Intelligence officers in certain Air Force Specialty Codes may be eligible for a retention bonus up to $30,000, according to an Aug. 7 release. Eligible officers have until Sept. 22 to apply for the critical skills retention bonus, which is similar to the aviator pay bonuses announced earlier this year. “We simply can’t afford to lose the experience and skills of these intelligence officers who are critical to our national security,” said Lt. Gen. Bob Otto, head of the ISR directorate on the Air Staff. Certain incentives will be targeted at key year groups and will be critical to the Air Force’s effort to size, shape, and stabilize the force, he added. Eligible officers (captains and majors from the 2004-2007 year groups) must have a 14N core Air Force Specialty Code, and must be a graduate of the 14N initial skills training course at Goodfellow AFB, Texas. Depending on grade, years of services, and option, applicants could be eligible for $12,000, $20,000, or $30,000 bonuses.
The Pentagon fulfilled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's promise to slash the number of Religious Affiliation Codes used by the military to track the volume of members adhering to different religions and to shape the chaplain corps to support them. The change reduces the number of religions counted for such purposes…