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In/out call list updated

A career planning tool that allows enlisted soldiers to make informed decisions about switching jobs has been updated to reflect the latest manning requirements for nearly 200 military occupational specialties.

Also, a force alignment incentive that encourages soldiers in overstrength MOSs to retrain and re-enlist in priorities specialties has been updated, but the bonus payments generally are smaller than in the recent past.

The reclassification “in/out” calls that were updated in late October provide a listing of short-handed specialties that are open to transfer, and MOSs that are closed to immigration because they are overstrength.

Information in the calls is updated three to four times each year, based on changes in force structure and manning requirements.

The calls drive re-enlistment options as well as reclassification actions, said Jim Bragg, chief of enlisted retention and reclassification at Human Resources Command.

That’s because Army policy allows only soldiers who are in the re-enlistment window to reclassify in conjunction with re-enlistment.

The in/out calls complement the Bonus Extension and Retraining, or BEAR, program that was updated in mid-October for soldiers in the ranks of private through staff sergeant and, in some cases, sergeant first class.

The new BEAR rates, which range from $2,400 to $40,000 depending on rank and specialty, were released at the same time as the launch of the Tiered Selective Re-enlistment Bonus Program.

While the Army plans to spend nearly $400 million on SRB payments in fiscal 2010, the total is only two-thirds the annual outlays of the recent past.

Bonus levels range from $1,300 to $40,000 under the new BEAR program, the same as rates in effect from June to October.

However, the new rates are heavily weighted for first-term soldiers, and offer fewer options for sergeants and above.

For example, under the previous BEAR program, a 15J (armed reconnaissance helicopter systems repair) sergeant received $4,500 for a three-year re-enlistment. Under the new rates, that same soldier is not eligible for a bonus, although a specialist in the same MOS will draw an $11,100 bonus for a 36-month service extension.

Soldiers interested in the new BEAR program, as well as the Tiered SRB program, should first consult in/out calls to determine a specialty’s strength status.

Soldiers also should check the monthly cutoff scores and sergeant and staff sergeant trend reports to determine promotion prospects.

To qualify for a bonus under the BEAR program, soldiers must have at least 17 months of active-duty.

More info

• Enlisted in/out calls for November

• BEAR program updates (November)