Meatstick News: Army Officers Reup Bonus

I received a memorandum by email yesterday that stated the Army is now offering a one time $20,000 bonus for any Captain who is willing to stay in the Army for three more years. The Army has been giving enlisted soldiers re-enlistment bonuses since the Revolutionary War, but this marks the first time in recent history that the same type of bonus for time extension is being offered to Army officers. I knew this was only a matter of time because the Army has been doing extensive research on ways to keep junior officers from leaving the Army at the end of their first committment (usually 4 or 5 years). The memo, dated 5 April 2007, states:

In order to be eligible...such officers shall execute a written agreement that provides for a 3 year service obligation in exchange for a lump sum payment of a $20,000 bonus, which shall be paid upon acceptance of the agreement by the Army.

In my opinion there are 3 types of junior officers in the Army: those getting out no matter what, those who are staying in the Army for a career no matter what, and those who are undecided. This bonus is clearly going after the small minority of junior officers who are undecided. To me this strategy is kind of flawed on the part of the Army. Do you really want to keep and promote officers that you essentially bought off for a few thousand dollars? An officer in the Army these days can have a tremendous amount of responsibility placed on them by virtue of their position, including the lives of large groups of soldiers. A junior officer in the Army should stay in the Army because they love leading America's sons and daughters, not because they got a lump sum check for $20,000. I don't blame the junior officer who takes this money, I blame the Army that offers it.

I also find it interesting that this memorandum comes out at exactly the same time that 1,000 West Point Captains are coming up on the end of their 5 year committment.