Bonuses in the blue: Does cash affect re-enlistment decisions? Published Dec. 17, 2008 By Brandice J. Armstrong Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- The Air Force recently introduced an updated selective re-enlistment bonus program. Designed to encourage Airmen to stay in the military through financial means, the program could significantly increase re-enlistment rates. But, Tinker officials said historically money is not the reason Airmen re-enlist, and it's too early to determine an impact on re-enlistment rates. Airmen re-enlist for a variety of reasons -- family history, tradition, pride in the military and its core values, and lifestyle benefits -- but Chief Master Sgt. James Foltz, 552nd Air Control Wing command chief, said its rarely solely about the money. Furthermore, re-enlistment rates within the air control wing have remained steady. "Our Airmen of today, for the most part, do not re-enlist for the bonuses. It's not about the money," said Chief Foltz, who has re-enlisted six times. "They're doing it because they love their jobs, they love what they do, and they care about what the Air Force stands for. The bonus is just an added incentive." Introduced this past September, the newest SRB is approximately three times larger than the previous SRB. It offers an additional $83 million for bonuses to Airmen in one of 88 career fields. The last SRB program offered a total of $53 million for Airmen in 37 career fields, according to an Air Force Times article. Of the more than 25 specialty codes on the newest SRB list, the chief said 22 of them are assigned to Air Combat Command units here at Tinker. But, a majority of the career fields are highly deployable and hard to man. During challenging economic times, the chief said he wouldn't be surprised if money plays a part this time in the decision to re-enlist. "Deployments have hit some career fields harder than others at Tinker and some Airmen might lean towards separating because of it," Chief Foltz said. "However, we've had several things happen in the last few months and can anticipate changes in the future that will affect an Airman's decision to separate -- the economy, gas prices, the housing market and the Department of Defense budget. Airmen, who six months ago were thinking about separating, might now decide to re-enlist because of these factors." Senior Master Sgt. Bethann Fleming, Team Tinker's Career Assistance advisor, agreed. "When you have that instability on the outside, one thing that you know in the military -- unless you get in trouble and get kicked out -- is you know where your next paycheck is coming from," said Sergeant Fleming, who has re-enlisted five times. "You have that job security." The chief said the overall reaction to the latest SRB has been positive, but it's too soon to tell if re-enlistment rates will be affected. From fiscal 2007 to 2008, Chief Foltz said there was hardly a difference in re-enlistment rates in the 552nd ACW. There were 2 percent fewer first-term Airmen who re-enlisted, but the number of re-enlisting second-term Airmen increased by 1 percent, and the amount of re-enlisting career Airmen stayed the same. "More pay, or the SRB, might help, but if Airmen don't like their jobs, money isn't going to make a difference," the chief said.