The recommendations are very preliminary, and Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said Friday that they will merely provide alternatives to the Defense Department to consider. Such changes often must be approved by Congress. 

Under the military's current system, there are two types of combat pay. One, called "hostile fire pay," gives troops $225 a month if they are in an area where they could be exposed to enemy fire. 

The second, called "imminent danger pay," gives up to $225 per month to those who are in a combat zone, and it is pro-rated at $7.50 a day, based on how long they are there. 

Bush said the report recommends that hostile fire pay be more than the danger pay and that there be levels of imminent danger pay based on where service members are. Currently they can get the danger pay for being in more than two dozen places, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines and Jordan -- as well as in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia.