The Navy has announced new bonus schemes of up to $100,000 to keep specialized senior officers in the service.
The Navy, in an administrative message posted on Wednesday, said chief warrant officers with between four and 16 years of commissioned service as SEALs and crewmen aboard special warfare combatant-craft should apply for the scheme, which began on Aug. 7. These roles are also known as 7151 and 7171 designations, with less than 1% of sailors holding these positions.
“CWOs will receive the bonus in a lump sum payment, effective from the date of contract execution,” the Navy administrative message said.
It comes amid a Trump administration push to recruit more people into the military. Under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) still being drafted in Congress, the U.S. military aims to increase total active-duty armed forces to over 1.3 million personnel—the highest target since 2023—with the Army growing to 454,000 soldiers, and the Navy expanding to 334,600 sailors.
Simultaneously, as the Trump administration and Pentagon have pushed for a $1.5 billion defense budget that would break records, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also asked for tens of millions of dollars more from American taxpayers to fund military operations in the Middle East.
The deadline to apply for this Navy bonus scheme is Aug. 31.
How the Bonus Structure Works
Those interested in the bonus have to submit a personal letter and receive a written endorsement from their commanding office.
The size of the bonus sailors are eligible to receive depends on the length of contract that they sign. Those who sign a three-year agreement, the shortest option, will receive $12,500 per year, the notice said.
On the highest end of the scale, those who sign a five-year contract will receive $20,000 per year.
All of those who receive the bonus will do so in a lump sum at the start of their contracts.
The administrative notice did not specify how many people are eligible for the program.
Other Recent Navy Bonus Schemes
In July, the Navy unveiled another bonus scheme to recruit and retain talent.
Naval aviators will be eligible to earn $37,000 over a two-year obligation or $129,000 over a three-year obligation under certain circumstances, according to a July 26 naval administrative message.
They also may qualify for a $10,000 annual Sea Duty Incentive, but those who opt for the three-year contract would be capped at $7,000 in additional annual sea duty pay, resulting in a $150,000 total.
“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,” the administrative message said. “Our return on investment is the retention for continued Naval Service of our aviation war fighters, with their invaluable, irreplaceable skill sets and leadership.”
Other military branches, including the U.S. Space Force and the Marine Corps, also have similar bonus schemes.
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