Air Force Expands Retention Bonuses to More Career Fields

The U.S. Air Force has added more career fields to the list of those qualified for retention and reenlistment bonuses for fiscal year 2025. This is to try to keep skilled airmen in the service as competition from the private sector grows.

The new list, which went into effect on December 16, covers 89 career fields, up from 73 the year before.Critical jobs like signal intelligence, nuclear weapons, aircraft maintenance, and cybersecurity are among the ones that are being looked for.

There are also language-focused jobs for people who know Chinese, Korean, Russian, or Persian. Also given top priority are special operations jobs like combat control and pararescue.

Ann Stefanek, a spokesperson for the Air Force, said, "The expansion makes sure we keep top talent in areas where demand is rising outside the military."The updated list was first shared online, and Military.com later confirmed it. It shows how the Air Force plans to deal with a competitive job market, with a focus on almost a dozen areas of computer systems and operations.Notably, some areas that used to be eligible for bonuses are no longer on the list.

Soldiers in these places have until February 15, 2025, to re-enlist under the old rules in order to get their bonuses.As part of the Air Force's larger plan to stay ready, retention bonuses help keep experienced people in jobs that are in high demand.

The fact that the military is investing more shows that they know how valuable airmen are to both national security and civilian industries.