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Enlistment bonuses for 2010 range to $40,000

If you’re willing to dismantle bombs in the war zone, the Army will pay you as much as $20,000 to sign up. A native Arabic speaker will also get the maximum signing bonus under the fiscal 2010 plan released by the Army.

More than 100 combat arms, combat support and combat service support specialties are included in the fiscal 2010 Enlistment Bonus program the Army launched Oct. 1.

Bonuses range from $1,000 to $20,000, depending on specialty and length of enlistment.

Top-end payments of $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000 will go to recruits who enlist for four, five or six years in several priority career fields, including communications and electronics, military intelligence and explosive ordnance disposal.

The service also is offering other incentives, such as quick-ship seasonal bonuses, college loan repayments, bonuses for applicants with college credits, and Army College Fund benefits that, in some cases, can be combined with a regular enlistment bonus.

Army policy caps bonus payments at $20,000 for a three-year enlistment, $25,000 for four years, $30,000 for five years and $40,000 for six years. These totals are achieved by combinations of bonuses.

Payments are made in increments over the length of the enlistment contract. Initial payments cannot exceed $10,000.

Bonuses of $2,000 to $10,000 are available for applicants who agree to ship to basic training within 30 days, depending on the availability of a training slot.

Bonuses of $3,000 are available to certain applicants with 30 to 59 college credit hours, $4,000 to those with 60 or more hours but no degree, and $5,000 to applicants with an associate degree or higher.

For details, contact a recruiter.