Navy Announces Aviation Retention Bonuses

18 October 2018

The Navy announced the FY-19 Aviation Department Head Retention Bonus (ADHRB) and Aviation Command Retention Bonuses (ACRB) for Active Component (AC) aviators in NAVADMIN 254/18, Oct. 17.

The AC Aviation Bonus (AvB) program, consisting of the ADHRB and ACRB, incentivizes highly talented, hard-working, career-minded Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers (NFOs) to choose to remain on active duty, said Capt. Wayne Baze, head of aviation career management.

“A vital part of developing a total force strategy and maintaining combat readiness is to provide appropriate incentives to retain skilled personnel for critical naval aviation enterprise billets,” said Baze, adding, “Our return on investment is the retention for continued Navy service of our aviation warfighters, with their invaluable, irreplaceable skill sets and leadership.”

Capable and dedicated department heads are vital to mission effectiveness and represent the crucial link between senior leadership and junior personnel. Retaining the experience and talent associated with those eligible to serve as aviation department heads greatly benefits the continued success of naval aviation.

The ADHRB eligibility criteria include selection for lieutenant commander (LCDR), and is intended for officers selected for promotion in the FY-19 LCDR statutory board.

ADHRB contracts are offered with either a three or five-year obligation that begins upon expiration of the winging active duty service obligation (ADSO) of the officer or contract approval, whichever is later. Members who take the five-year contract prior to the department head selection board results being published will receive a higher annual amount than members who take a five-year contract after the announcement of the results or a three-year contract.

The ACRB is designed to retain those officers with the talent and command experience in primary warfighting missions that are critical for the future of the service. The FY-19 ACRB incentivizes the continued service of commander (CDR) and commanding officers (CO) in follow-on assignments requiring senior aviation officers.

Applicants for ACRB must have screened on the FY-19 Aviation Command Selection Board (ACSB) as CO of an operational, operational training or special mission CDR command in order to apply. Eligibility begins with the release of NAVADMIN 254/18 and closes on Aug. 31, 2019. Members must select after screening for CDR command and the obligation takes them through the completion of their post-command commander tour.

All FY-19 ACRB contracts will be worth $100,000; all eligible officers will receive an initial payment of $34,000, and two anniversary payments of $33,000. Participation carries a three-year obligated service obligation, to include full completion of a post-command commander tour, which may be between 24 and 36 months, depending on assignment.

“Our cadre of commander commanding officers lead our Naval Aviation Enterprise today, and they are the major commanders and flag officers of tomorrow. Their skills and leadership experience are essential to the success of the Navy. The FY-19 ACRB incentivizes their continued service in follow-on assignments,” said Baze.

For more information regarding eligibility visit http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/officer/Detailing/aviation/OCM/Pages/ACCP.aspx or read NAVADMIN 254/18 at www.npc.navy.mil.

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