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Bonuses spark high re-enlistments

Fueled by a high-octane menu of re-up bonuses, the Army’s retention campaign for fiscal 2008 got off to a roaring start in October, with 7,372 soldiers extending their active-duty service.

The monthly re-enlistment total represents 11 percent of the annual goal of 65,000.

The re-up total tops the October recruiting tally of 4,564 for the regular Army by more than 2,800 enlistments, according to Army statistics released in mid-November.

The Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard all topped their recruiting goals for the month.

The Army exceeded its recruiting goal for October by bringing in 4,564, or 101 percent of the monthly mission of 4,500. The monthly statistics show that 3,297 soldiers joined the Army Reserve in October, which is 104 percent of the accession mission of 3,169.

However, only 1,870 of those soldiers came via enlistment, which was 84 percent of the monthly recruiting goal of 2,225. The Reserve recruiting goal for 2008 is 26,500.

Re-enlistments also are sluggish in the Army Reserve, with only 1,128 soldiers, or 84 percent of the goal, signing on for additional service. The annual retention mission for the USAR is 14,900.

The National Guard had the greatest success, bringing in 5,305 soldiers, or 123 percent of the October goal of 4,311.

Like the Regular Army, the National Guard enjoyed a good retention month, with 2,783 soldiers, or 159 percent of mission, re-enlisting in October. The goal for 2008 is 31,889.

Recruiting Command is striving to enlist 80,000 soldiers for the Regular Army this year, and access 37,500 into the Army Reserve, including 11,000 transfers from the active component and Individual Ready Reserve.

The National Guard is aiming for 63,000 accessions, both initial enlistments and transfers.

Sources said the whopping re-enlistment total of 7,372 for the Regular Army is largely the result of new bonus programs that were launched Oct. 1, and are designed to get soldiers to re-up earlier and for longer periods.

Called Enhanced Selective Re-enlistment Bonuses, the programs feature a variety of MOS-specific and MOS-immaterial incentives that range from $1,500 to $40,000.

These programs were updated and expanded Nov. 1.

The Army’s goal is to reach an end-strength of 547,400 for the active component by 2010, if not sooner. Currently, about 520,000 soldiers are on active duty.

Pending congressional approval, the Army wants to spend nearly $1.5 billion on recruiting and retention incentives in fiscal 2008 – some $246 million for officers, and $1.2 billion for enlisted soldiers.

The totals double, triple and even quadruple the amounts paid in the years after the first Gulf War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, Army personnel chief, told a gathering of defense reporters recently that “this all-volunteer force is not inexpensive. We must compete to attract the best and brightest.”