Merge non-fast-forward for release branch merges
diff --git a/release.template b/release.template
index a539c63..0fd61c5 100644
--- a/release.template
+++ b/release.template
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@
 echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
 echo ""
 git checkout master
-git merge -m "Merge release ${project.version}" ${project.commitId}
+git merge --no-ff -m "Merge release ${project.version}" ${project.commitId}
 ant nextPointReleaseCycle
 
 # merge to develop
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
 echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
 echo ""
 git checkout develop
-git merge -m "Merge release ${project.version}" ${project.commitId}
+git merge --no-ff -m "Merge release ${project.version}" ${project.commitId}
 ant nextMinorReleaseCycle
 
 # push Maven repository to origin
@@ -93,4 +93,4 @@
 echo "Pushing master, develop, gh-pages, and tag ${project.tag}"
 echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
 echo ""
-git push origin master develop gh-pages tag ${project.tag}
+git push origin master develop gh-pages ${project.tag}