Defense secretary orders the Pentagon to 'suspend all efforts' to take back enlistment bonuses

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that he has ordered the Pentagon to "suspend all efforts" to recollect bonus payments given to California National Guard members. Recently, thousands of soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were informed they would have to repay their reenlistment bonuses — some of which totaled $15,000 — because the money had been given to them in error.

Though the recollection of the money — which was requested after audits revealed recruiters "improperly offered bonuses" — is legal, the process of getting back the cash payments has proved messy and sparked widespread criticism, The Associated Press reported. "While some soldiers knew or should have known they were ineligible for benefits they were claiming, many others did not," Carter said in a statement.

Carter noted there is already a process in place that can help service members "seek relief" from repaying their bonuses, but the process "has simply moved too slowly and in some cases imposed unreasonable burdens on service members." Carter has proposed a new, "streamlined" system be put in place by Jan. 1, 2017, so that soldiers will bear "as little burden as possible" while ensuring the Defense Department's "obligation to the taxpayer" will be respected. He also insisted the suspension on recollection will remain in place until he is "satisfied that our process is working effectively."

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The announcement came a day after House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) urged the Pentagon to stop taking back the bonuses. Ryan argued that when the service members enlisted, "they earned more from us than bureaucratic bungling and false promises."