Senior Special Forces troops reap reward of retention bonuses

Critical Skills Retention Bonuses are retention incentives for senior NCOs and warrant officers in high-priority MOSs who are nearing 20 years of service, or who already are eligible for retirement. Under law, soldiers may not receive a CSRB of more than $200,000. Currently the Army does not authorize CSRB payments in excess of $150,000.

Bonuses generally are tax-free if paid in a combat zone. However, soldiers may not receive more than $200,000 in total bonus payments over their career from the CSRB and Selective Retention Bonus program. Budget projections indicate that during the coming year, the Army will spend about $20 million on these programs, with a bulk of that spending going to Special Forces soldiers.

Warrant Officer CSRB. Bonuses of $18,000 to $150,000 are targeted at military occupational specialty 180A Special Forces warrants in grades CW2 and CW3 who have 19 to 23 years of active service and who are fully eligible for continued service. Officer must obligate themselves for at least two years, and cannot exceed 25 years of service.

Bonus amounts are payable at an officer’s option in a lump sum or in installments as follows: $150,000 for six years, $75,000 for five years, $50,000 for four years, $30,000 for three years and $18,000 for two years.

Enlisted soldiers who are serving a Selective Re-enlistment Bonus or CSRB extension, and who are appointed as an 180A warrant officer, will not be required to repay previously awarded bonus payments to qualify for the CRSB, but they will be required to complete the remaining portion of the service extension associated with the previous bonus.

Senior NCO Critical Skills Bonuses. This retention program is targeted at Special Forces soldiers in the ranks of promotable sergeant first class and above who have 19 to 23 years of active federal service, and who agree to service extensions of 24 months to 72 months.

Lump sum bonuses range from $18,000 to $150,000, based on a soldier’s specialty and length of service extension. The biggest bonuses go to soldiers with proficiency in a foreign language. For details, consult MilPer Message 15-332, dated Oct. 22, 2015.

Story from the Army Times