Differences Between Military, Civilians Cited

Said CRS, “If the purpose of extending the combat zone exclusion to civilians is to make civilian benefits equal to those of the Armed Forces, then the distinctions between military service and civilian employment become important in the analysis of the policy. In that context, it has been observed that military personnel cannot resign when facing danger; they cannot refuse assignment; they are considered to be on duty 24 hours a day, every day; and they may be required to work until the job is done with no specific relationship to compensation. Whereas military personnel must perform those duties, civilian employees may or may not, depending on for whom they work or the contracts they have negotiated, and those contracts could include monetary and other incentives for working in combat zones not available to military personnel. Also, there are distinctions between civilian DoD employees and civilian contractors that complicate the issue of equalization.”