Latest news with #OrlandonHoward
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Army reduces transition job-training time, prioritizing junior troops
The Army recently updated rules for soldier participation in training and apprenticeship programs in their final six months of service, cutting down time windows for some in order to prioritize junior service members and maintain unit readiness. The changes, released in a military personnel message on Thursday, splits ranks into three categories with an associated number of days left on contract before they can use the Army Career Skills Program, Department of Defense SkillBridge and other internship programs. For category I, or ranks E1 to E5, soldiers may spend up to 120 days in the training before they end their service with the approval of a field grade commander. Category II, or ranks E6-E7, WO1-CW3 and O1-O3, may participate in up to 90 days of training before the end of their contract with the approval of the first O6 commander in their chain of command. Marines cut time for career transition program, citing readiness Category III includes ranks E8 and above, CW4 and above and O4 and above. Those in category III may use 60 days with the approval of the first general officer in their chain of command. The goal, Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Orlandon Howard told Army Times in an emailed statement, is to prioritize junior enlisted needs for the program and continue to support all soldiers seeking out such programs while limiting the impact on unit readiness that end-of-contract training may create. 'The Army recognizes the value of the Career Skills Program, SkillBridge, and individual internship programs for Soldiers transitioning from the military to civilian life,' Howard said. 'These changes concentrate the programs' benefits where they're needed most while limiting the impact on readiness.' Previously, the Army allowed any rank to be eligible for such training for 120 days and required only the approval of the first field grade commander. Last year, the Marine Corps cut time in the program for exiting jarheads. The new standard allows Marines up to the rank of E5 to begin the program at the 120-day mark, while all ranks above sergeant may spend up to 90 days in the program, Marine Corps Times reported. In 2023, Army Times reported that two key senators said the military was 'falling short' in preparing troops for their transition to civilian work. Military transition classes are 'falling short,' lawmakers warn The comments by Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Kevin Craimer, R-N.D., echoed concerns in a Government Accountability Office report. The report noted much of the transition assistance program was too superficial and that 70% of transitioning troops did not begin the Transition Assistance Program until they were under a year left in their contract, despite the program requiring such TAP training be completed prior to the last year of service. An estimated 200,000 troops leave U.S. military service annually, Army Times previously reported. Research has shown that veterans face their highest risk of mental health problems and suicide within the first year of separation.
