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Air Force Reserve retention remains on track

  • Published
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, GA --  EDITOR’S NOTE: The following commentary is from testimony by Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, chief of Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command, before the U.S. House of Representative Committee on Armed Services July 19.

WASHINGTON – Retaining quality service people is a top priority for the Air Force Reserve, and officer and enlisted retention has remained strong.
So far this fiscal year, officer retention is 92.3 percent and overall enlisted retention is 88.4 percent. These rates are in line with averages over the last five years.

As the Air Force Reserve continues to surge to meet operational requirements necessary for the successful prosecution of the Global War on Terrorism, we continue to examine existing laws and policies that govern enlisted incentives and related compensation issues.

The reserve enlisted bonus program is a major contributor to attract and retain unit reservists and individual mobilization augmentees in those critical unit type code-tasked career fields. To enhance retention, we are working within existing statutes and allocated resources to ensure reservists receive relevant and equitable compensation considering the growing reliance on the reserve components to accomplish active-duty missions. In addition, Aviation Continuation Pay, Career Enlisted Flyers Incentive Pay and Aircrew Incentive Pay continue to be offered to retain rated officers and enlisted people.

The Air Force Reserve has made many strides in increasing education benefits for our members. We offer 100 percent tuition assistance to people pursuing an undergraduate degree and 75 percent for graduate degrees. Through DANTES Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support, we also employ CLEP College Level Examination Program testing service for all reservists and their spouses. We will continue to seek innovative ways to enhance retention.