Deputy Commandant for Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs Lt. Gen. Mark Brilakis said that even though retaining pilots hasn’t been an issue for the service overall, the total number of experienced aviators has dropped precipitously, from 202,000 to 182,000.
He told a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing on military personnel, "The F-35 and V-22 [Osprey] are currently growing communities, and we don't want to be caught short in those aviation communities … We have fewer company-grade officers than we really need to be flying in our tactical squadrons. So we want to be sure that we have the opportunity and leverage to maintain those young officers as they come out of their required commitment to us and capture them for that extra bit of time," according to Military.com
Brilakis added that a request for similar retention bonuses is being submitted to Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley and Secretary of Defense James Mattis by Commandant Gen. Robert Neller for the the pilots of the V-22 Osprey, F-35s and F/A 18s.
It’s likely that the bonuses are a temporary offer, and are requested to begin October 1 in the 2018 fiscal year. According to Brilakis, the corps is compensating for the drop in retention by ratcheting up recruitment efforts.
He said, "I've got just over 500 officers still in the training pipeline, more than I need."
The Marines will also offer additional payments for servicemen willing to re-enlist in their squadron for another two years on top of retention bonuses, though the exact amount of these "kicker" incentives has not been made clear.
Brilakis remarked, "More often than not, a Marine who re-enlists has a location option. He may want to go to recruiting duty or to the drill field because our Marines serve across the Marine Corps."
"This bonus is going to take that hard-won experience at the senior sergeant, staff NCO level, and retain it in the squadron in certain numbers so they can train the next generation in those certification requirements … That's new for us," he added.
