After the recruit has met all the requirements, received training, and stayed with it long enough to qualify, that bonus check is released. But then, the big bad federal government steps in and waves the wand of taxation. Poof! Just like that, there goes 28% of that bonus. But wait! There’s more! Since you signed up for six years, the Army gets to pay out your bonus over those six years. Half up-front (minus 28% for Uncle Sugar), and the remainder doled out every year on the anniversary of enlistment. Oh, yeah, that’ll be taxed too.
$50,000 stacked bonus = $36,000 after taxes = $18,000 upfront = $3,000 every year = $2,160 after taxes = $30,960 total paid to recruit, over six years. It’s still a good amount of money, but not the $50k that everyone sees when they look at a recruiting site. These numbers are approximate and are used in a generic way to illustrate the workings of the bonus system.
COVID and the Army
On the heels of all this money being thrown around, the US Army has also announced that six active-duty commanders have been relieved of command in the fight against COVID. In addition to these six, nearly 3,000 soldiers have received reprimands written by general officers for refusal to take the vaccine. 3,000 out of 486,000 is not much, but it does beg the question: who are these people, and what do they do? Are they all in critically-manned career fields? Is that why the Army is offering substantial bonuses to attract new soldiers?
The ugly truth behind retention and end-strength numbers has to do with who has been retained. When an E-5 with six years of service decides to call it quits, no fresh-faced recruit has the ability to step into that role. When critically-manned career fields take a hit, training new recruits to fill those roles takes long. While the Army still has not decided how to deal with vaccine-deniers, it looks pretty clear that they will have to go. The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps have already begun separating members who refuse, and they surely run the gamut from new recruits to crusty old Master Sergeants and Colonels.
The Holes in the Vaccine
In a plot that would not be out of place in some “Weird Stories” pulp magazine, Navy combat ship USS Milwaukee was stuck in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after sailors on board tested positive for COVID. A ship with a 100% vaccinated crew of sailors. Vaccinated due to the mandate for the military, which the military is now separating people for. As one of my Senior Enlisted Advisors wants to say: “You just can’t make this shit up.” Or maybe they can. At least, that’s what it seems like anymore.
The biggest reason anyone in power wanted the military to be vaccinated was to maintain readiness. If everyone is vaccinated against this mess, the chances of getting sick are slimmer, quarantining and masking would be less pervasive, and operations could continue unimpeded because everyone has the same protections. When a sailor tested positive, though, everything came to a screeching halt. If we are going to mandate everyone receive a vaccine to maintain readiness, then fail miserably at readiness the first time it is tested, what, cosmically, is the point?
Pay for Play
What, then, is the point of offering staggering amounts of money to attract talent, then booting the talent we already have in favor of someone willing to be vaccinated in an attempt to maintain readiness that is squashed as soon as it is tested? That was a long sentence, but this is a convoluted way of thinking. If requirements are met, then the goalposts are moved. Whose fault is it those new requirements are not? If the Army consistently meets its recruiting goals, is the bonus a carrot used to entice the shot? Is it blood money paid out because it’s cheaper than figuring out a common-sense approach to this virus?
All branches of the military offer bonuses, whether for enlisting, reenlisting, or even cross-training. That money can be the difference between that six-year E-5 deciding to reenlist or bounce at separation. That money may attract the next tech superstar, that will find a way to fight without expending humans. That money may also attract some kid who only wants a job and is willing to sign up for six years to get it. It could attract the next Charles Whitman as well.
Offering bonuses is an excellent way to get bodies in boots. It is a good way to fill positions and maintain metrics. I’m just saying many people are already in those boots who want to stick around. If the Navy is any indication, having fully vaccinated crews are zero protection against a drop in readiness. How much do you want to bet the money paid in bonuses is a drop in the bucket, compared to a Navy ship idling with a full crew because the fully vaccinated crew is mired in bureaucracy? Bet that’s a lot of money…
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