UNCLASSIFIED ROUTINE R 211648Z DEC 16 FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS PASS TO OFFICE CODES: FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// NAVADMIN 285/16 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/DEC// SUBJ/NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE OFFICER RETENTION BONUS PROGRAM// REF/A/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/162251ZSEP13// REF/B/DOC/U.S.C.//7SEP62// REF/C/DOC/DOD/JUL16// NARR/REF A IS NAVADMIN 234/13, RENEWAL OF NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE OFFICER CRITICAL SKILLS RETENTION BONUS PROGRAM. REF B IS TITLE 37, U.S. CODE, PAY AND ALLOWANCES OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES. REF C IS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION 7000.14, VOLUME 7A, CHAPTER 2, REPAYMENT OF UNEARNED PORTION OF BONUSES AND OTHER BENEFITS.// RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN announces the Naval Special Warfare Officer Retention Bonus (NSWRB) for qualified Naval Special Warfare (NSW) officers. This NAVADMIN supersedes reference (a). Retaining NSW officers is a priority for the Navy. The NSWRB is a flexible retention incentive that focuses on improving retention of NSW control grade officers. NSW officers who meet the eligibility criteria in this NAVADMIN and hold an 1130 or 1137 designator may apply for this incentive. 2. Program Overview. This bonus is authorized under reference (b), sections 332 and 355. Qualified officers will be offered the opportunity to commit to a five-year or a three-year agreement for bonus amounts listed in paragraph 5. NSW Officer Community Manager (BUPERS-311D) is designated as the NSWRB Program Manager. All applications for this bonus will be submitted to the program manager for approval, payment processing and tracking. The eligibility criteria stated in this NAVADMIN can be changed at any time by the program manager if a bonus reduction is warranted based on the needs of the NSW community. 3. Program Eligibility. NSW officers with designators 1130 or 1137, who have completed at least 15 years of active-duty commissioned service (ADCS), may be offered the NSWRB. Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria: a. designated as a NSW officer (designator 1130 or 1137). b. receive the written endorsement from the commanding officer (CO). CO must ensure applications are accurate and verify applicants meet eligibility requirements. 4. Program Execution a. Officers must submit their request letter to the NSWRB program manager via their chain of command. b. Officers will receive their bonus amount upon agreement acceptance and then annual anniversary payments through the term of the agreement. c. When the officer agreement has been accepted by the program manager, the amount of the bonus becomes fixed and the officer incurs a firm service obligation. d. NSWRB requests for personnel who are being processed for officer designation removal or additional qualification designation removal will be held in abeyance pending final resolution of the action in question. 5. NSWRB contract lengths and payments are outlined below. a. The NSWRB will be offered in two phases. Officers will be paid a fixed amount per year of service. If an officer serves a partial year, that year will be prorated. (1) Phase I NSWRB. Applicant must be a NSW officer with 1130 or 1137 designator and screened positive at a NSW CO/executive officer (XO) Administrative Screening Board for an XO tour to apply for a phase I bonus. Phase I contracts encompass 15 years of ADCS for 1130 and 1137 designators. Officers will have the opportunity to receive up to $125,000 (1130) and $100,000 (1137) in retention bonuses for phase I contracts. (a) NSW officers (designator 1130) with 15 ADCS: 5-year agreement: $25,000 per year 3-year agreement: $15,000 per year (b) NSW officers (designator 1137) with 15 ADCS: 5-year agreement: $20,000 per year 3-year agreement: $10,000 per year (2) Phase II NSWRB. Applicant must be an NSW officer with 1130 designator and screened positive at a NSW CO/XO Administrative Screening Board for a CO tour to apply for a phase II bonus. Phase II contracts encompass 20 to 22 years of ADCS. Officers will have the opportunity to receive up to $75,000 (1130) in retention bonuses for phase II contracts. NSW officers (designator 1130) with 20-22 ADCS: 3-year agreement: $25,000 per year. b. NSWRB agreement obligations will run concurrently with any obligated service the officer has incurred for education or fellowships such as postgraduate education. c. NSWRB service obligation will not extend a NSW officer (designator 1130) beyond 25 years of ADCS or a NSW officer (designator 1137) beyond 21 years of ADCS. 6. Application Process a. Eligible officers may apply for NSWRB via their CO to BUPERS-311D. Submit applications by mail to: Naval Support Facility ATTN: NSW Officer Community Manager 701 South Courthouse Road BLDG 12 Room 3R180 Arlington, VA 22204 or via encrypted e-mail at SEAL_OCM(at)navy.mil. (Preferred) b. Officers may submit their application early. However, payments will not be made until all eligibility criteria are met. 7. Recoupment and Repayment Policy. Repayment policy is governed by reference (b), section 373 and reference (c). A member of the uniformed services who enters into a written agreement with specified service conditions for receipt of a bonus is entitled to the full amount of the bonus if the member fulfills the conditions of that written agreement. If the member fails to fulfill the service conditions specified in the written agreement for the pay, then the pay may be terminated and the member may be required to repay an amount equal to the unearned portion of the pay. 8. Point of contact is the Naval Special Warfare Officer Community Manager at (703) 604-5064/DSN 664 or via e-mail at SEAL_OCM(at)navy.mil. 9. Released by Vice Admiral R. P. Burke, N1.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//