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Enlisted retention lowest in at least 7 years

The Air Force’s enlisted retention rates for fiscal 2008 fell to their lowest levels — by far — since before the war on terror began in 2001, according to statistics released by the Defense Department.

The Air Force also had by far the worst enlisted retention rates in the DoD, according to the statistics.

Overall, the Air Force achieved only 72 percent of its target number of re-enlistments for fiscal 2008. That is a precipitous drop compared to the 97 percent the service achieved in 2007 and 113 percent in 2006.

Retention among enlisted airmen in zone A, with less than six years in, was 64 percent of the goal in 2008, compared to 99 percent of the re-enlistment goal in 2007 and 113 percent in 2006.

In zone B — airmen with between six and 10 years service — re-enlistment in 2008 was 84 percent of the service’s goal, compared to 94 percent in 2007 and 114 percent in 2006.

And in zone C, those with more than 10 years service, the Air Force met 79 percent of its goal, compared to 99 percent in 2007 and 109 percent in 2006.

In a briefing Oct. 10 with reporters, Dr. David Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the “softness” in Air Force enlisted retention numbers is a reflection of the personnel drawdown and a resulting lack of re-enlistment bonuses in recent years.

Now that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has directed that the drawdown end early, he said, the Air Force must boost retention to meet its higher end-strength goals.

“I think it’s a function both of its drawdown, which has now ended … as well as needing to put stronger retention incentives into its program, which it is in the process of doing,” Chu said.

To boost retention, the Air Force announced in September that about 17,500 airmen — primarily staff and technical sergeants — in 88 career specialties will qualify for a re-enlistment bonus in the coming year, the biggest expansion of the program in a decade.

In addition, many airmen who expected to qualify for a re-enlistment bonus this year, based on their Air Force Specialty Code and year group, are likely to get more money than anticipated.

The new selective re-enlistment bonus program began Sept. 15. The service expects 9,800 airmen — roughly 56 percent of those who qualify — to take the re-enlistment money in fiscal 2009.