Bonus Babies in Uniform

The Pentagon is already paying big bonuses to try to attract and keep the men and women it needs. The Army gives a $3,000 bonus to recruits signing up for infantry or armor; the Navy pays $2,000 extra to those willing to learn nuclear skills or how to be boiler technicians; the Marines offer $2,500 for enlisting in the combat branches. Only the Air Force does not pay such premiums.

The Pentagon's most ambitious incentive program aims at encouraging re-enlistment of those whose skills are in high demand in the civilian economy. The size of each bonus is determined by a complex formula involving the person's base pay, the length of the re-enlistment and the scarcity of the skill. Bonuses can be collected only twice during a career and may not exceed $12,000, except for enlisted men in the Navy's nuclear service, who get up to $15,000.

Typical bonuses for persons with six years of service who re-enlist for three years: an Army infantryman $2,000 and an atomic demolitions munitions specialist $8,000; a Navy boiler technician $10,000 and a nuclear propulsion specialist $12,000; a Marine microwave-equipment repairman $6,000; an Air Force aircraft sheet metal worker $2,000 and an air traffic controller $8,000.

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