FORT KNOX, Ky. — The U.S. Army is looking to boost its staffing by offering its largest bonus ever for qualified, new recruits.
Officials say up to $50,000 is available for those who sign up for a six-year active-duty enlistment.
They are looking to fill full and part-time vacancies in 150 different career fields in the Army and the Army Reserve in a competitive job market.
“This is an opportunity to entice folks to consider the Army,” Brig. Gen. John Cushing, who serves as the deputy commanding general for operations US Army Recruiting Command, said. “We’ve taken a look at the critical (military occupational specialties) we need to fill in order to maintain the training bases, and that is where we place a lot of our emphasis.”
They explain the incentive package for new recruits are based on “a combination of incentives” offered in the selected career field, individual qualifications, list of the enlistment contract and the ship date for training.
Some of the career-based incentives range from $1,000 to $40,000 for jobs the Army needs to fill immediately, or they find “difficult to fill” because of the desired qualifications. This could be infantry and Special Forces to jobs like radar repairers, signal support systems specialists and motor transport operators.
For those who feel they are ready to get into basic combat training, the Army offers a “quick ship” bonus that could range from $2,000 to $9,000.
Other incentives include Airborne or Range schools. Jumping from airplanes could get you $10,000 and becoming a Ranger, $20,000.
They said the combination of incentives can get a recruit up to $50,000.
If you want more variety, the Army said they have other options including duty station of choice and two-year enlistments.
“We know this generation likes to have the opportunity to make their own decisions, so now they can choose where they want to be assigned after training. We didn’t have that last year,” Gen. Kevin Vereen said. “We also have opened two-year enlistments for 84 different career fields. Many people are apprehensive about long-term commitments right now, so we think having a shorter option will help give them some time to see if the Army fits their life and goals.”
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