The Air Force is expanding the number of career fields eligible for large retention and reenlistment bonuses in the new fiscal year, in an effort to hold onto skilled troops when their talents are in demand elsewhere.
The Department of the Air Force released a memo listing 89 career fields in the U.S. Air Force in the 2025 fiscal year, up from 73 the previous one. The expanded list went into effect on Dec. 16, according to Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokesperson. The jobs range from signal intelligence to nuclear weapons to maintenance for combat drones.
The list leaked online earlier this week and made the rounds on Air Force-focused social media pages. Military.com first reported on the veracity of the list. Stefanek told Task & Purpose that the expansion of eligible fields came after analyzing what skilled positions were in increasing demand outside of the military.
“[The Department of the Air Force did it] to make sure we can retain our talent because they’re in high demand in the private sector,” Stefanek told Task & Purpose.
Nearly a dozen of the fields are in cyber systems and operations, from cybersecurity jobs to data entry and tech support. Others are focused on aircraft maintenance while several are aimed at special operations roles, including pararescue and combat control. Language-based jobs are also prioritized, with several fields focused on Chinese, Korean, Russian and Persian speakers up for the extra pay. Unlike the previously expanded list, some fields previously eligible for retention bonuses are not on the new list; the memo notes that airmen have until Feb. 15, 2025 to sign a new contract in an eligible field to receive the retention bonus.
Earlier this year the Air Force’s requested budget asked for $1.1 billion dedicated to troop bonuses and retention programs. In order to qualify for the retention bonus, airmen must match the Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) of the eligible job. If a specified AFSC has a certain skill level listed, they must have reached that qualification to earn the bonus.
Airmen eligible for the bonus can make as much as $180,000 extra per their specific career zone; that cap was raised earlier this year as part of an ongoing effort by the Department of the Air Force to retain its current skilled troops. A career cap is set at $360,000, per the Air Force memo.
The Air Force, as with other branches in the military, has struggled with recruiting new troops in recent years, including missing its target in 2023. Several branches of the armed forces have expanded and raised different bonuses for enlisting and staying in the military.
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