Can money improve the retention of personnel in the military? Will this attract better recruits?

Money always talks! However, if the SM still doesn't feel like they belong, contributing, or even valued there isn't enough money in the world to keep the "best" Soldiers!!! Soldiers still want to be valued and in today's Military it's hard to feel like we are valued!

I think if bonuses were more realistic. Entry level bonuses of 15-20K you wouldn't see that in the private sector. Bonuses need to be smaller and tax free. Secondly, money only entices. We need to stop pandering to likes and dislikes. The military has standards and traditions.

I met a 92L (Petroleum Lab Specialist) who came into the Army with a huge bonus. The chain of command placed him in the training room. His leaders knew that he received a bonus and kept him in the company training room. His morale was low. He may have ETSed. His commander and 1SG missed the opportunity here. There are many more soldiers like this out there.

Around 2006 the army was giving retention bonuses to officers. Many of my friends in year group 99 and 00 took the 25K-30K bonus. They had already plan to stay in anyways. Then most of them were kicked out through the OSB and were able to retire under TERA. Awesome, Pay them to stay and kick them out with lifetime of benefits.

I know I mixed bonuses for recruits/retention with officer retention bonuses in my response. The point is, throwing money at the problem rarely fixes it. It is a temporary bandage. For those in hard debt it sounds like a great escape.

Adjustment of the Base Pay tables can yield a different set of results, or problems if poorly adjusted.

I can't speak for Active Duty, but the NG is working hard to retain soldiers. The problem is to stay for what? The guys who didn't want to deploy are long gone, and now the guys who stayed for the deployments are leaving. Retention bonuses are nice, but one won't keep me. For the Guard side, they would do much better taking the money they blow on bonuses and using it to fund schools. Soldiers can't get on the EPS list because they haven't completed NCOES that they can't get a slot for, but they can get a 12,000 reenlistment bonus? I'd reup for EOCA, crap, even Combative level one! Fact is, they don't care what I'd re-up for, because I'll re-up anyway. Unless I can go AF EOD.

I was never a fan of tossing money to recruit or retain people. You are still going to find that even the shitbirds would stay in for a check with 3-4 zeros on it. I honestly believe the newer generations are just getting spoiled. Maybe at the time of recruitment they are promised the world. We can go back 50+ years when it comes to quality of life in the military. Just in the last 15 years that quality supersedes a lot of civ life styles. I don't think money is the answer.

Nope. It hasn't made that much of an impact the last 20 years. Don't expect it ever will.

The answer is.?.look at the bonuses they give to Special Forces personnel with experience to stay in instead of going to good-paying private security companies!

I recall how in 2008 they offered me $10 grand as a Civil Affair's Captain to stay in another 3-5 years. This was offered to most Civil Affairs. I can't remember the details but some of you recall.

They were losing too many (leave the service/resigning) during the surge in Iraq/Afghanistan. Money talks and BS walks. Civil Servants don't work at GS-1 levels all their lives. Some Officers and Senior Enlisted contemplating a move out of the service will stay if given incentives especially if the latest sensing in the military is the feeling is (right nor wrong) that higher does not care about them or that training is truncated due to lack of funds due to the sequestered budget in a high optempo environment like the last 3 years.

What do you think, Rallypoint?

Honestly, I don't believe money has anything to do with it. You either want to be a part of the military or you don't. Money isn't going to make putting up with the daily crap any easier. Money won't make you any less frustrated when you are standing in front of your superiors because the service members in your charge can't be trusted to act like the grown adults they are.

Hell, I knew Marines who popped on a urinalysis right after cashing their reenlistment bonus check.

Don't get me wrong, everyone loves money. But money can only make you put up with so much and in our line of work, there isn't enough money for what we deal with.

Retention and recruiting are two different things. Often large recruiting bonuses attract folks that only stay for one enlistment.

Recruiting and retention are two separate topics.
My youngest son (3.8 GPA and Eagle Scout) wants to join the Army but is having major difficulties getting in. They are being nit picky about the most mundane issues that were taken for granted a few years ago. Plus, the jobs available are, well, not good ones and offer absolutely no incentives, i.e., bonuses, location, or schools (airborne, air assault, etc). A good friend of mine's son (honor student from private HS, and BA graduate) just went in. He just graduated as honor student from infantry school (11B) and was chosen for SF training, but because he had a grease-fire burn on his arm (from working in fast food) they automatically stated it was a self-inflicted wound/self-harm and pulled him from the training. It's as if they are looking for any reason not to recruit quality soldiers.
The retention question is bizarre now, in that, I keep reading and seeing guys at the VA being given pink slips. So its not really a matter of wanting them to stay, but more about letting them stay.