Yeah, but then in some places brains have more value than muscular endurance or gunning skills. I just want to know how large that difference is.
I think paygrade is fixed according to rank. Proin's a Petty Officer, so he'll receive more salary than any private or corporal in a battlefield, unless those soldiers receive helluva bonus for being heroes.
It all depends on many factors: Employer (read: country), Deployment, rank, type of mission, risk estimate.
So let's say the Employer is the Norwegian state (since I am only familiar with that one).
First of all deployment: Is a soldier in Norway, or in Afghanistan? Because a private is deployed in Afghanistan, he costs more then a leutenant stationed in Norway.
Rank, pretty straightforward, it's a fixed value.
Type of mission and risk estimate: Yes, a sharpshooter from Jegerkommando will be payed differently than someone with the same rank who sits on his ass in a base making coffee.
Currently the most expencive personnell that Norway has deployed in Afghanistan are the surgeons. Because they are civilians (with already high salary) that get high risk bonus as well as other bonuses. So field doctors are more expensive then Generals.
Some time ago newspapers wrote about the insane amount of money that surgeons required and it naturally triggered negative reaction from the taxpayers.
Not sure if I answered your question, but my theory is that most NATO countries pay high for both if deployed in a warzone, and low for the soldiers who are in their own country. Other couuntries.... have no idea.
