Should I reenlist?
The decision you’ll face two or three times in a career, and the briefing you get for it comes from a career counselor who is graded on retention. This isn’t that. Thirteen questions, six dimensions, a per-dimension verdict — money, promotion, retirement math, walk-away benefits, life, and the exit ramps. Not a yes/no machine, because the honest answer usually isn’t one.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is saved, sent, or tied to an account — answer honestly, that’s the whole point. This is a framework, not an oracle: it organizes the decision, it doesn’t make it for you.
Which branch are you in?
Doesn’t change the scoring — it tailors which exit ramps we point you at.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I consider before reenlisting?
This tool organizes the decision into six dimensions instead of one gut feeling: money now (your SRB and what your skills pay on the civilian side), promotion trajectory, retirement math, walk-away benefits, life factors, and the exit ramps. The point is that no single dimension should decide for you — a bonus can't outvote a household that's breaking, and a stalled promotion pyramid can't be fixed by signing back into it. Answer each one honestly and you see where the weight actually sits.
How does this tool decide?
It doesn't decide — it scores. Thirteen questions each carry a small weight on the reenlist-or-leave axis for their dimension, and each dimension gets a lean from the average of its answers: leans reenlist, leans leave, or neutral. The overall read is generated from the pattern of those leans, never collapsed to a single yes/no. It's a structured decision aid, not advice, and everything runs in your browser — nothing is saved or sent.
Is reenlisting worth it just for the bonus?
The tool treats the bonus as one input in the money dimension, not the verdict. A real SRB is the service telling you in dollars that it can't easily replace you — useful leverage — but it sweetens a reenlistment you already wanted; it shouldn't buy one you didn't. The money question only makes sense against your total civilian comp for the same skills, and SRB lists change quarterly, so a top-tier listing today isn't a promise for next year. Verify the current message for your exact code and zone before you sign anything.
How does being close to 20 years change the math?
Retirement is one of the six dimensions, and how much it weighs depends heavily on your years of service and which system you're under. Early in a career the pension cliff is too far off to carry the decision. Deep into the second decade, every remaining year is a year closer to a pension that starts paying for life — and under the legacy system nothing vests before 20, so walking away close to the line forfeits real value. The honest move near 20 is usually to price the trade out loud: what does each year to 20 pay versus what it costs at home. Run your own numbers in the linked TSP and retirement tools.
What are the alternatives to a full reenlistment?
The exit-ramps dimension exists because the choice is rarely a clean reenlist-or-quit. The Guard or Reserve keeps the retirement clock alive part-time while you build the civilian side; SkillBridge can put you inside a civilian employer during your last stretch of active duty; and a reclass, retrain, or different duty station can keep the parts of the job that work while shedding the parts that stalled. The tool flags whichever ramps fit your branch so a reenlistment, if you sign one, is an actual decision instead of a default.