The Navy is looking to shore up its aviation retention numbers this year by pumping big bucks into bonuses for aviators and naval flight officers, officials have announced. The service has more than doubled the total bonus that aviators can earn if they stay in uniform through 25 years of service and has boosted the maximum bonus for naval flight officers by well over 50 percent. The new program has several options.
Eligible officers can get half the bonus in one lump-sum payment when they sign such an agreement.
Betsy Bird, a spokeswoman for the Navy's Bureau of Personnel, said those milestones include assignments as department head, commanding or executive officer, and post commander, as well as major command tours. The Navy is feeling intense competition for its aviator talent from commercial airlines, which have been hiring in record numbers over the past couple of years. According to Pentagon statistics, the Navy ended last fiscal year 580 aviators short of its requirements. The service's aviator resignations have climbed an increasingly steep slope in recent years, going from 412 in fiscal 1997 to 489 in fiscal 1998, and rising again to 521 in fiscal 1999. Many of the losses are coming from the particularly valuable junior officer ranks, officials said.