Rep. Johnson calls on National Guard to guarantee future reenlistment bonuses

Troubled by a trend of suspended or delayed reenlistment bonuses, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) recently wrote to National Guard Bureau Chief Daniel Hokanson urging the service branch to maintain incentive payments for its members.

“In October 2023, over 9,000 soldiers were identified as experiencing delays receiving their enlistment bonus payment – including South Dakotans, some by up to five years,” Johnson wrote. “My office assisted other soldiers who experienced similar delays receiving their retention bonuses in 2021. Further, the Army National Guard suspended payments to soldiers eligible for student loan repayment in July of 2023. This suspension was, according to an NGB spokesperson, due to insufficient funding for the incentive initiative.”

The Armed Services as a whole reportedly missed its recruitment goals last year by more than 40,000 people. According to Johnson, it now operates with the smallest active-duty force since 1940, and that incentive programs could go a long way to changing that. Servicemembers, he stressed, count on those bonuses to pay bills. Their lack could turn others away from enlisting, and the lawmaker indicated concerns that the NGB wasn’t properly accounting for interest in the reenlistment program.

“The importance of enlistment and reenlistment bonuses cannot be overstated,” Johnson said. “At a time when recruitment is at a record low, the NGB should prioritize the availability of bonus contracts to ensure the Guard is attracting and retaining the best talent America has to offer.”

Most recently, the Army National Guard suspended reenlistment bonuses on March 1, 2024. They restarted on March 8, but that left a full week when their future was in limbo. Johnson cited similar examples from October 2023, when more than 9,000 soldiers experienced delays for their enlistment bonuses, as well as in 2021.