The Navy is offering bonuses worth up to $180,000 to help keep senior officers in the submarine fleet.
“The purpose of the change to the nuclear officer bonus and incentive pay is to retain the service and experience of our senior submariners as our fleet continues to grow,” said Lt. Rick Moore, a spokesman for the Chief of Naval Personnel.
“We only only want to keep senior major commanders, whose skill and expertise in the submarine community will help train the next generation of leaders, but we want to encourage new officers to join the nuclear propulsion training program.”
Major commands include helming guided-missile submarines, sub squadrons or task forces; overseeing submarine training, maintenance or tenders; plus commanding submarine bases, Moore said.
Beginning Oct. 1, sub officers who have served in major command and have accrued more than 26 years of commissioned service will be eligible for annual bonuses of between $35,000 and $45,000.
For an officer now in a major command or who has finished a tour, inking a one-year Nuclear Officer Continuation Bonus contract will add an extra $35,000.
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Captains with at least 26 years of service and experience running a major command can opt for two-, three- or four-year contracts, earning an extra $45,000 annually up to the 30-year mark.
Then they must retire if they haven’t been selected for rear admiral.
Shorter terms of obligated service will be paid out at $35,000 annually, according to the Navy.
For more information, contact Lt. Chase Cummins at chase.m.cummins@navy.mil.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
