Army offers $20,000 'quick-ship' bonus to attract recruits

[ProSense]

Army offers $20,000 'quick-ship' bonus to attract recruits

By Karoun Demirjian | Tribune staff reporter
8:15 PM CDT, August 3, 2007

Struggling to fill the ranks in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Army is now trying a new incentive: offering new and returning enlistees up to $20,000 "Q.S." bonuses in exchange for a promise to ship out quickly to basic training within 30 days of signing on the dotted line.

The bonus—"Q.S." for "quick-ship"—has already had some success in the 10 days since the army started offering it.

With less than two months to go until the end of the federal fiscal year, the army is scrambling to make recruiting goals of 80,000 new active soldiers in basic training before September 30.

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Under the "quick-ship" program, a new recruit can be on the ground, in a combat situation in as little as three to four months, depending on what additional training is required for a soldier's particular job specialization. Normally, the timeline is longer, as recruits are given up to a year from the date of signing their military contract to report to basic training. It covers recruits who enlist for at least two years of active duty and report quickly to basic training. In fact, aspiring recruits willing to sign up for at least four years and report quickly can get as much as $40,000 in installments over the time of their service.

But presently, time is of the essence, and keeping up ranks on the battlefield has become a special challenge for recruiters in past months. This spring, the army began to fall short of its mark, signing up only 5,101 of an expected 5,500 in May, and 7,031 of an expected 8,400 in June. (Figures for July will not be released until Friday.)

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[BlackHawk706867]

1. Wow, thats awesome considering that "Blackwater" personnel serving in Iraq...

are getting $30,000.00 per month (Not per year). Something wrong with this picture people!

ww

[Tom Joad]

2. quick ship and you are quickly in deep shit.

[Donnachaidh]

3. But ARE they getting this money UP FRONT?

I read somewhere that only 57% of the kids signing on for college money are getting it - which leaves 43% shit out of luck AFTER they've gone and done their service. Forty three percent is a HUGE amount of kids getting screwed after the fact.

With this bunch in Washington I'd want fresh, crisp bills IN HAND before I got on to any truck to basic. And even then, I'd be sure that any promises of help after surviving Iraq be GUARANTEED in triplicate.