U.S. Military re-enlistment bonuses skyrocket

[GAP]

Military re-enlistment bonuses skyrocket
POSTED: 1327 GMT (2127 HKT), April 11, 2007
Story Highlights• Army and Marines spent $1.03 billion for re-enlistment payments last year
• Very senior special forces troops who re-enlist for 6 years can get extra $150,000
• Budget for bonuses has grown most dramatically for Guard and Reserves
• Those who don't get bonuses are generally in low-demand jobs, not in war zones
Article Link

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The struggle to entice Army soldiers and Marines to stay in the military, after four years of war in Iraq, has ballooned into a $1 billion campaign, with bonuses soaring nearly sixfold since 2003.

The size and number of bonuses have grown as officials scramble to meet the steady demand for troops on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan and reverse sporadic shortfalls in the number of National Guard and Reserve soldiers willing to sign on for multiple tours.

Besides underscoring the extraordinary steps the Pentagon must take to maintain fighting forces, the rise in costs for re-enlistment incentives is putting strains on the defense budget, already strapped by the massive costs of waging war and equipping and caring for a modern military.

The bonuses can range from a few thousand dollars to as much as $150,000 for very senior special forces soldiers who re-enlist for six years. All told, the Army and Marines spent $1.03 billion for re-enlistment payments last year, compared with $174 million in 2003, the year the war in Iraq began.

The Associated Press compiled and analyzed the budget figures from the military services for this story.

He said soldiers with special skills can get bonuses between $10,000 and $30,000, with a select few eligible for payments up to $50,000. Only very few highly qualified special forces soldiers would get the top bonus of $150,000. Nearly all soldiers deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait get a maximum of $15,000 for re-enlisting, just a bit more than the average.

Bonuses for Marines in certain critical specialties can go as high as $60,000 for a new four-year tour. On average a Marine who re-enlists this year can receive as much as $24,000. About eight in 10 Marines with up to six years of service will get a bonus this year, as will more than half of those with six to 14 years in the Corps.

More on link

 

[Quag]

Wow...Must be nice!  I wonder what their release rate is (post tour) in comparison to Canada?

 

[tomahawk6]

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/04/army_cav_reenlist_070411w/

Brigade reaches 450th re-up on deployment
By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 11, 2007 12:28:03 EDT

Re-enlistments are going strong in 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, which marked its 450th re-up Monday at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad.

The soldier who raised his right hand was Pfc. Andrew Dubay, an infantryman from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, according to an Army press release.

The brigade began deploying to Iraq in mid-October and was at Camp Taji within a month.

The first re-enlistment during the deployment was Oct. 30 in Kuwait and the brigade reached 450 on Monday.

Of those, 407 received tax-free bonuses, said brigade spokesman Maj. Randall Baucom.

He noted that May 1 will mark the halfway point of the brigade’s deployment.

With Dubay’s re-enlistment, the brigade has paid more than $4.4 million in cash bonuses, he said.

Dubay joined the Army in 2005 and is temporarily assigned on a personal security detachment in the brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters Troop.

He re-enlisted for six years, for which he received a $13,000 cash bonus, the release said. In addition to the bonus, he was awarded his station of choice — Fort Campbell, Ky. — where he will attend air assault school.

“The Army has leadership traits and discipline that you just can’t find in the civilian world,” Dubay said in the release, adding that he re-enlisted again because, “I love the Army. I wanted to re-enlist for the entire 20 years but they wouldn’t give me that option.”

After completing air assault school, the release said, Dubay hopes to become an Army Ranger and then move on to Special Forces. He hopes to retire as a chief warrant officer.

 

[geo]

This at a time that the deployments are being arbitrarily extended from 12 to 15 months.

 

[tomahawk6]

Everyone extended will draw additional pay.

 

[geo]

you mean they actually get paid for being there???
(he says joingly )