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

Summary

Pays a cash retention bonus to a "special warfare officer" who agrees in writing to stay on active duty in special warfare for at least one year and whose agreement is accepted by the appropriate Secretary. A "special warfare officer" means an officer with a special warfare job code set by the service and who is serving in a job that uses that code. To apply, the officer must be in pay grade O-3 or O-4 (if O-4 not on a promotion list), must have 6 to 14 years of active commissioned service, and must have finished any service time required to become an officer. The bonus is up to $15,000 for each year of the agreement and can be prorated but cannot extend past when the officer would reach 14 years of active commissioned service. Once the Secretary accepts an agreement, the total bonus amount is fixed. Payment may be made half up front and the rest in equal yearly payments, or in graduated yearly payments under rules the Secretary sets. The bonus is extra pay, and anyone who leaves before finishing the agreed time must repay under the rules in section 303a(e). The Secretaries must write rules and define "special warfare service," and department rules need Defense Department approval.