The U.S. Space Force joins the other services in offering incentives to select service members to extend their time in uniform. They announced this month that the smallest military branch will offer $180,000 for guardians in select career paths to reenlist. That is an increase of $80,000 over previous years, and it serves to highlight the wider Department of the Air Force efforts making reenlistment easier while offering greater incentives to its service members.
The Fiscal Year 2024 Selective Retention Bonus (FY24 SRB) program went into effect July 22, and it consists of seven Space Force specialty codes (SFSC), while the service further noted that none were removed from last year. Career fields that are eligible for the bonuses include cyber defense, cyber network operations, cyber radio frequency operations, cyber systems operations, all source analysis, cryptologic analysis, and space systems operations. Those fields serve to highlight how “cyberspace” is as much a critical domain for the U.S. Space Force as is “outer space.”
Determining the Bonus
As with the other services’ efforts to offer retention bonuses, the size depends on the guardian’s time in the service. It is based on the service member’s base pay, which is multiplied by the years of reenlistment, and by a zone multiplier that is based on the years of prior service.
“The SRB program serves as a retention tool, targeting experienced enlisted personnel in critical career fields, particularly those with lower manning or retention rates. Additionally, specialties involving extensive initial skills training and stringent qualification requirements are considered. An update to policy now enables the maximum bonus allowable per zone to be up to $180,000, an increase of $80,000 over previous years, with a career cap set at $360,000,” the Space Force said in a statement.
It added that if a guardian’s SFSC is on the FY24, they are eligible for an SRB – where the bonus may be received either in partial payments or as a lump sum upfront.
“Guardians are now allowed to reenlist up to 12 months before their expiration term of service giving them more time to decide to reenlist. The change also opens the pool of those eligible to receive selective retention bonuses while maximizing the amount they receive,” the Space Force noted. “The department also updated its obligated service cap from 72 months to 96 months. The change allows Guardians to maximize the amount received from eligible retention bonuses in addition to allowing Guardians in any SFSC flexibility in their reenlistment contract.”
Recruitment Goals
According to a report from Air & Space Forces magazine, most U.S. Space Force guardians stay in uniform past their first enlistment, and the service shows the average enlisted and officer corps retention rates have been above 90%. However, there remains a shortage of skilled cybersecurity workers – and competition is especially fierce in the private sector.
The Department of the Air Force has seen that it must step up to retain its best talent.
For 2024, the Space Force – which was created in December 2019 and employs 14,000 service members and civilians as of the end of last year – has a recruiting goal of 700 new enlisted guardians, the smallest number of the U.S. military services. By contrast, the U.S. Air Force has set a goal to recruit 25,900 new active-duty enlisted airmen by the end of September.
The U.S. Space Force has met its recruiting goal every year since its creation, hitting its targets for both officers and enlisted personnel in 2022, while the U.S. Army missed its goal by about 25%.
In February, the Space Force announced it was considering an option for prospective guardians to enlist for an initial term of eight years on active duty – double the length first-term service members usually sign up for. The goal was to build a more stable workforce, especially for those high-demand positions like cybersecurity.
