Posted on 11/23/2011 1:29:22 PM PST by Nachum
The military has been downsizing more or less consistently since the 90's. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Won't be the last.
The military is there to protect the nation from violent harm.
From time to time it expands and contracts.
If you are in the military for a retirement, then you are in for the wrong reason.
Semper Fidelis
You don’t make it to a mid level 10 year career if you are a poor performer.That’s what the fat boy program is for LOL.
I believe the overall point is the overall military downsize under Clinton gutted the old school and now the total drawdown. China and Russia want us dwindled down while Obama vacays. Obama sings Kumbaya and they chinese they play joke...
The RIF (Reduction in Force) has been a policy for some time, when the military services are demobilizing. Apparently, there is less need for active duty military, as the overseas assignments are being wound down, and the resources and funding for the military are drying up.
Very soon, the now failing obama regime is going to declare a “peace dividend”, and rather than apply it to the deficit, will continue to shift such funds as are “saved” to their own schemes, having nothing to do with the general welfare or defense of the Constitional duties.
Nobody can be a “little bit” impeached, nor may they be removed “a little ways” from office. The whole job has to be done at one swoop, and the best we may hope for is that somebody that is “not-Obama” takes a seat in the Oval Office.
To be sure, Hillary would not be much of an improvement, but Herself is all the Democrats have right now. Herself COULD, by a most unusual set of circumstances, be in the Oval Office before next summer. All that has to happen is for Obama and Joe Biden to get out of the way.
Otherwise, grit your teeth, pray as if it all depended on the Lord, and work as if it all depended on you.
Well said.
I was a navy nuke; hated it.
When I was active-duty in the mid 1970’s, such a downsize was called “Reduction In Forces”, shortened to RIF. If you were forced out or reclassified, you were “riffed.”
But I didn’t personally meet any enlisted personnel who were effected, only company-grade officers (O-1 through O-3) with reserve commissions via ROTC or OCS.
One prior captain (I can’t remember his MOS) who was now an E-5 told me he was forced out of active duty as an O-3, and had a choice of either going to reserve status as a captain, or staying on active duty reclassified to E-5.
Same here. 74-78. It was a pretty bad time. Since the draft had just ended, they were taking just about anyone with a pulse. Dopers, drunks and thugs were not in short supply. Money must’ve been tight because I remember our Division Cdr. ordering the tank guys not to pivot steer because they didn’t have money for new track pads.
It seems the military is in much better shape now, but with Carter 2 in charge, that may not last.
“Problems” these sailors have....against the gay policy?
Did they lay-off a few excess captains or admirals? Thought not...
Knew some Marines that were making E-4 and even E-5 in like 2 years back then. If you had anything “on the ball” during the Carter years of the Hollow Force, you could make junior NCO pretty quickly.
They retire without billets to fill.
I’m sure they’ll be joining all those federal GS employees they’ve been laying off. Oh, that’s right, they’ve been hiring those. Democrats think the military is Republican and federal GS employees are Democrats. It doesn’t have anything to do with defense needs. It’s all politics.
THIS IS TRULY OBAMACARE.
I remember a couple of years ago there was a “blue-to-green” program where they basically wanted excess Navy & Air Force personnel to move over to the army; they probably didn’t get many takers, because the fact is they really needed people just to drive those vehicles that were getting attacked with IEDs. Servicemen probably figured that whatever they had been when they wore blue, they’d all be driving vehicles when they wore green.
Son is a glow-worm bubblehead. He says conditions have gotten steadily worse in the last couple of years, and everyone he's talked to on the boat says they won't re-up again.
In Carter years it depended on MOS, I could not get promoted in Admin so I went Avionics and made E-4 almost overnight and E-5 two years later. I ran into Admin Marines I knew still stuck at E-3 or E-4. It was really all about getting into a technical MOS back than.
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