 Military News
As of April 24, all Soldiers must be within their established reenlistment eligibility window to reenlist. "The reenlistment window opens up when a Soldier gets within 24 months of ETS (expiration, term of service)," said Sgt. Maj. Michael D. Burns. "And it closes three months prior to ETS." Burns is the Retention Sergeant Major for Multi-National Force - Iraq and Multi-National Corps - Iraq. Previously, deployed Soldiers were covered by an exception to this policy that allowed them to reenlist for two options - without regard to their window. The Regular Army, or "needs of the Army" reenlistment option, basically allows a Soldier to add time to his or her term of service. The Current Station Stabilization option guarantees a Soldier one to 12 months at his or her home station upon redeployment. There was also a time when a Soldier could literally wait until the last day of their contract to reenlist - that is no longer the case, Burns said. As of April 1, Soldiers who failed to reenlistment prior to three months of their ETS are no longer eligible to do so without an exception to policy that must get final approval from the Commander, Human Resource Command, Retention and Reclassification Branch. Many service members were already past their three month window when the April 1 restriction went into effect. To accommodate them, Soldiers who are scheduled to transition out of the Army before Oct. 1, 2009, or those currently under stop loss provisions have until June 30, 2009 to reenlist without any type of waiver or exception. Soldiers are considered to be under stop loss when they are kept on active duty beyond their contractual ETS date. Also on April 24, other policy changes, MOS specific, and involving training and bonuses become effective. For example Soldiers serving in over strength specialties could formerly opt for Regular Army or Army Training re-enlistments. Now, these Soldiers will be restricted to the Army Training option which limits them to changing their MOS to one that better supports Army force alignment. Changes in the selective reenlistment bonus program will result in a smaller number of Soldiers qualifying, as well as a reduction in amounts. "Bonus amounts will be reduced by approximately 23 percent," said Burns. The new bonuses will also come with 24 months of additional obligated service. Previously, most Soldiers only had to incur a minimum of six months AOS for the bonus. Staff Sgt. Jason Farquharson and Sgt. Joseph McIntyre, both of C Company, Special Troops Battalion, I Corps, decided not to take any chances. Farquharson, a signal support systems specialist and McIntyre, a nodal network system operator/maintainer reenlisted on April 20, ensuring receipt of their bonuses at the current higher amounts. After 11 years in the military, Farquharson says his motivation was not financially based. "The opportunity to lead and train Soldiers of tomorrow," he said, is what influenced his decision to reenlist. For him, the bonus money was just that - a bonus. Retention policy changes are driven by a variety of influences that ultimately come down to fulfilling the needs of the Army. Recruiting and retention programs have been so effective that they are two years ahead of expectations. "The end strength that we’re at now," said Burns, "we weren’t supposed to be at until 2011." "Times are changing." said Burns who expects some additional tightening of the reenlistment process in the future. "It is highly recommended that those wanting to reenlist, should do so (as soon as possible) to preclude the possibility of lost options and entitlements." ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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