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Well, here we are again. "War looks like it's kinda wrapped up boys, so..er..ah..just go away". Would almost be funny if it weren't true. I've got 22/active and guard time/out and waitin' till age 60 for that modest monthly $ from Uncle Sam. But it's not me I'm concerned about. It's my son and thousands of others on active duty who now face an uncertain future. I follow the military and current events closely. As yet another war(s) wind down(we think), the govt is looking to chop out a good chunk of mostly military/Army personnel. The spin given to the press/Army Times was at first the lean-mean approach. "We're only going to keep the best of the best"............sure. And after they cut those "deadwood" out..then what? Well, it was admitted to in this week's edition that "significant" involuntary early-outs of otherwise well qualified troops will be required to meet the new manpower goals.
And what else is the govt spinning....more reliance on up and coming weapon systems to replace boots on the ground as we shift to possible threats in the Pacific. History has shown that our military thinkers have generally gotten it wrong in planning for the next conflict. I guess it'll just be a case of "Hurry up and enlist a bunch of bodies....waivers..no problem" for the next crisis we get into.
What the heck, as long as I'm on my soapbox, what ever happened to the former Sec of Def Gates plan to cut down the bloat of officers at the top of all our forces food chain. Rumor has it that the beltway commandos were able to stop a frontal attack on their carears(pun intended), with little to no interruption to their planned tee-off times.....lol.
Well, here we are again. "War looks like it's kinda wrapped up boys, so..er..ah..just go away". Would almost be funny if it weren't true. I've got 22/active and guard time/out and waitin' till age 60 for that modest monthly $ from Uncle Sam. But it's not me I'm concerned about. It's my son and thousands of others on active duty who now face an uncertain future. I follow the military and current events closely. As yet another war(s) wind down(we think), the govt is looking to chop out a good chunk of mostly military/Army personnel. The spin given to the press/Army Times was at first the lean-mean approach. "We're only going to keep the best of the best"............sure. And after they cut those "deadwood" out..then what? Well, it was admitted to in this week's edition that "significant" involuntary early-outs of otherwise well qualified troops will be required to meet the new manpower goals.
And what else is the govt spinning....more reliance on up and coming weapon systems to replace boots on the ground as we shift to possible threats in the Pacific. History has shown that our military thinkers have generally gotten it wrong in planning for the next conflict. I guess it'll just be a case of "Hurry up and enlist a bunch of bodies....waivers..no problem" for the next crisis we get into.
What the heck, as long as I'm on my soapbox, what ever happened to the former Sec of Def Gates plan to cut down the bloat of officers at the top of all our forces food chain. Rumor has it that the beltway commandos were able to stop a frontal attack on their carears(pun intended), with little to no interruption to their planned tee-off times.....lol.
Heaven forbid we cut any of those boondoggle weapons programs or cut the bloated numbers of General Officers. The missle shield is a trillion dollar system that doesn't work to protect us from a threat that doesn't exist.
The current drawdown is even slated to create MORE senior officer slots!
In any case, this is nothing new. We do it after every war and always get caught short when the next one starts. We've done it since the Revolution, consistently.
So long as the Guard and Reserves are maintained at peak efficiency, it'll be alright.
Heaven forbid we cut any of those boondoggle weapons programs or cut the bloated numbers of General Officers. The missle shield is a trillion dollar system that doesn't work to protect us from a threat that doesn't exist.
If nothing else a working missile shield might (big might) be used as a last ditch defense against meteorites headed towards areas it covers. It might not work, but as we currently have absolutely nothing it would be better than the alternative. Wouldn't do anything again a truly big one, but the damage an intact meteorite even the size of a house could do would be horrific in a populated area.
Lest I take the conversation too far afield the Australian military is expanding and is recruiting former American soldiers as part of this effort so there's a fall back plan if you get a pink slip but want to stay in the military somewhere.
Also considert hat some of the deawdown plans isn;t really the reduction of staffing, but a switch from military to civilian. As I posted in the employment forum, we are actually ramping up for the eventual takeover of a large portion of the military heavy airlift as they phase that out as a military function. This is creating what we call the "Advancers" - those in the militray who know about it or see the writing on the wall - who are applying now for the future position or finding out the opportunity they might have to decide if to quit the militray or try and stick it out.
This is not unusual. Truman did it right after WWII and even tried to eliminate the Marine Corps. Carter was so bad we did not get paid one time during his failed term as President. Democrats love to slash the defense budget and increase spending in failed green projects and welfare programs. I feel sorry for the people that want to make the military a career but will be forced out.
Heaven forbid we cut any of those boondoggle weapons programs or cut the bloated numbers of General Officers. The missle shield is a trillion dollar system that doesn't work to protect us from a threat that doesn't exist.
It's all about the money going into the right pockets meaning not ours.
....And speakin' of our former Sec of Def....a good friend of mine was tasked w/coordinating an extended defensive posture around their forward operating base in prep for a visit by Gates. When the "entourage" finally showed up.......12 Apaches flying a defensive ring....4 Blackhawks in the area w/onboard security...4 Chinooks..of course, only one carried the Sec. Yes, 20 choppers, he told me for a visit of about 10 minutes by one man. Our tax dollars in action.
So long as the Guard and Reserves are maintained at peak efficiency, it'll be alright.
Excellent points! But even the reserves are not safe. We just learned that the Enlisted Review Board (ERB), which has been responsible for 20-30% across the board cuts in manning), is coming to the reserves in the next 6 months.
I have a reserve unit of 18, and will probably end up with 12 by the end of the year.
That would be fine is we weren't going to still be required to do the work of 20!
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