The Army wants Special Forces Warrant Officers to stay in so badly, they’re willing to pay big money for it: Six-figures big.
A Military Personnel Message released Monday by Army Human Resources Command says the Army is offering Special Forces Warrant Officers lump sum accession bonuses of $20,000 for six years of service, and lump sum retention bonuses of $100,000 for another five years of service, to Special Forces Warrant Officers.
It’s no wonder the Army wants to hold onto these soldiers — the specialized skills they pick up over the course of their careers are of high value. The accession bonus is targeted towards senior non-commissioned officers who go into the Warrant Officer cohort, according to CW5 Jeffrey Burmeister, command chief warrant officer for the Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
The $100,000 bonus is for mid-level warrant officers who may be deciding whether or not to continue with their military career.
“These warrants are, generally speaking, mid-level managers with 17 to 19 years of military service getting ready to make a change in their life direction, deciding whether to go over 20 or join the civilian work force,” Burmeister said.
“The skills and experience they have can command high paying jobs. To maintain readiness, the Army is now offering a bonus to incentivize them to stay in the military.”
Soldiers are not eligible for the retention bonuses if the renewed service obligation will take them over 25 years of service, the MILPER message says. The offer is available until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2020.
The Army also recently started offering $60,000 bonuses to warrant officers that join its air defense artillery branch.