Marine Corps offers bonuses to lure back former reserve pilots amid 'critical aviation shortfalls'

The Marine Corps is offering former reserve aviators bonuses worth tens of thousands of dollars to rejoin in order to fill “critical aviation shortfalls.”

Eligible applicants can receive retention bonuses of $20,000 or $30,000 upon re-accession depending on whether they sign on for 24 months or 36 months, according toa memo first reported by Military.com.

The Active Reserve Aviator Return to Service Program is aimed at former captains and majors who are qualified to operate specific aircraft, including MV-22B Ospreys, which are tilt-rotor aircraft, and UH-1Y Venoms, which are helicopters.

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The program is open to aviators who previously qualified, or hadn’t applied for, career designations. Aviators who had applied for, but were not offered, career designations are not eligible. (More details on eligibility can be found here.)

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Approved bonuses will be paid by Sept. 24. They will be issued on a first-come, first-serves basis because funds are limited.

As previously reported by FOX Business, bonuses and other incentives were one strategy researchers suggested that the U.S. military look into in order to boost recruiting and retention outcomes.

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