Dempsey ready to cut stars he says
The Stars & Stripes reports that Marty Dempsey says that the Department of Defense is ready to cut admirals and generals from their rolls – 144, about 15%, is the number, but, it’s only the beginning in my opinion. They should cut about half along with their sergeant majors. In fact, they should cut every enlisted member who has served during combat without serving in combat and are currently in the pay grades of E-8 and E-9. They should fire every E-8 and E-9 who hasn’t served in a leadership position while in those pay grades.
Dempsey also says that he will try to cut back on flag officers’ lavish lifestyle…and, oh, that was all Bush’s fault by the way;
Though the DOD claimed money is not at the heart of the cuts, spending on officers has become excessive with the free flow of funds during wars, creating bad habits that need to be curbed, Dempsey said during a recent visit to Japan.
“We got in the habit of surrounding general officers with a level of support that was probably excessive in some ways,” he said.
The perks for generals and admirals include lavish quarters, personal jets, chefs, speech writers, security details, aids and schedulers.
“What’s it going to look like if somebody sees you staying in the Ritz-Carlton … for four days and doing one hour’s worth of work?” he said.
Well, if they’re only doing an hours worth of work every four days, the math tells me that they can afford to cut 39 flag officers for every one they keep on the payroll. And how does a lavish lifestyle spring from a war? The Pentagon did that all by themselves, the decision makers making their own lives more comfortable – it has nothing to do with war, it has to do with self-serving pricks – and Marty Dempsey is their prince.
It’s the kind of stuff that comes from a Secretary of Defense spending $36,000 every weekend to be with his family on the other side of the country and paying the taxpayers back $300 for the trouble, ya know, because he deserved it for all of the tough work he did slashing the shit out of Defense for his boss.
Yes, the military life is going to be austere in the coming months and years, they don’t need to continue to pay those guys who’ve done their level best to avoid leadership positions in combat. They should endeavor to retain those who have experience in combat, those who haven’t made a career of being a self-serving pogue. There is no room in the lean days ahead for perfumed princes, but we already know who will get to stay on the train and who will be sent packing.
Category: Big Army
I could have quite easily gone my entire career without deploying. But I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror and called that person a soldier. My first deployment was cut DRASTICALLY short because the brass couldn’t agree if the band (yes the band)should be with the division or back supporting Corps HQ. I had to figuratively beg to deploy again just to get the bad taste our of my mouth. I was lucky and got another chance before I retired, and was able to keep a younger soldier from deploying a third time. I will never regret that choice. The big Army is full of people who dodge, duck, dive, and dodge they’re way out of deployments. Get rid of them all I say. If I can find a way to deploy, then anyone can. It’s not just the right thing to do……It’s your duty.
@10 and @11, Thank you. Well put and you are dead right. I will vote for that!
There are always going to be a select few who fight, kick and scream to deploy, but are unable to. Yet at the same time, there are always a select few who dodge, duck, dip, dive and uh dodge to not deploy. A few years ago the percentage was something to the effect of 40%? of the Army had not deployed yet and that was after 5+ years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet, for example, a Troop Commander I worked with in Afghanistan was on his sixth deployment. I feel fortunate that I was able to volunteer and deploy (in one case I kicked and screamed a bit) 3 times because that’s where my real job is, not back here at a desk. Lastly, there are both those who volunteer and get to deploy and deploy because they are told to when it is time. I see the next handful of year’s Senior promotion boards going like this: “Okay, put all the non-deployee guys in that pile over there, we’ll get to them after the deployed stack…” And yes, there are guys who deploy and are pure dumbass, but because they deployed, they get promoted. Why? Because far too often when they are downrange, instead of firing them on paper, they are “transferred” or “moved” to another position, then end up getting a deployment award and look like the cat’s pajamas. I knew of a captain on my last deployment, received a Letter of Reprimand from the Bde Cdr, yet at the end of the deployment he received a Bronze Star. Total BS and Fucked up, but I saw it happen in Iraq too, a 1SG was fired after 3 weeks due to total incompetence, transferred to a new job and walked out with a bronze star. Probably came back after that and made SGM. I could go on and on, but for the average Soldier that deploys vs the average Soldier who doesn’t, the deployment indicates you went to the show, did your job, and came home. Just the same as a Soldier who goes to college and gets… Read more »
Stu @ 24 – My attitude in the Rereserves was “If you aware unwilling or unable to mobilize and deploy, I don’t want you stealing from the taxpayers.”
I vaguely recall an article in Time magazine during Vietnam that indicated there was a correspondence between higher than usual numbers of senior Army officers in Vietnam and getting promoted prior to retirement.
Duty in an active combat zone meant those officers had XX numbers of troops under them, which meant they were more likely to get the next bump up in rank before they retired. The implication was that there was a scramble to get over there, just to get that promotion.
I do not remember the date or issue of that article, but I do remember the gist of it, which is related above.
@55 before my unit was set to deploy two summers ago, we had a surge of calls from Senior 1LTs and Captains wanting to join our unit because they’d heard we were deploying and had a battle roster.
Realizing, or being told to realize, that the deployments are winding down and they needed a deployment under their belt, they were kicking and screaming, willing to do anything, to get into the unit.
Our “glorious” Bn Cdr gave them their wish. Unfortunately, she let so many others deploy with the unit, that only 36% of the battle roster was organic Soldiers. So she screwed her own troops over to help strangers in essence. Quite a shame, but that Bn Cdr was “Dolores Umbridge” incarnate (Harry Potter Reference).
I also heard that during Panama and/or Grenada?, certain units “rushed” 2LTs into the country towards the end so they’d have “combat time.”
Since her name was raised on this thread, my Army Times came today and CSM King retired and was awarded an LOM upon her retirement.
No deployments, one Legion of Merit.
http://www.armytimes.com/article/20130603/CAREERS02/306030031/Ex-Drill-Sergeant-School-chief-retires-honors
#57/58,
What can I say? There are those who retire as SFCs with a right sleeve full of combat hashes, a chest full of service and campaign ribbons,and a CIB/CMB/CAB; and there are those who sue the Army despite retiring as CSMs with a number of higher precedence awards and no combat service whatsoever.