The U.S. Air Force cut the number of specialties eligible for reenlistment bonuses offered to active-duty airmen by 73% in fiscal year 2026.
The Selective Retention Bonus list contains only 24 specialties eligible for reenlistment bonuses, compared to 89 in fiscal year 2025.
Last fiscal year, the career fields included were: maintenance, aircrew, cyber, medical and special operations specialty codes. There are only two maintenance fields for B-52 and B-1 aircraft and three medical specialties eligible for fiscal 2026.
“The Air Force assesses manning requirements annually, updating the SRB list to retain the critical talent needed for global missions,” an Air Force spokesperson told Military Times on Friday.
The Air Force spokesperson did not comment on the drop in career fields eligible from last fiscal year.
Airmen whose specialty codes are included are eligible to receive the bonus upon reenlisting and extending their service within the SRB specialty code.
The Air Force allotted for the addition of 4,300 airmen to the SRB program in fiscal 2026, according to budget documents — a decrease from 7,077 service members in fiscal 2025. The service estimates a small bump to 4,600 airmen for fiscal 2027.
SRB zones represent the amount of years of active military service, with Zone A being up to six years of service and Zone E being 18 to 20 years.
The fiscal 2026 list is available for Department of the Air Force personnel to view on myFSS. Currently, the list is not disclosed publicly, but an Air Force official did confirm it to Military Times as shown on Air & Space Forces Magazine where it was first reported.
The maximum reenlistment bonus is set to $180,000, with a career cap of $360,000, according to the magazine.
Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.
