Army Advantage Fund Targets Future Homeowners, Business Owners

Men and women who have considered joining the Army may get the extra incentive they need to follow through: a benefit of up to $40,000 towards purchasing a home or starting a small business through a new program, the Army Advantage Fund (AAF). The AAF is a program designed as part of a larger initiative to address the challenges the Army faces in meeting its recruiting goals. The AAF pilot launches this month.

“Recruiting is very difficult right now,” Douglas Smith, spokesperson for U.S. Army recruiting command, said. “[With the] ongoing war on terrorism [and] deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, potential applicants and…their immediate family members may be concerned about the element of risk of enlisting…at this time.”

Additionally, competition for quality men and women has intensified as a result of the high volume of college-bound students and an improving civilian job market, Smith said.

The program will be made available to new recruits for the regular Army and the Army Reserve in five recruiting battalion areas–Albany, N.Y., Cleveland, Montgomery, Ala., San Antonio and Seattle–for at least six months. If the trial run proves to be effective, the program may be extended nationwide, Smith said.

Payout levels for new recruits depend on which of the two organizations they join and the length of their term of service. For the regular Army, an enlistment period of three years will fetch a $25,000 benefit, four years will fetch $35,000 and five or more years will fetch the maximum amount of $40,000. For the Army Reserve, payout levels are $10,000, $15,000 and a maximum of $20,000 for three, four and five or more years, respectively.

In order to be eligible for the fund, new recruits must have no prior military service experience and must sign up for at least three years of service. Additionally, they must place above a minimum score category on the military aptitude test. A limited selection of Military Occupational Specialties is eligible for the fund during the test phase and beyond, and is subject to change.

Read the entire article Written by: Melana Yanos  at www.nuwireinvestor.com