Pentagon plans to raise military death benefits

A senior Pentagon official unveiled a plan on Tuesday to nearly double death benefits to about 500,000 dollars to families of US troops killed in combat zones, a proposal partially resulting from Congressional pressure.

The bigger benefit package will have two parts: A one-time "death gratuity" would grow from 12,420 dollars to 100,000 dollars;and the government would increase life insurance benefits from current 250,000 dollars offered to all service members to 400,000 dollars for troops in a combat zone.

David Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the proposed rise would be made retroactive to October 2001 for families of US troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The package will be included in the 2006 budget proposal President George W. Bush submits to Congress next week.

The initiative follows a mounting effort on Capitol Hill to increase compensation for survivors of US troops killed in combat.Both Republicans and Democrats have introduced legislation to raise military death payments.

The White House also expressed support for the proposal, sayingthe government "must do all that we can to support the families ofthe fallen."

As of Monday, 1,415 Americans had died in the Iraq war and 156had died in Afghanistan and other places designated part of the global war on terrorism, according to the Pentagon.

Source: Xinhua