A U.S. Army Captain ... ( assumed his job was safe ).

The Army last week began notifying about 1,100 captains that they will be purged from the ranks.

The same fate is awaiting about 500 majors, who beginning this week will be told their active-duty careers are over.

They're among nearly 2,500 officers and NCOs who will be involuntarily separated this year as part of an ongoing drawdown of forces.

Army Fires Officers After Ordering Them to Move

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OBSERVATION:

TEXAS MILITARY FORCES - Job Opportunities
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That would be pretty rough...I think I remember back in the late 1990s the turn over rate for captains was like...99% made it to major of the ones that stayed in. This will make promotion harder and I think deter some great people from the military or when corporations come looking for good leaders they will jump ship now assuming their military career may not be stable.

Most of the military jobs out there have a civilian counterpart that earns more any way. Too bad

Looks like the sequester is taking effect.

The Pentagon's proposed budget for fiscal 2015, which begins Oct. 1, calls for the service's headcount to decrease to 440,000 to 450,000 soldiers by fiscal 2017. If sequestration remains in effect, the number may fall to as low as 420,000 soldiers – tens of thousands less than what the Army's top officer, Gen. Raymond Odierno, said is needed to adequately respond to conflicts around the world.

Well if we were not acting like the world's police then we wouldn't need all these people so maybe it's time for us to stop. We need to cut how much we are spending on the military and that means some people will lose their jobs just like in the private sector.

Sounds to me a little like what business's do.

Fire people shortly before they will be eligible for retirement benefits.

After 18 years of active duty service a service member is "locked in" to complete 20 years which makes them eligible for retirement.

The military is struggling with paying retirement benefits, so what better way to ease that problem than to fire those who are just outside the lock in date for retirement?

At least that what I read appears to be happening. The government (Obama Administration) is taking a page from big business on how to screw over the average joe.

a reply to: FarleyWayne

I've survived three drawdowns over my career. Never a good time with lots of stress and backstabbing as well. I saw many a good Officer or NCO get their walking papers just shy of retirement. And I also saw those who "knew" people skate through the system, further contaminating it.

Even I was affected by it and forced out of active duty at 15 years of service. Though I did have the option of going Reserves, which I did. After 9/11, I was deployed so much that they had no choice but to give me a active duty pension when I retired.

Retiring was a pain as well. I don't miss that crap that I had to put up with my last years in.

Most being separated will receive a severance check and I wish them luck. The military's loss will be some employers gain.

And as history shows...it'll start all over again.

a reply to: grandmakdw

No. There is separation benefits and retirement packages. You have to fit certain criteria and the only people getting screwed normally have negative indicators (bad pt scores, disciplinary actions, etc). The air force is doing the same thing and has been for 3-4 years now.

Maybe these are the people that will not fire on American citizens. And now that more and more of them are seeing how the government is treating people and now their own, they will be good to have on the people's side if something happens here at home and the people need to defend themselves against enemies domestic.

a reply to: FarleyWayne

This method of "reduction in forces" has been around for as long as the Army has been in existence. It happens after every war when the military doesn't need large war-time numbers of troops. On the other side of the coin is how they reduce the number of enlisted troops. The Army raises the qualification for remaining troops and new troops entering active duty or trying to staying on active duty. Troops can be discharged or restricted from entry for things as simple as too many tattoos or speeding tickets not the quality of their service.

Both my son and I left active duty due to reductions in force and both of us were assigned to the reserves. My son was physically unable to continue his service but I remained for another 20 years. We both experienced each side the RIF but nothing in this announcement is new or news worth just the same ole sh!t.

originally posted by: buster2010
Looks like the sequester is taking effect.

The Pentagon's proposed budget for fiscal 2015, which begins Oct. 1, calls for the service's headcount to decrease to 440,000 to 450,000 soldiers by fiscal 2017. If sequestration remains in effect, the number may fall to as low as 420,000 soldiers – tens of thousands less than what the Army's top officer, Gen. Raymond Odierno, said is needed to adequately respond to conflicts around the world.

Well if we were not acting like the world's police then we wouldn't need all these people so maybe it's time for us to stop. We need to cut how much we are spending on the military and that means some people will lose their jobs just like in the private sector.

Well if we were not acting like the world`s welfare office we wouldn`t need all these people so maybe it`s time for us to stop.We need to cut how much we are spending on the social welfare system and that means some people will lose their jobs just like in the private sector.

originally posted by: JHumm
Maybe these are the people that will not fire on American citizens. And now that more and more of them are seeing how the government is treating people and now their own, they will be good to have on the people's side if something happens here at home and the people need to defend themselves against enemies domestic.

How could you tell who would shoot their own people. From my personal experience, there are soldier that wouldn't shoot the enemy either. The only Americans that would be remotely endanger of an Army assault would be the people running Washington now. Shooting traitors that's OK!

Greetings,

Interesting for the USA and I noticed the USAF reduced their number of RIFs thru voluntary attrition. This happened to me in Feb 1991 when I had 23 1/2 years in. The USSR collapsed and I was one of 6000 to many E-7s. By 1994 I had a job with the USPS and then had to retire from that for medical reasons due to Agent Orange. By 2008 the VA had determined I was unemployable and awarded me IU. I just kept on plugging and rolled with what came down. Now I'm retired and can read this thread to see that I'm not alone and some people get shafted worse than I did. Go Uncle Sam.....

One of my friends relatives is sweating this out right now, as a matter of fact he could be on of the ones counted in the article. I had never heard of this before, but apparently after a certain amount of time, if you don't get a promotion you get cut. It's how they keep the numbers vested for retirement benefits down. As a matter of fact that is how the friend I mentioned above's military service ended as well. They called them all into a room and made a public announcement that their time in the military was over (this was back in the 80's, so its been going on fro quite awhile).

This "management" system came right out of Detroit with McNamara in the Kennedy Administration. Before that you would have 20 year Privates and Lieutenants. Now its move up or out.

originally posted by: 8654drp
This "management" system came right out of Detroit with McNamara in the Kennedy Administration. Before that you would have 20 year Privates and Lieutenants. Now its move up or out.

McNamara is responsible for many ills of the military today. He developed the Project !00,000 which pulled (drafted) into the military the "bottom of the barrel" civilians of his time rather than the "contributing citizens". As a result the army experienced officer and NCO fraggings and general mutinous behavior from the lower ranks from this group. The navy even had a first ever mutiny onboard the USS Forestall. The military only recovered by going to an all volunteer military with much higher standards.

originally posted by: FarleyWayne

The Army last week began notifying about 1,100 captains that they will be purged from the ranks.

The same fate is awaiting about 500 majors, who beginning this week will be told their active-duty careers are over.

They're among nearly 2,500 officers and NCOs who will be involuntarily separated this year as part of an ongoing drawdown of forces.

Army Fires Officers After Ordering Them to Move

-
OBSERVATION:

TEXAS MILITARY FORCES - Job Opportunities
.

why they dont cut the highest paying ranks (colonel above) and instead cutting the low salary (relative) ranks