Chris Lange, FISM News
The U.S. Army has increased its maximum enlistment bonus figure to $50,000 as it faces a recruiting slump caused by the pandemic and shifting priorities among younger Americans.
Until this year, enlistment bonuses were capped at $40,000. The $10,000 increase was announced Wednesday in an effort to bolster flagging enlistment quotas as the Army struggles to maintain its optimal force size and fill critical roles.
According to Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, head of Army Recruiting Command, COVID-19 closures over the past two years have severely hampered the ability of recruiters to engage with students at their high schools and other public-facing venues – interactions historically critical to enlistment efforts.
“We are still living the implications of 2020 and the onset of COVID, when the school systems basically shut down,” Vereen explained in a statement. “We lost a full class of young men and women that we didn’t have contact with, face-to-face.”
The major general says enhanced incentives are becoming increasingly necessary as military branches are forced to compete with one another and the private sector to attract quality workers.
“We’re in a competitive market,” Vereen said. “How we incentivize is absolutely essential, and that is absolutely something that we know that is important to trying to get somebody to come and join the military.”
In addition to the effects of the pandemic, Vereen says more and more students are opting to take a “gap year” after high school, noting that many recent graduates are “making the decision that they don’t necessarily need to work right now.”
The Army is hoping the hefty bonuses will entice young people who may not otherwise have considered a career in the military to reconsider. Bonus eligibility is based on qualifying factors, such as how soon new recruits agree to ship out for training, whether they possess critical skills, and if they choose Ranger or Airborne posts. Certain careers – such as signals intelligence, missile defense crew, and special forces – are more likely to come with maximum bonuses, though in-demand jobs often change depending upon availability and other service needs. Added skills, such as fluency in a foreign language, are also factored into bonus determinations.
The Army also seeks to overcome long-term commitment concerns by giving some recruits the opportunity to select the location of their initial assignments, allowing them to remain closer to home, and offering more short-term, two-year contract options.
Vareen says that, while the satisfaction of serving remains a driving force in recruitment, additional incentives will help “ensure the service has a robust force in this fiscal year and beyond.”
“We want to promote the value in serving your country, but at the same time, we’re not oblivious to the compensation piece,” he said.