When President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017, he gave the Army the go ahead to expand after years of downsizing. The Army responded by changing a few programs aimed at keeping high quality Soldiers in uniform in order increase the Army's end strength by Sept. 30.

"This is a 180 degree turn in where the Army was going," said Sgt. Maj. Michael Kouneski, Fort Jackson's command career counselor. "We were headed towards drawing down the Army and now we are increasing to 476,000."

Active duty troop strengths have been the lowest since World War II.

Gen. Mark Milley, Army Chief of Staff, said in a speech to the Association of the U.S. Army, "we do want to be bigger," while cautioning the capabilities must increase as well.

"It's important we get the money with the people," Army News Service quoted him as saying. "If we just get additional people or additional end strength, but we don't have the money, then that leads you down the road to a hollow force. If you increase the end strength, you have to increase the money to go with the end strength to pay for the readiness."

Kouneski said those changes include a bonus for extending, updated reenlistment bonuses, and changes in retention control points effective Jan. 20.

"The Army is still looking for quality Soldiers," he said. "We are not lowering our standards. The Army has always been about having quality Soldiers."

Other policies currently in effect aimed at increasing the troop totals are the suspension of the 90-day reenlistment window, and Soldiers being allowed to reenlist for a movement option even in an over strength career field.

Kouneski said "the Army is giving the Soldier every incentive in order to meet the mission" requirements.

"The Army has given a variety of incentives to Soldiers with an ETS date in fiscal year 17 to entice those Soldiers to stay in," he said.

"Soldiers who agreed to extend for 12 additional months will get a $10,000 bonus," the 30-year Army veteran said. There are no military occupational specialty restrictions for this bonus, he added.

"It emphasizes the importance of meeting the congressionally mandated end strength," he said. "We only have until Sept. 30 - we have nine months."

He added that Milper Message 17-014, commonly called the SRB message, expanded the number of MOSs getting a reenlistment bonus, and allows qualified Soldiers with "an ETS date in FY17, to receive the bonus plus an additional $13,000."

Kouneski cautioned the $10,000 extension bonus and the SRB are two separate programs. Soldiers cannot get both.

"If the Soldier's MOS is on the bonus list it is more advantageous for them to take the bonus plus the $13,000," he said.

The Army also changed the RCP structure from 8 to 10 years for promotable specialists and 14 to 15 years for promotable sergeants.

"The key for that eligibility is you have to be in a shortage or balanced MOS," Kouneski said.

Soldiers should talk with their career counselors soon about their options because time may be running out. Some Soldiers who wish to take part in these programs might be departing the Army in the next few months.

"You could have a Soldier who, for example, has an ETS of Feb. 1," Kouneski said. "They really don't have a lot of time to make a decision. The sooner they get to the career counselor the more time they have to talk to their Families and to make that informed decision."

"If the Soldier has not planned the way they should an additional 12 months can give you that time to become debt free," he said.