U.S. Navy Reserve: FY2026/2027 recruiting and retention bonuses up to $20,000

Published Jul 23, 08:45 PM UTC

The U.S. Navy Reserve announced a new fiscal 2026/2027 Recruiting and Retention Incentive Program offering bonuses up to $20,000 for enlisted sailors and up to $12,000 annually for officers. Effective June 1, 2026, the program targets new recruits with no prior service (New Accession Training Enlistment Bonus), active-duty sailors transitioning to the reserve (Reserve Component Affiliation Bonus), prior service civilians (Prior Service Reenlistment Bonus), and current reservists in critical specialties (Selective Retention Bonus). Officers can receive affiliation bonuses of $10,000, direct commission accession bonuses of $12,000, and retention bonuses of $12,000 annually for three years. The initiative follows the Navy's recent recruiting successes, including hitting fiscal 2026 goals of 45,000 new sailors three months early, after missing targets in fiscal 2023. The Navy also previously announced bonuses up to $40,000 for select reserve aviators.