To slightly change the subject, I don't see why the services don't recognize that the current airline hiring boom is a serious factor but a limited window. There are any number of reasons why guys may think the grass is greener on the non-AD side of the fence, but none of that matters nearly as much (from a cynical, utilitarian view) if it's not possible to get to the other side of the fence. Right now, most of us have a realistic chance to go to a major at MSR, or worst-case after a year or two in the regionals. That will not be the case forever. For one thing, in about 10 years, the majority of the majors will have turned over almost their entire pilot force and will have the youngest group at the controls in a generation. This will automatically make it much more difficult to get hired, especially for folks at MSR who often just barely meet the hour minimums. Additionally, with the severely-hobbled flight hour programs we're currently experiencing, many of those approaching MSR in the nearer term will also have a more difficult time getting in the door as they leave their fleet JO tours with pretty lean logbooks. (Of course, that doesn't make people want to stay in so much as it limits their opportunities elsewhere, but it still should help retention).
My point is that leadership should recognize that to keep retention healthy in the near-term will, in my opinion, require very substantial bonuses (much more even than the new AF bonus) in order to at least make the military competitive with the airlines within that time window (while hoping that most people won't realize/care about the loss in potential airline seniority and the attached pay and QOL). But that bonus won't need to stick around forever. In a few years they'll be able to go back to much smaller numbers simply because the outside opportunities will be comparatively few and far between.
None of that is to say there aren't bigger and more complicated issues at play here, but overhauling a culture is not something you can do fast enough to keep the current force healthily manned. And call me a cynic, but I feel confident that if you put enough money on the table, retention will increase, regardless of how principled we all want to think we are.