Selected Marine Corps Reserve personnel in ranks E-4 to E-6 are now eligible for one-time pay bumps for remaining in specific job specialties, according to a Marine Corps memo released Wednesday.
As part of the Selected Marine Corps Reserve Retention and Affiliation Bonus Program, corporals, sergeants and staff sergeants with select MOSs are eligible for up to $20,000 lump-sum bonuses upon extending service in the SMCR for 36 months, according to the MARADMIN.
Marines in those ranks are also eligible to serve terms of 12 and 24 months, with corresponding bonus payments of $5,000 and $10,000, respectively.
Eligible Marines who apply for the 24- or 36-month extension may also do so alongside a lateral move request, the message notes.
A $5,000 kicker, issued on top of the bonus payments, is also available for select Marines assigned to certain units and locations.
The initiative, which was authorized for release by Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Lt. Gen. William J. Bowers, is aimed at incentivizing qualified Marines in the SMCR, Individual Mobilization Augmentee, the active component and Individual Ready Reserve “to commit to SMCR service in order to meet validated billet requirements and enhance unit readiness,” according to the message.
“This program supports the commandant’s retention priorities by encouraging continued service from experienced Marines and facilitating seamless transitions from the active component and IRR to the SMCR,” the message adds.
In all, 100 MOSs are listed as eligible for the retention bonuses, with a range of infantry, artillery, radio and engineer jobs among those included.
Various criteria, such as being skipped over for promotion, reduced in rank or receiving a nonjudicial punishment within the year prior to program application will result in ineligibility, according to the message. Additionally, staff sergeants who have been selected for gunnery sergeant are not eligible for the incentive.
Data released by the Marine Corps in September showed that the service had exceeded its most recent active-duty and reserve enlisted recruiting goal by a single person, bringing in 30,536 Marines across those components.
Marine Corps officials at the time noted the close-call total was a credit to the service being more selective of who it recruits.
Read the full MARADMIN to see the comprehensive list of eligibility criteria, MOSs, units and duty stations.
J.D. Simkins is the executive editor of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.
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