European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 12, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday april 12 2007 stars and stripes pages rising Cost of retention reenlistment bonuses cause military spending to soar by Lolita c Baldor the associated press Washington the Strug Gle to entice soldiers and marines to stay in the military after four years of War in Iraq has ballooned into a 51 billion Campaign with bonuses soaring nearly six fold since 2003 the size and number of bonuses have grown As officials scram bled to meet the steady demand for troops on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan and reverse sporadic shortfalls in the number of National guard and Reserve soldiers willing to sign on for multiple Tours besides underscoring the extraordinary Steps the Pentagon must take to maintain fighting forces the Rise in costs for reenlistment incentives is putting strains on the defense budget Al ready strapped by the massive costs of waging War and equip Ping and caring for a modern Mili tary the bonuses can Range from a few thousand dollars to As much As 5150000 for very senior Spe Cial forces soldiers who reenlist for six years All told the army and marines spent 5103 billion for reenlistment payments last year compared with 5174 million in 2003 the year the War in Iraq began the associated press compiled and Analysed the budget figures from the military services for this Story War is expensive said col Mike Jones who oversees Rete your full communication provider overseas Call us 06221750050 email us visit us  Telephone and Del lines with fast activation Low Cost Calls to Usa for Only 19 cents support and software in English incentives to keep troops in military bonuses to entice army soldiers to stay in the military have increased sixfold since the beginning of the Iraq War million 2006 retention bonuses fiscal years 200306 400 2003 200 army army Natl guard army Reserve source department of defense marines a Tion issues for the National guard winning a War however is less expensive than losing one the soaring budget for reenlist ment bonuses particularly for the guard and Reserve which have seen the most dramatic Cost increases has prompted some observers to question whether the country can still afford its Volun Teer Force i believe the whole Issue of the affordability of the Volunteer Force is something we need to look at said Arnold Punaro who Heads an Independent panel established by Congress to study the National guard and Reserve the higher bonuses come As support for the War continues to Wane both in Congress and with the american Public that decline is fueling concerns that More sol Diers will leave the military under pressure from families who fear the rising death toll and Are weary of the lengthy and repeated overseas deployments the Iraq War has claimed the lives of at least 3280 us troops to Date incentives for army guard and Reserve members combined have skyrocketed from about s27 million in 2003 to More than million in 2006 the Active army meanwhile poured More than s600 million into these payments last year a sixfold increase from million in 2003 the army gave two out of every three soldiers who reenlisted a Bonus last year compared to less than two in 10 who received one during 2003 those who dont get bonuses Are generally in jobs that Are not in High demand or Are not in War zones for example certain artillery Crew members who reenlisted outside Afghanistan or Iraq would receive no Bonus said army spokesman it col Bryan Hilferty bonuses for marines have nearly doubled from about s50 million in 2003 to nearly s90 million in 2006 the incentives help the military compete with private employers who often pay much higher Sala Ries Hilferty said soldiers with valuable skills and experience Are aggressively sought after by Industry Hilfer i believe the whole Issue of the affordability of the Volunteer Force is something we need to look at f 7 Arnold Punaro leads Independent panel created by Congress to study National guard and Reserve to said he said while the extra Money is important people dont reenlist in a wartime army for 513000 if soldiers didst think they were doing the right thing for the right reason they would get out and get a Job Back Home he said soldiers with special skills can get bonuses Between 510000 and 530000 with a select few eligible for payments up to 550000 bonuses for marines in certain critical special ties can go As High As for a new fou year tour Punaro chair Man of the com Mission on the National guard and reserves Calls the soaring costs a ticking time bomb my instinct tells me that the guard and Reserve will continue to be a real bargain for the taxpayer because the costs for the Active duty military have gone up a lot More he said find the Best airfare see classified for More info ban miss your Seanior of me cabalist sap sit s  usage services extreme summer mag  it features hundreds of ways to play and win Over Worth of incredible pres 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