SRB levels slashed; some fields see boost

[unhappycamper]

Sailors recite the oath of enlistment Oct. 13 during a mass re-enlistment ceremony for 117 sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Gulf of Oman. The fleet was hit with a massive reduction in re-enlistment bonuses Feb. 10, the largest in at least 10 years.


SRB levels slashed; some fields see boost
By Mark D. Faram - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Feb 15, 2009 17:37:54 EST

The largest reduction in selective re-enlistment bonus levels in at least a decade hit the fleet Feb. 10, in which half of the Navy’s multiples dropped or went away.

Across re-enlistment zones A, B and C — which covers sailors up to the 14-year point — 412 rating and Navy enlisted classification code combinations decreased, out of 797 overall combinations. Of the 412 bonus levels, 219 were zeroed out.

The increases were small — just 35 categories, mostly in the critical fields of nuclear power, SEALs, explosive ordnance disposal, Seabees and fire control.

“After a six- or seven-year decline , we are now done downsizing and we are stabilizing the force,” said Rear Adm. Dan Holloway, who manages manpower and personnel policy for the chief of naval personnel.

With the economy forcing high numbers of sailors to stay Navy rather than try to find a job on the outside, officials say a downward movement in SRB levels was only a matter of time.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/02/navy_srb_021509w/%2e