Fewer reenlistment options for soldiers amid high Army retention
More soldiers chose to stay in the Army than the service expected this fiscal year, so much so that the Army has narrowed options for reenlistment or service extensions.
In fiscal year 2025, the Army retained 15,600 soldiers, which is 800 more than its original goal. The 'retention success' is also compounded by the service exceeding 90% of its recruiting goals in May, Lt. Col. Orlandon Howard, an Army spokesperson, said in a statement.
In April, the Army announced that the current retention success meant it would limit reenlistment incentives offered to soldiers like picking their station of choice, certain training opportunities and overseas assignments. Now, the service is changing additional retention policies like suspending contract extensions for most soldiers and changing the time window for others who want to reenlist.
The policy changes come amid an upswing in the service's retention of current soldiers and its recruitment of new ones — something that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has credited to President Donald Trump's Administration, despite the surge beginning nearly a year ago.
In October 2023, the Army announced an overhaul of its nearly $2 billion recruiting enterprise. In fiscal year 2024, the Army met its goal of recruiting 55,000 active-duty soldiers after missing targets the previous two years, and in October 2024 the service said it increased its recruiting target by 6,000 new soldiers for this fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025.
'With reenlistment and recruiting exceeding expectations, the Army is in a good position to maintain its end strength and force requirements for the foreseeable future,' Master Sgt. Kindra Ford, Senior Army Retention Operations NCO, said in a statement.
Starting June 1, soldiers with an Expiration Term of Service, or ETS, date before Oct. 1, 2025, and who are not deployed or about to deploy will have until May 31 to get an extension from their command to continue their service.
Soldiers with an ETS date after Oct. 1, can extend their contract under specific conditions outlined in an Army regulation. Some of those conditions include those who qualify without a waiver, are in certain high-priority career fields and staff sergeants on the promotion list.
For soldiers looking to reenlist, starting July 1, they will only have 90 days before their ETS date to do so.
The window for soldiers to reenlist has changed over the years depending on the geopolitical events at the time, like the COVID-19 pandemic and then the troop surge in Iraq during 2007 and 2008. Before this most recent policy change, soldiers had 12 months to reenlist.
Sometimes reenlistments also mean changing jobs, and that can depend on the needs of the Army. In fiscal year 2023, 6% of soldiers who reenlisted reclassified into a new MOS. In fiscal year 2024, that increased to 10%, according to statistics provided by the Army.
Currently, the service is prioritizing reenlistment for positions in field artillery, air defense artillery, armor, and cyber and electronic warfare.
Earlier this week, the Air Force announced it would end its selective retention bonus program more than four months early because the service ran out of funding for it. The Air Force cited a retention rate of 89.3% since the fiscal year's start in October, which created more demand than the service expected for the money it allocated for those bonuses.
Howard said the Army's policy changes 'are not a result of reduced or completed funding' and that it does not impact soldiers who applied for the current Selective Retention Bonus, which is open to soldiers serving in certain military occupational specialties.
'As the Army adapts to evolving needs and conditions, we have to make sure our retention policies keep pace,' Ford said. 'We're working hard to keep career counselors, soldiers, and leaders up to date to help them make informed decisions about their careers.'
Army to eliminate 2 Security Force Assistance Brigades, reassign experienced soldiers
Why the Army's new XM7 rifle reignited a debate over volume of fire
Air Force delay on separation and retirement orders isn't 'stop loss,' defense official says
F-35's close call over Yemen raises questions about how it's used
An Army unit's 'extreme use of profanity' was so bad, they made a rule about it
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Australia raises minimum wages by 3.5% as inflation eases
By Renju Jose and Stella Qiu SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's independent wage-setting body on Tuesday raised the national minimum wage by 3.5% effective July 1, a real wage increase for about 2.6 million workers on the lowest pay as inflationary pressures ease in the economy. The minimum rate will rise to A$24.94 ($16.19) per hour, resulting in an extra A$1,670 in a year for full-time employees, according to the Fair Work Commission's (FWC) annual review. Headline consumer price inflation held at 2.4% in the first quarter, comfortably within the Reserve Bank of Australia's target band of 2% to 3% and having come down from the 7.8% peak in late 2022. FWC President Adam Hatcher said the decision could help many workers to recoup the loss of their real income over the last few years due to high living costs. "If this opportunity is not taken in this annual wage review, a loss in the real value of wages which has occurred will become permanently embedded ... and a reduction of living standards for the lowest paid in the community will thereby be entrenched," Hatcher said. Last year, the FWC increased minimum wages by 3.75% but that was largely in line with inflation. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) described the wage increase as "a great outcome" for employees on minimum wages, who it said suffered the most when inflation soared after the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our lowest-paid workers are getting ahead again," ACTU Secretary Sally McManus told reporters. The Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates to a two-year low last month as cooling inflation at home offered scope to counter rising global trade risks, and left the door open to further easing in the months ahead. At the same time, the labour market has remained surprisingly resilient, with the jobless rate hovering at 4.1% for over a year now. Employment gains have been driven by a surge in public sector jobs, with still tepid wage growth suggesting few risks of a damaging wage-price spiral. ($1 = 1.5401 Australian dollars)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Johnstown Central Park renovation funding sparks controversy
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — The multi-million dollar renovation project of Johnstown's Central Park is moving forward and so is the fierce debate over where the money came from and how it should be used. The City of Johnstown received millions of dollars in relief funding following the COVID-19 pandemic from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The council earmarked it for upgrades to Central Park. The federal guidelines for how that money could be spent may be unclear and there's debate as to whether those funds should cover the cost of a park renovation estimated at up to $8 million. City manager Art Martynuska recently told WTAJ the project is on track with plans having been approved Thursday. Johnstown City Council approves designs for Central Park project 'The original plan was going for about $6 million. We hope to be around that same amount, if not lower,' Martynuska said. But Representative Frank Burns (D-72nd District) questions the price tag and the use of these particular funds. 'Casual upgrades, small upgrades to the park people are fine with. But 6 to 8 million in Central Park is ridiculous. And what people really wanted is meaningful things in their community and infrastructure,' Burns said. Burns proposed the money be put towards renovating or building a new police department, tearing down blighted homes or even building a new grocery store. But council has stated they believe the money must be put towards the park. 'City council members are telling us a former city manager, Ethan Imhoff, has misled them and they were told that they had to spend this money on the park…That's at least what they're telling us now, that they had to spend 6 to 8 million on Central Park as part of the Main Street program, which is not true at all,' Burns said. In a letter sent to each council member in May 2024, Burns stated he felt the lines were blurred between the ARPA funding and the city's RAISE grant when it came to how the project would be funded. The city's RAISE grant had to be used for transportation projects and could not be used for the park, according to the department of transportation who awarded the grant. WTAJ reached out to former Johnstown city manager Ethan Imhoff. He did not agree to a recorded interview but, in a phone conversation, said the decision to spend the money on the park was already made before he became the city manager. The grant specified that the money had to be allocated by the start of the year meaning the city has to move forward with current plans. It remains unclear whether this is an appropriate use of the funds as the grant was intended to be invested into COVID-19 response efforts or to address economic impacts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
10-year-old brings loaded gun to Ohio elementary school; Police reveal where he got it from
A 10-year-old boy is facing charges after he brought a loaded gun to an Ohio elementary school last month, according to our CBS affiliate in Cleveland, WOIO-19. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Jackson Township Police officers responded to reports of a third-grade student at Sauder Elementary with a loaded 45-caliber gun in his backpack around 12:30 p.m. on May 16. WOIO-19 reported that the student reportedly threatened a student and the school resource officer. TRENDING STORIES: Pilot hurt after plane crash in Greene County Neighborhood on edge after 2 bodies found on same street days apart Kettering Health provides update on cyberattack; Internal health records back online On Monday, a spokesperson with the police department said the child got the firearm from his grandparents' house the morning of the incident. A student told officers that the school resource officer confronted the 10-year-old and took the gun away. The child was arrested and booked into the Stark County Juvenile Detention Center, WOIO-19 reported. He is facing felony charges of inducing panic and illegal conveyance of a deadly weapon. Jackson Township police said everyone at the school followed safety protocols when the incident occurred. In an email to families, Jackson Local School District said in part, 'We know hearing this news is distressing. We want to reassure you that the safety and well-being of your children is our highest priority. Our district's safety protocols were followed and worked as designed. We appreciate our student seeing something and saying something.' WOIO-19 reported that the child's father is cooperating with police in this investigation. 'Now that the investigation is complete, the case will be sent to the Prosecutor's Office to determine if any further charges will be filed,' the spokesperson wrote in a press release. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
