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The Army National Guard will halt all reenlistment bonuses next month after exceeding its retention goals, according to Military.com.
Typical bonuses range from $3,000 to $20,000, depending on rank, their military specialty and the length of the soldier’s contract.
A National Guard Bureau spokesman confirmed the decision to Military.com, calling it “difficult, but necessary” amid current funding shortfalls.
“We are mindful of the value the incentives program has on retaining quality soldiers in our formation and will continue to analyze the best approach and optimal timing for resumption of the retention bonus program,” the official said.
Recruiting bonuses, given to those who initially enlist, are not impacted by the decision. Neither are retention bonuses for Air National Guard personnel.
Following a record year for the Guard, including missions in support of COVID-19 relief and civil unrest missions, the Guard has exceeded its retention goals with months to spare in the fiscal year. Part of that was driven by the bonus program.
“As a result of that success, related expenditures are unsustainable, so we had to make the difficult decision to suspend it,” the spokesman told Military.com.
The Guard has repeatedly met its retention goals in recent years. In 2019, the Army Guard achieved 103% of its goal. In 2020, it achieved 102%. And 2021 is shaping up to be a record year, with the Army Guard at 119% of its retention goal as of last month.
