The Marine Corps announced a slew of enlistment bonuses on Monday, with the largest payouts aimed at recruits who enter high-tech jobs the service is eager to fill.

But even wound-be grunts can pick up a bonus if they’re willing to head to boot camp on the Corps’ schedule rather than their own.

For its annual enlistment bonus push announced in a Nov. 3 MARADMIN message, the Marine Corps said it would offer new recruits up to $15,000 for taking on electronic maintenance, cyber, and cryptologic jobs. Separately, recruits in more than 100 military occupational specialties ranging from open contracts to logistics and, yes, even infantry can collect $5,000 or $10,000 in a “shipping bonus” by agreeing to let the service pick the date they ship out.

Tacking on extra years to an initial enlistment contract can also trigger a cash payment.

In the last several years, the service has prioritized finding new recruits in specialized jobs, such as cyber, to keep up with technological advancements in warfare and in an attempt to compete with the private sector.

Strong recruiting

The Marine Corps reported in September that it had met its recruiting goal for active duty and the reserves, inching over its 30,535 target by one Marine.

“The Marine Corps’ objective is to maximize the number of fully trained, qualified, experienced, and deployable Marines in the Fleet Marine Force over time and within any given personnel budget,” according to the service-wide message released Monday.

A spokesperson for the Corps’ Manpower and Reserve Affairs, which publicized the bonus roll-out this week, did not answer questions on whether the government shutdown would affect the service’s ability to deliver the announced bonuses. Last year, nearly 1,000 Marines were at risk of losing out on retention bonuses that the service had promised them when Congress failed to pass a fully funded budget. This meant that the military was forced to rely on previous years’ funding to pay for food, paychecks, duty station moves, and bonuses, the latter of which the Marine Corps couldn’t deliver on for some Marines. 

By spring 2025, Marine Corps leaders said they had reduced the bonus backlog by about half.

Invest and Retain

Since 2021, the Corps has attempted to shake up the way that it brings in — and then keeps — new Marines, ditching the old ‘recruit and replace’ model and adopting an ‘invest and retain’ system. For decades, the service had a “remarkably high turnover rate” among newly enlisted Marines, according to service policy, meaning that 75% of first-term Marines left after their first contract. 

Now, as it prioritizes specialized roles, the Marine Corps is attempting to keep troops in the force beyond a typical four-year contract.

Part of that effort includes enticing new recruits with entry-level bonuses, some of which are not paid out until they complete certain training requirements, such as graduating from initial military occupational specialty training.

“As we progress towards an ‘invest and retain’ model, it is critical to channel applicants into the right occupational fields to maximize our return on investment and increase Marines’ propensity to serve beyond their initial contract,” Monday’s message said.

The new bonuses include two categories called “targeted investment bonuses,” which aim to keep Marines longer. Recruits who sign up for one additional year on their initial contract will get a $7,000 bonus. Those who sign for two years can collect $15,000.

Some bonuses are also being offered to Marines joining the reserves, which incurs a 6-year service obligation.

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