re: Army cutting loose 550 Majors...

So it's CPT's last month MAJ's this month. Probably will also cut loose e8 and 9's soon too.

I can't remember the number but it was about that much if not more.

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I'll wait of Wolfhound's opinion, but this seems like a good thing to me.

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My apologies, tied up all day.

This is a structure issue. If you decrease the mllitary by (x) number of battalions and brigades, then you are going to need decrease by (y) number of majors (and eventually lieutenant colonels) on those staffs. I enlisted in 1981 out of high school and was commissioned as an officer in 1991 (Army ROTC). I have seen this happen two other times before. I think we are doing a pretty good job but not everyone is going to be happy. Some good people (and some not so good people) are being let go. The system cannot be perfect. But with all due respect, it is not a purge of the military by President Obama.

From a strategic planning perspective, we use various types of reviews to determine what the mission and structure of the Army is going to be and also end strength. Bottom line, we are assuming risk and that is (in my opinion) not a bad thing. We cannot have everything. From a cost savings standpoint, the easiest way to save money is to cut personnel. I know that sounds brutal (it is), but it is the truth.

Where I take issue is with systems development and procurement. Much of that is driven by Congressional pork and (as mentioned about the F-35) once it starts it is nearly impossible to stop. That is (often) not a decision by mililtary leaders. That is the U.S. Congress. We walk a fine line with them when it comes to what we request and what we get.

Just a quick ramble. Hopefully not a wall of text.

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Just a quick ramble. Hopefully not a wall of text.

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I remember when Phil Spector revolutionized posting with his 'Wall of Text' style......

So it will be like it was during the Clinton Administration. No money for training or anything else. Glad I got out after my 5 year commitment was up.

During the 90's the Army was cut from 22 divisions to 11.

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During the 90's the Army was cut from 22 divisions to 11.

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so the Army was basically cut in half in the 90's?


I don't know id it was THATT drastic, was it? (I really have no clue)

Air Force just went through some of this. TERA (temporary early retirement authority) and other programs were implemented for those that got the boot that had at least 15 years in. So they were retired instead of just a severance pay. Obviously they received less than the 50% of base pay, but it was still retirement.

1. Based on reduction in force structure and super high officer to enlisted ratio- this is necessary.

2. The way the Army does this is horrible. Centralized Selection Boards are retarded and don't make sense for modern professional armies. No other institution in the world hires, fires, schools and promotes like the Army, and most of the incompetence exhibited since WWII is a result of this.

3. Personally, I feel bad for the CPTs and MAJs, especially combat arms officers, who have spent the last ten to fifteen years generally deployed in junior officer positions in the suck, who the Army enticed into staying and gave their young adulthood to their Nation. Meanwhile senior field grades and general officers who have mismanaged the wars walk away with retirements and corrupt post retirement hook ups.