger effort to support our troops in the region whose efforts are not in the national spotlight."

###