The bonuses, which Air National Guard officials said were part of a “summer surge incentive,” are part of new recruiting and retention initiatives across the force, officials said in a release.

The Air National Guard’s recruiting goal for 2026 is to add nearly 11,580 airmen this year to its current force, according to Air Force Maj. Jonathon Ladue, a spokesperson for the National Guard Bureau. The Air Guard is made up of 50 state and 4 territory-based units with over 105,000 airmen, about one-third the number of personnel on active duty.

The Air National Guard fell short of its recruiting goal in 2023, but surpassed its goals by nearly 700 in 2024 and over 1,100 in 2025, Ladue said.

The Air Guard is also implementing a new command structure for recruiting in 54 states and territories with flights for smaller units and squadrons for larger ones. The units will report directly to the “joint force headquarters echelon,” Ladue said.

For the Hawaii Air National Guard’s new flight, the unit will now have 20 full-time Guardsmen dedicated to recruiting new airmen who report to the state headquarters.

The New York Air National Guard, which has more than 5,900 personnel, added a squadron.

Previously, its recruiters worked for separate guard wings. Now, the squadron’s 66 personnel, which has 38 recruiters, will report directly to the commander of the New York Air National Guard.

“This change places emphasis on the importance of the recruiting and retention mission while also empowering the teams to react quickly and effectively to change in the recruitment environment,” Ladue said.

The Air Guard is also updating its marketing strategy with a campaign titled “Guard What Matters,” highlighting the part-time nature of guard service. One commercial in the campaign shows an airman carrying a civilian draped in an emergency space blanket, and then the same guard member off duty, playing basketball.

“I save lives while living my best life. This is how I serve. Serve your state. Serve your nation,” the commercial says.

The Air Guard also has stood up small teams it calls “CoLabs,” made up of 12 airmen who are assigned to recruiting squadrons and flights. These teams develop local digital recruiting strategies and teach local recruiters skills working with AI, content creation, social media strategy, and digital engagement. 

“The focus isn’t building influencers, it’s building digitally proficient recruiters who can authentically connect with today’s applicants while maintaining Air Force standards and compliance,” Ladue said.

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The move comes as the Army announced last year that it would cut 6,500 aviation jobs, and close down nearly all flying units in the reserves. The new Active Duty Service Obligation, or ADSO agreements, will be open to senior flyers but be capped at a soldier’s 25th year in service, according to a July 26 Army message.

“This program is essential to retain rated aviators critical to the success of the Army’s mission,” officials said in the policy memo. “The rated aviator inventory will be reviewed each quarter and the [aviation bonus] program will be adjusted to meet the needs of the Army.”

Before the last year of cuts, aviation retention swung in the opposite direction as Congress and the services scrambled to retain military aviators who were opting out of the service in large numbers and moving on to fly with commercial airlines. In the fiscal year 2017 national defense bill, Congress authorized the maximum amount of incentive pay for aviators across the services. The Army also began offering 10-year contracts to new pilots to keep them in the service longer.

After that era of hiring new pilots, a chief warrant officer four with over 20 years of service told Task & Purpose that the service now needs more senior flyers to train the surplus of junior pilots.

“We’ve recognized massive capability gaps in our tracked aviator pool, mostly because of the rise in airline hiring,” the chief warrant officer said. “They tried increasing accessions, creating [a] glut of junior pilots with no one to train them. But you can’t fix a senior experience gap with a bunch of new pilots.”

Individual monthly bonuses are available to chief warrant officers. The amount will vary based on a pilot’s years of service and the years they agree to serve. Pilots with between 12 and 14 years of service can receive $75,600 for signing up for three more years. Warrant officers who have been in for at least 18 years can sign four, five or six-year contracts and earn between $120,000 and $209,880.

The Army is prioritizing bonuses for several types of particular roles, including instructor pilots, maintenance officers and maintenance test flight evaluators who fly Black Hawk, Apache or Chinook helicopters, which make up the bulk of the Army’s aviation branch. Bonuses could also go to aviation mission survivability officers who fly Chinooks.

The fiscal year 2026 retention bonuses come less than a year into the shakeup across the Army aviation corps as the service prepares for uncrewed aircraft and drones. Last year, Army officials said they were cutting 6,500 active duty aviation jobs, including pilots, air crews and maintenance soldiers. Nearly 4,600 Army Reserve soldiers are also facing cuts as the service plans to eliminate its helicopter units.

Officials told Task & Purpose that the majority of active duty cuts would come from natural attrition, like retirements and job switches, but that hundreds of junior officers deemed bottom performers would be cut. The mass overhauls, aviators said, had damaged morale and left some questioning a future in the service.

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“The AC Aviation Command Retention Bonus (ACRB) program incentivizes highly talented, hardworking Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers (NFO) screened for aviation command to choose to remain on Active Duty,” a NavAdmin released Friday states. “Our return on investment is the retention for continued Naval Service of our aviation warfighters, with their invaluable, irreplaceable skillsets and leadership.”

Bonuses start at $37,000 and cap at $150,000, according to the memo. Applicants “must have screened during the Aviation Command Screen Board (ACSB) as CO of an eligible Operational (OP), Operational Training (OPT) or Special Mission (SM) CDR command in order to apply,” the memo states.

Second-in-grade/sequential/bonus/fleet replacement squadron commands are excluded from the retention bonus, per the release.

The contract requires commanders and commanding officers to commit to two to three years of obligated service and the full completion of a Post Command Commander tour — which varies between 24 and 36 months.

Those currently under the Aviation Department Head Retention Bonus are eligible to apply, with ACRB “activated” upon the ADHRB contract expiration.

Per the release, ACRB rates are as follows:

• 2-year option: $37,000 total ($18,500/year), with the obligation ending at 21 years of commissioned service.
• 3-year option: $129,000 total ($43,000/year), with the obligation ending at 22 years of commissioned service.
• Sea Duty Incentive: $10,000/year (not to exceed $50,000/year total compensation) for each year of the contract, for those who report to post command orders to operational carrier strike groups, carriers, and amphibious assault ships. Due to the $50,000/year statutory cap, sea duty incentive for the 3-year option will be reduced to $7,000/year.

As the “flag officers of tomorrow,” the Navy hopes the financial incentives will help retain those with capabilities and command experience that are “critical for the future of our service.”

The application process closes Aug. 31, 2026.

The incentives are part of the Navy’s annual Training and Administration of the Reserve Aviation Department Head Retention program. This year’s bonuses were announced in a Navy Administrative Message, or NAVADMIN, released in late June and are aimed specifically at personnel currently serving as department head billets. Specifically, they are incentives for members of the Training and Administration of the Reserve program, who are Navy Reserve sailors who are serving as full-time active duty in support of training reservists.

“By encouraging these critical pilots and naval flight officers to continue their service, we ensure our force remains proficient, lethal, and ready for any mission,” Lt. Cmdr. James Adams, a spokesperson for Navy Personnel Command, told Task & Purpose.

Under this year’s announced bonuses, new incentives will be paid in three, five or seven annual installments, according to the NAVADMIN, with the lowest bonus being $15,000 per year and the highest being $40,000. That can be awarded annually for seven years, for a $280,000 bonus payout to eligible aviators.

Eligibility for the bonuses is limited to lieutenant and lieutenant commanders in the reserves who have completed 12 months as the head of an aviation department. Eligible roles include helicopter sea combat pilots, airborne command and control naval flight officers and electronic attack squadron pilot, among a total of 16 jobs.

“By encouraging these critical pilots and naval flight officers to continue their service, we ensure our force remains proficient, lethal, and ready for any mission,” Adams said.

The amount of eligible aviators fluctuates through the year, Adams said, but “the strategic goal of this program isn’t about hitting a specific quota. It’s a proactive talent management tool designed to retain the leadership capability these individuals represent, which is essential for maintaining full-time readiness within the Navy.”

The bonuses are part of a wider effort in the military to keep experienced pilots in the ranks, rather than lose them to potential private sector positions. This spring the Air Force offered as much as $50,000 per year for eligible active-duty pilots serving as air battle managers or as pilots of manned and unmanned aircraft.

All contracts must be received by the Training and Administration of the Reserve Distribution and Augmentation by Aug. 26, the Navy said.

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