Navy offering $115,000’ in bonuses to lure veterans back to active duty

The Navy announced a hefty bonus program aimed at enticing its veterans — and veterans of other services — to reenlist.

The Navy is offering a $50,000 signing bonus and up to $65,000 in student loan repayments for a “life-altering $115,000,” Rear Adm. Lex Walker, the head of Navy Recruiting Command, said in a news release Aug. 6.

The Navy, like other branches of the U. S. military, is facing a tough year for recruiting. A record low percentage of young Americans are eligible to serve and even fewer are willing to consider it, NBC News reported June 27. Further complicating recruiters’ efforts are a low unemployment rate and lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Air Force in July announced its own bonus program to lure recruits into 22 active-duty career fields. Bonuses for prospective airmen range from $3,000 to $58,000 if they sign up by Sept. 30, the end of the federal government’s fiscal year. The Air Force needs thousands to sign up to meet its 2022 recruiting goal of 26,000 recruits.

Likewise, veterans lured by the Navy bonuses need to act by Sept. 30. Some conditions apply. Veterans must re-enter the service in pay grade E-4 or below, meet specific bonus eligibility and not have received a bonus in their first enlistment, according to the Navy release.... (Read more)

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