§318 Special Pay: Special Warfare Officers Extending Period of Active Duty

Summary

Certain special warfare officers can get a retention bonus up to $15,000 per year if they sign a written deal and the Secretary accepts it to stay on active duty in special warfare for at least one year. A special warfare officer is an officer who has a military job or code the Secretary calls special warfare and who is serving in that job. To apply, the officer must be in pay grade O-3, or O-4 and not on a promotion list, must have 6–14 years of active commissioned service, and must have finished any service commitment from commissioning. When the Secretary accepts the deal, the total bonus is fixed. It can be paid half up front and the rest in equal yearly payments, or in graduated yearly payments starting at acceptance. The deal and pay can be prorated but cannot extend past the date the officer reaches 14 years of active commissioned service. The bonus is extra pay. If the officer leaves early, they must repay under the rules in section 303a(e). The military Secretaries must write rules, including what counts as “special warfare service,” and the Secretary of Defense must approve department rules.