Army bonuses may rise to $40K

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http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...-bonuses_x.htm

Army bonuses may rise to $40K
By Dave Moniz, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON ? The Army wants to double the top cash bonus for new recruits to $40,000 in an effort to stem a continued recruiting shortfall in the midst of the Iraq war.
As another incentive, the Army is proposing a pilot program to provide up to $50,000 in home mortgage help for recruits who sign up for eight years of active duty, Lt. Col. Thomas Collins said in an interview Thursday. Congress must approve both plans.

The $40,000 bonuses would apply only to a limited number of hard-to-fill and still-undetermined jobs, Collins said.

The Army raised bonuses for some jobs to $20,000 in 1999. It has steadily made more jobs eligible for bonuses this year as the recruiting shortfall has deepened.

Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey first raised the proposals during an appearance Tuesday, Collins said. They have not been sent to Congress.

The incentives have surfaced as the Army confirmed an account in The New York Times this week that it fell about 25% short of its May goal of 6,700 recruits, the fourth consecutive month the service has failed to meet its target.

The Army is running about 17% short of its annual recruiting goal of 80,000. At that pace, it will fall almost 14,000 recruits short for its fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

Initial congressional reaction was positive, although Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the proposals would not fix a "chronic" recruiting problem. Graham, a former Air Force officer who serves on the Armed Services Committee, said the Pentagon needs a comprehensive strategy on recruiting and retention.

That would include more troops, better benefits for Army National guardsmen and reservists and a more focused pitch to potential recruits that military service is vital to the winning the global war on terror. Without them, Graham said, "we're in a world of hurt."

Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said he would favor increased bonuses but believes they will help "minimally." Skelton said he believes the Army will fall short of its year-end recruiting goal.

Army spokesman Paul Boyce said a busy summer will help the service meet its recruiting goals.

As U.S. deaths in Iraq approach 1,700, the Army has also offered enlistment hitches as short as 15 months. Maj. Gen. Michael Rochelle, the head of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, last month described the recruiting environment as "the toughest ever faced by the all-volunteer Army."

The Pentagon will release May recruiting figures for all military branches today. Army National Guard and Reserve recruiting is behind as well; each was about 20% short of its goal at the end of April, Harvey said.

The Army also said Thursday that it will ease requirements for new officers by accepting older candidates and being more tolerant of past minor crimes.

Contributing: Reuters