ARLINGTON, Va. — Airmen have until Monday to re-enlist before cuts in the Selective Re-Enlistment Bonus program kick in.
The Air Force is cutting the number of Air Force Specialty Codes that rate a re-enlistment bonus from 88 to 82, and airmen in another 17 AFSCs will see a reduction in bonus levels in at least one zone, said Lt. Col. Suzanne Wheeler, branch chief of enlisted force management.
"The decisions were made based on a combination of how they’re manned as well as how they’re retaining in those specialties," Wheeler said.
She said the move to cut six AFSCs from the re-enlistment bonus program affects 958 airmen in the following specialties:
Aviation Resources ManagementAvionic Test Station and ComponentsMaintenance Management ProductionMaterial ManagementPublic HealthPhysical Medicine (physical therapy)Another 1,659 airmen are in the 17 AFSCs where bonuses are being reduced, she said.
But the Air Force is increasing re-enlistment bonuses for enlisted contracting specialists, affecting 140 airmen, some of whom could collect up to $90,000 to re-enlist, Wheeler said.
"They have significant manning and retention concerns," she said.
As of April, the Air Force had 1,090 enlisted contracting specialists, or 77 percent of its authorized manning level, said Air Force spokesman Capt. Mike Andrews.
Overall, the Air Force has met its retention goals so far this year for Zones A, B and C, Andrews said.
"At the disaggregate level, the Air Force faces retention challenges for certain highly technical, high-demand career fields and needs higher-than-normal retention for some career fields that are rapidly growing to support the joint coalition fight, emerging missions and the nuclear enterprise," he said.
Right now, the Air Force’s end-strength is close to 329,000, and it is expected to reach 332,000 in 2012, service officials said Thursday.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz made it clear May 14 that the service would not go above its authorized end-strength.
"The Air Force is carefully monitoring strength levels and is actively considering all the options available to ensure we manage end-strength within acceptable tolerances," Andrews said.
