Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Military members staying put
Uncertainty amid virus crisis helping to drive retention
WASHINGTON — Army Sgt. Antonio Gozikowski was planning to leave the military next month and head to college.
After serving for six years, the dental assistant’s goal was to become a dentist, and return to the Army in a few years with expanded medical skills. But with the coronavirus forcing universities to consider virtual or reduced schooling this fall, he decided to take advantage of a new Army program and extend his military service for six more months.
Across the military, uncertainty about future jobs or college opportunities is driving more service members to reenlist or at least postpone scheduled departures. As unemployment, layoffs and a historic economic downturn grip the nation, the military — with its job security, steady paycheck and benefits — is looking much more appealing.
“Everything from elementary schools to universities is closing down, and there’s no saying how it’s going to go when the fall semester opens,” said Gozikowski, who is from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and serving at Fort Hood, Texas. “This is like a safety net. I have a source of income, and I’ll be able to continue working.”
As of last week, the Army had already exceeded its retention goal of 50,000 soldiers for the fiscal year ending in September, reenlisting more than 52,000 so far. And the other services have also met or are closer than planned to their target numbers.
The influx of people reenlisting will offset any shortfalls in recruiting, which has been hampered by the outbreak. And that will help the services meet their total required troop levels for the end of the year.
“We’re hiring,” said Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. “Like anything, market dynamics come into effect and people will see where the opportunities lie.”
Sgt. Maj. Stuart Morgan, the senior Army career counselor, said Gozikowski was able to take advantage of a new program designed to help soldiers who were planning to leave this year but are reconsidering their options. The program allows them to delay their departure for up to 11 months to get them past the peak coronavirus period. By early last week, he said, 745 soldiers had signed up.
“What we’re seeing this year, which is directly related to COVID, is we do have a population of soldiers that what they were expecting at the end of transition has suddenly disappeared,” Morgan said. “And now you have a soldier that is trying to go through a transition period that is now facing uncertainty on the outside.”
The Air Force is expecting to fall short of its recruiting goal by as much as 5,800 as a result of the virus. And that gap, the Air Force said, could be filled by service members who decide to reenlist or extend their service.
So far, the number of Air Force personnel who have withdrawn their requests to leave the service or have asked to extend their enlistment is 700 more than last year at this time, including 230 pilots and medical staff.
Retention is also on the rise in the Marine Corps.
Currently, there are 183,000 Marines, and the goal for the end of the fiscal year is about 184,600. The Corps has nearly reached its retention goal of about 12,600 for the fiscal year, with only about 100 or so to get by the end of September. The Navy was not able to provide retention numbers.
In addition, Marines who were planning to leave the service are being allowed to extend their enlistments by a few months, to get past the initial COVID crisis, or by a year or two.