Marine Corps falling short on re-enlistment goals, will overhaul bonus program

Above: Marines from the 26th Expeditionary Unit return to the USS Shreveport aboard amphibious assault vehicles as part of 'war games' now talking place in the Persian Gulf.

Despite a series of drastic policy changes intended to boost the number of Marines who decide to stay green, the Corps’ retention effort “is not progressing according to plan,” the Corps’ top officer wrote in a May 17 letter to his generals.

So expect a tear-down of the re-enlistment bonus system you’re used to. The current Selective Re-enlistment Bonus program, which offers up to $60,000 for Marines in certain specialties, will be canceled June 23, with a new one set to start the next day.

What it means for bonus levels and who will be eligible is unclear, but a May 23 MarAdmin message announcing the changes said the new program will be “new and innovative.”

Days earlier, in Commandant Gen. James Conway’s “green letter,” the general said recruiters are doing their part to boost end strength by 5,000 Marines this year. But “accessions are only a part of our end strength increase,” and failure to meet the increased re-enlistment goals that account for the majority of this year’s growth “will have far reaching effects on our Corps,” Conway wrote in the letter, obtained by Marine Corps Times.

Read the rest at Marine Corps Times

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