Critics Want Overhaul of Army's Bonus System [View All]

snip>
But outside the Pentagon, a growing number of military experts, retired Army officials, recruiters and applicants have begun to clamor for an overhaul in how the Army doles out its incentives. They say that the Army's use of the top bonus amount can be confusing, and it is indeed handed out very infrequently, leading some to charge that applicants can be misled. The bonus disparities among seemingly equal recruits, they said, can also lead to dissension in the ranks as soldiers compare what they received to enlist.

Most fundamentally, though, critics described the program as an ineffective tool for attracting troops - a holdover from an era when the most significant recruiting challenges came from competition with a robust economy. Now the main hindrance to recruitment is war, many said, and bonuses should be used to boost compensation for anyone willing to volunteer.

"The problem is that they need volume," said Col. David Slotwinski, a former chief of staff for the Army's recruiting command, who retired in 2004. "The bonuses should be spread so you can attract the greatest volume in the shortest time."

http://nytimes.com/2005/08/15/national/15recruit.html