UNCLASSIFIED ROUTINE R 141446Z JUN 17 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 137/17 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/JUN// SUBJ/EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL WARFARE OFFICER RETENTION BONUS// REF/A/DOC/USC/3JAN12// REF/B/DOC/DOD/11JUL16// REF/C/DOC/ASN/5MAY17/NOTAL// REF/D/DOC/DOD/16JUL16// NARR/REF A IS TITLE 37, U.S. CODE, PAY AND ALLOWANCES OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES. REF B IS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INSTRUCTION 1304.34, GENERAL BONUS AUTHORITY FOR OFFICERS. REF C IS ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY MEMORANDUM OFFICER RETENTION BONUS - NAVY EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL WARFARE OFFICER RETENTION BONUS AUTHORIZATION. REF D 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 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Warfare Officer Retention Bonus (ORB) for qualified EOD Officers. Retaining EOD Warfare Officers is a top priority for the Navy. 2. Program Authority. This bonus is authorized under section 332 of reference (a) and reference (c). All applications for this bonus will be submitted to the EOD Officer Assignments and Placement Officer (PERS-416) for approval, payment processing, and tracking. 3. Program Overview. This message summarizes the provisions of the EOD ORB. All information provided herein is applicable to active component (AC) personnel only. The following general summary is provided: a. Qualified lieutenants (LT) will be offered the opportunity to commit to a 4-year or 3-year agreement starting at their 7 year of commissioned service (YCS) anniversary date. b. Qualified lieutenant commanders (LCDR) will have the opportunity to commit to a 3-year agreement starting at their 12 YCS anniversary date. c. Reference (b) limits career retention bonus payments to 300,000 dollars for AC officers. d. In line with reference (b), LTs in year group (YG)-09 and senior, and LCDRs in YG-04 and senior who are under contract prior to the release of this NAVADMIN will remain under the legacy EOD Critical Skill Retention Bonus (CSRB) construct. 4. Program Eligibility a. LT EOD ORB: (1) Unrestricted line (URL) officers (designator 1140) that qualified both EOD warfare officer and EOD department head awarded the additional qualification designators (AQD) of KG5 and KG0. (2) Completed 7 years of commissioned service (4-year bonus) or 8 years of commissioned service (3-year bonus). (3) Completed any service commitment incurred through original commissioning. (4) Medically and physically qualified for assignment to sea duty. b. LCDR EOD ORB: (1) URL Officers (designator 1140) that qualified both EOD Warfare Officer and EOD department head awarded the AQDs of KG5 and KG0. (2) Completed 12 years of commissioned service. (3) Medically and physically qualified for assignment to sea duty. c. Career Intermission Program (CIP). An Officer participating in CIP will be ineligible to receive ORB payments during the intermission period. Payments will resume upon return to service and in line with the payment scheme. 5. Program Execution a. The EOD warfare officer community manager is assigned as the program manager, and is delegated the authority to administer the EOD ORB Program according to applicable laws, Department of Defense (DoD) directives/instructions, and this NAVADMIN. b. PERS-416 will receive applications submitted in the format referenced in paragraph 7 and is delegated the authority to: (1) Evaluate the eligibility of EOD Officers applying for the EOD ORB. (2) Accept EOD Officers Agreement to remain on active duty for the stated period in exchange for an EOD ORB and administer ORB payments. c. All applications require written endorsement from their commander or commanding officer. d. Service Members will receive their bonus amount upon agreement acceptance and then in annual anniversary payments through the term of the agreement. e. Upon the program managers acceptance of an officers agreement, the amount of the bonus becomes fixed and the officer will incur a firm service obligation. f. ORB requests for personnel who are being processed for officer designation removal or restoration will be held in abeyance, pending final resolution of action in question. g. Annual LT ORB contract quotas will be based on LCDR requirements for the EOD officer community and special and incentive pay funding controls. If the number of officer applications exceed available funded contracts, approval criteria will be determined by the program manager and EOD community leadership. h. Annual LCDR ORB contract quotas will be based on CDR requirements for the EOD officer community, as well as special and incentive pay funding controls. If more officers apply than available funded contracts, approval criteria will be determined by the program manager and EOD community leadership. i. All commanding officers shall encourage qualified officers to submit applications for EOD ORB and must endorse all requests in writing. Commands must ensure applications are accurate and verify applicants meet the eligibility requirements, including no pending actions which may render an applicant ineligible for the EOD ORB. Application delays increase the likelihood that the community quotas will be met before an application of an officer is received. j. Officers under an ORB agreement are not eligible to apply for the Junior Permanent Military Professor (JPMP) program, or any redesignation programs that result in a designator change to any designator other than 1140. An officer under an ORB agreement, may submit an application for JPMP or any redesignation programs once the date of application is within 12 months of the final day of bonus obligation. 6. Payment Structure a. LT EOD ORB: (1) 4-year Agreement. Officers who commit to 4 years of additional active-duty service will receive 20,000 dollars per year, paid in equal installments beginning upon completion of 7 YCS, and will continue over the course of the agreement. This contract cannot extend an officer past 11 YCS. (2) 3-year Agreement. Officers who commit to 3 years of additional active-duty service will receive 15,000 dollars per year, paid in equal installments beginning upon completion of their 8th YCS, and will continue over the course of the agreement. This contract cannot extend an officer past 11 YCS. b. LCDR EOD ORB: 3-year Agreement. Officers who commit to 3 years of additional active-duty service will receive 22,000 dollars upon completion of their 12th YCS and 12,000 dollars per year thereafter over the course of the agreement. c. EOD ORB agreement obligations will run concurrently or consecutively in line with reference (b). 7. Application Process a. Officers within 1 year of eligibility may apply for the EOD ORB via their commanding officer. Officers must submit a copy of the signed original contract and an endorsement from the commanding officer by e-mail to PERS- 416, the EOD Administrative Assistant (PERS-416A), and the EOD Officer Community Manager (BUPERS-311E). b. General Notes (1) Sample application format for EOD ORB can be found on the EOD OCM webpage on the NPC website at http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers- npc/officer/communitymanagers/Unrestricted/Pages/ExplosiveOrdnanceDi sposalOCM.aspx. (2) Applications will be held until payment eligibility date. (3) Applications will be binding upon the date of approval. (4) Applications received in the incorrect format or not meeting eligibility requirements defined in this NAVADMIN will be rejected. 8. Recoupment and Repayment Policy a. Situations requiring recoupment are in line with section 373 of reference (a), reference (b) and reference (d). 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 the 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. EOD ORB payments will be stopped for officers who become ineligible for this incentive or fail to complete the full period of additional obligated service. b. For officers who die while serving under an EOD ORB service agreement, the remaining EOD ORB balance will be paid as a lump sum as part of the settlement of the final military pay account of the officer. If death is determined to be the result of the misconduct of the member, termination of future payments and recoupment of unearned portions of the bonus, as applicable, will be made in line with procedures established for members whose inability to complete a contracted period of service is voluntary or the result of misconduct. 9. Additional guidance, information, and updates regarding the EOD ORB are available at the BUPERS Website. 10. Point of contact is LCDR Jeffrey Lavery, EOD Officer Community Manager, who can be reached at (901) 874-4991/DSN 882 or via e-mail at jeffrey.lavery(at)navy.mil. 11. Released by Vice Admiral R. P. Burke, N1// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//