18 Month Active Duty Plan

Right now, the Army is the only military service which offers enlistment programs of less than four years. For some MOSs (jobs) which do not require much training, the Army offers two and three year enlistments. The minimum enlistment period for the other services is four years.

However, this may change if a law sponsored by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Max Cleland, D-Ga passes (the provision is currently included in the 2003 Defense Authorization Bill, which was recently passed by commitee).

Under the plan, there would be a National Service program where youths could perform domestic service or military service, before or after college and be awarded. Under the military portion of the plan, volunteers would agree to serve 15 months on active duty, after completion of basic training and job training. That would average out to about 18 months of active duty service for most people.

Volunteers under the program would receive their choice of the following:

• a $5,000 lump sum enlistment bonus
• $18,000 student loan payment
• 12 months of GI Bill education benefits, with a total value of $21,600, but would be increased over time.

What do you think? Is the 18 Month Active Duty Plan Worthwhile, or a Waste of Tax-Payer Money?