Hundreds of Soldiers Ordered to Recruiting School Were Promised Bonuses. So Far, Just 2 Have Been Paid.
Published July 12, 2024 at 11:30 am
The Army is behind paying some $8.5 million worth of bonuses it promised to noncommissioned officers who went to recruiting school last winter as part of a surge to reverse a historic slump in enlistments.
In November, the service made a chaotic mad dash to deal with the recruiting crisis, begging for volunteers and ordering about 800 soldiers to the recruiting school at Fort Knox, Kentucky -- with some troops getting only a week's notice. Meanwhile, service planners promised $5,000 bonuses to anyone who attended the school between Nov. 1 and March 31.
Out of the 1,700 soldiers who attended the school in that time period, only two have received the bonus, the Army confirmed to Military.com.
"The Army announced it would pay a $5,000 incentive to soldiers interested in becoming recruiters over the winter," Master Sgt. Josephine Pride, an Army spokesperson, said in a statement to Military.com. "Two soldiers have met those requirements."
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/07/12/army-behind-paying-85-million-worth-of-bonuses-soldiers-forced-become-recruiters.html