Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus yesterday announced an increase in Career Sea Pay (CSP) and Career Sea Pay Premium (CSP-P) for eligible Sailors and Marines serving aboard ships whose primary mission is conducted at sea.
“Those Sailors and Marines on sea duty, deployed away from home around the world, are the backbone of the Navy and Marine Corps, and enable us to provide and maintain our global presence,” said Mabus. “This change to Career Sea Pay will both improve critical sea-duty manning and reward those who take these challenging sea-going assignments. This increase is long overdue and is meant to reward our Sailors and Marines for their continued sacrifices as part of ‘America’s Away Team’.”
CSP and CSP-P are funds earned by Sailors and Marines on top of their base pay, to compensate them for time at sea. CSP rates are based upon a member’s pay grade and cumulative years of sea duty. CSP-P is an additional incentive for members who exceed 36 consecutive months at sea. By law, CSP and CSP-P may not exceed $750 and $350 respectively.
All pay grades with at least three years of cumulative sea duty will receive a 25 percent increase in regular CSP, while service members who exceed 36 months of consecutive sea duty will receive an increase in CSP-P from $100 to $200 per month.
Consistent with current policy, in lieu of receiving CSP-P, Sailors and Marines in grades E5-E9 with eight years of cumulative sea duty receive a higher CSP rate, equivalent to receiving CSP-P whenever assigned to a ship regardless of consecutive sea time.
This is the first increase of CSP and CSP-P since 2001. Approximately 100,000 Sailors receive CSP and approximately 13,000 receive CSP-P; this special pay increase is expected to cost $66 million/year.
Pending final coordination with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, it is expected that the new CSP and CSP-P rates will take effect early this summer. An announcement on the exact date is forthcoming.
[mappress] Press Release, March 5, 2014, 2014; Image: US Navy