Twenty Percent of Army Generals not Deployable in 2016
This was the status as of 2016. Given the scandals that were occurring, involving Generals and Admirals, this study was inevitable. One of the things that they found was that out of every five generals, one was not eligible to deploy.
This is only a part of the overall readiness issue, where officers, warrant officers, and enlisted personnel have nondeployable Soldiers among them. From USA Today:
Data for 2016 showed that 83.5 percent of Army soldiers were deemed medically ready to deploy, the lowest rate among the services. The Marine Corps led with 90.2 percent followed by the Navy at 90.1 percent and the Air Force at 88.8 percent. The rate for active-duty, ready-to-deploy generals, not including the Reserve or National Guard, was 79.6 percent. For active-duty soldiers overall, the figure was 84 percent, and the Army’s goal is 85 percent.
The top factors for failing to meet the standard was being overdue for an annual physical or dental exam, a relatively easy fix.
Readiness is a big issue. As indicated in the quote, simple things like being updated with regards to medical and dental exams is important to being declared “able to deploy”. This is also a concern among the reserve components.
Service members being deployable is one of the things that the Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, is tackling. You can read more here.
Category: Big Army
Only 20%? Do they only require a pulse for flag officers to be considered deployable?
I’m shocked as well, I would have thought it was only 20% WERE deployable!
LOL imho..of what I have read and found out, I would have thought 2 or the 5 were not even eligible to be generals 😉
If they can’t get off of their fat asses and deploy with the troops, then its time to retire them. If it’s deploy or out for Private Snuffy, the same should apply up the chain. The only slack I would cut them is for combat-related injuries being the factor.
Retire every General that cannot bench press 225.
That would go s long way to balancing the federal budget.
And then every Female Flag officer would say, “That’s sexist misogynist patriarchal and homophobic! How dare you expect us to do that!!!” And they’d all get promoted.
And the male flag officers who couldn’t do it would probably say, “I identify as a female, that is sexist misogynist patriarchal and homophobic!”
Doesn’t the army have a sexist, misogynist, patriarchal, and homophobic ribbon or rainbow beret?
Geezo Pete, GT, you are MEAN!!!
Okay, you still need senior admin people at home, so why not keep those with war injuries in those spots? Release those who don’t have that issue to deploy.
Not everybody has to deploy. Everybody has to be able to deploy. We don’t need to create a non-deployable branch. There are always more than enough available to keep the home fires burning. I did a 15 month stint as a rear-detachment 1SG.
Damn near put me into rehab. OPS NCO and I seriously boosted Sam Adams sales.
Thank you for your service…to the beer industry.
WTF happened to leading by example? Scuffed up in combat is one thing, marking time for retirement pay or making that promotion permanent is another thing entirely. The standards have to apply to every swinging Richard and Rachel or nobody. Boot ’em all if they don’t get deployable most skosh.
They are old. Old people often fail deployment screening which are now much more stringent than they were hisoltirically.
The reason this is an issue a few years ago the military moved to a “be deplorable it get out!” posture and it led to questions about the deployabolity of senior officers and enlisted.
If they follow through with this there we be a huge sucking sound as mid level officers are sucked into senior positions at a much higher selection rate for promotions.
It is hard to say whether competent senior officers holding senior desk and staff jobs who are unable to deploy is better or worse than filling those desks with deplorable but potentially less competent and experienced officers.
It will definitely spike costs as more officers are medically retired than would have been.
There are good arguments on both sides.
However, historically, some of our best and most exerienced warriors spent the last decade of their careers as instructors and staffers once injuries and health made them no longer fit for combat service.
In my opinion it was good for the country and was the least we could do for them.
It seems “deplorable” is the default autocorrect for “deployable” on an IPhone. Apple does not think “deployable” is a word.
Also, I have no idea what happened to “historically”.
Typos are a way of life here. Some become part of TAH’s lexicon, and are used with great glee.
In other words, don’t sweat it.
I’ll bet the majority of deployables are also deplorables. Politcally speaking of course.
I kinda thought deplorable worked just as well.
Ditto.
For example, ‘Stormin’ Norman Schwarzkopf, one of my personal heroes, was *cough* a large fellow. Did that stop him from dealing with both the White House and Sadam’s Republican Guard, and at the same time?
You all know the answer to that.
JMHO,YMMV
But back then, they weren’t talking about “deploy or separate”. Back then, the Army wasn’t nearly as busy as it is now. Back then, we didn’t have combat troops in multiple nations. They went to one place and in 100 hours the war was over.
100 hours? But I was there 9 months! That ain’t fair!
Obozo the clown is the one that started this “dumping of higher echelon people”…forget the dumkoph and everything he started imho! He was just doing his thing of trying to destroy the U.S. and weaken our military!!
Schwarzkopf was a REMF, perfumed prince and pouge.
Walt Boomer was the man in the Gulf.
Really? Thought that was Colin Powell. Perfumed prince, that is.
That’s right without the Marines to sit there and do… um whatever is they did…. things weren’t going to happen.
Either way it’s like I said before. Once they start passing out waivers to hang around and not deploy it is game over.
No way Ted Roosevelt Jr would have passed a pre-deployment physical, he was walking with a cane. But he landed with the troops on June 6, 1944 and led from the front, directing troops like a traffic cop.
I also doubt that MacArthur, being in his 70’s, would meet all of today’s medical requirements when he went to Korea.
Yeh and MacArthur even got his pants wet lol 😉
I take exception to “Old people often fail deployment screening which are now much more stringent than they were hisotically.”
I ‘celebrated’ my 52nd birthday in Baghdad last year. Had no problem with the pre-deployment screening. Also in this age bracket for the APFT, your run is basically timed with a sundial. Actually if you show up at the test site and fog a mirror, you’re considered a go.
Damn straight! I just took my APFT for record. The equipment required to time me was a calendar! Although, I ran it in 18:28.
Oh, and I am 57.
Keeping on the story. General Officers are viewed differently with deployability issues.
You youngsters come back in 20 and let us know how its working for you LOL 😉
Will do!
“They are old…”
What is your definition of “old”? The current Army mandatory retirement age is 62. Most 62 year old men are not disabled or infirm. They may not do as well as 32 year olds on the APFT but Generals do not need to be Olympic athletes. Somehow we have managed to fight and win several wars with “old” generals.
I would like see the list of non deployable/never deployed senior NCO’s for the Army.
(need to know intensifies)
Signal had a double shitload. My ANCOC class (JUN-SEP 2004) was all SNCO’s fresh from Iraq. ANCOC 1SG had been hiding in the schoolhouse since Desert Storm, and decided he was qualified to tell us about Iraq. Pretty much got laughed out of the classroom. He never addressed our class again. Good times.
My peers pissed me off on this issue…hiding out in Korea or strategic units to avoid deployments.
Or non-deployable profiles for common colds…LOL
I saw a lot of this at Rucker when I went there for predeployment training for OIF 2. Controllers were hiding out in the various towers at the airfield and stagefields to avoid deployment. Many had been there their entire careers. When the branch chief said they were all considered deployable the whining and gnashing of teeth was almost painful to see. They considered themselves too important to the Rucker mission to do real Army stuff like deploy to a distant land. Many decided not to reenlist. I think that was a good thing. Far too many of them couldn’t run around the tower without falling over from exhaustion. A few tried to pull the single mother card, saying they had no one to care for their children. It was sad to see.
After that much time at war, any E-9 in the Army that doesn’t have a combat patch should be retired on 01 January. Period.
You would think after 17 years straight, anybody with 3 years or more would have a patch.
GTFO….Now!
I heard that, I myself came back into the NG after a nine year break in service from AD wanting to get deployed, the US Army granted my wish twice and I look at slick-sleeved Senior NCO’s with plenty of contempt!
Whenever I see a slick-sleeved senior NCO, especially Infantry, I think “where the f*ck have you been”.
“The top factors for failing to meet the standard was being overdue for an annual physical or dental exam, a relatively easy fix.”
Let me just say this right off the bat: LHI always kinda sucked, but it has gotten exponentially worse in the last 12-18 months. It takes weeks/months to get appointments, which are often cancelled without notice, and even though I live in a major city, they’ll send me an hour away for an appointment in the middle of the work day. I’ve often had 20% of my soldiers perfectly deployable, but just sitting on a list showing red for PHA while they waited for LHI to schedule them.
Does your unit do Mass Medical / Dental events? You have to have a certain percentage of troops that need medical / dental exams or fixes. But, even if you don’t, you can coordinate to have other units come along and they will up your numbers.
I’m thinking that LHI isn’t making as much money off appointments as they used to. Years ago I had to take two HIV tests because I went to the local VA where TRICARE assigned me for medical coverage. They said, “Oh well we can’t trust their chain of custody, you have to go to the clinic we assign for you….” So instead of accepting it from a government health facility, I went to a civilian health facility an hour away. Yep, totes legit….
My first unit, we’d do that, but everywhere I’ve been since then hasn’t had enough personnel. Definitely sucks…
Google “MG Terry Haston”. Granted he’s in the TN guard, not active duty, but you tell me if that tub of lard can deploy anywhere except Golden Corral…
mmmmmmmm…golden corral………
LOL
Saw somewhere that said something about bulk refueling was one of his specialties at one point. He definitely puts the “BULK” in the Occfield.
HIYO!
This fatso Air Force Brig Gen Michael Cunniff was covered on TAH a few years ago. He was the adjutant general of New Jersey. Then Gov Chris Christie telling this Pillsbury Doughboy general to trim down is so ironic.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/09/22/chris-christie-thinks-new-jersey-official-is-too-fat-orders-him-to-slim-down/
talk about the “POT” calling the kettle black! lol
“Google “MG Terry Haston”. Granted he’s in the TN guard, not active duty, but you tell me if that tub of lard can deploy anywhere except Golden Corral”
Holy Cow, I almost laughed up part of a lung. How about a spew alert?
Mad Max deployed to Afghanistan earlier in the war so there’s that. Andhe is the Tennessee TAG., TAGs never deploy overseas anyway.
I see jump wings, must have a G11 cargo chute.
Didn’t they put out a policy a few weeks ago that said “deploy or get out”?
Will they retire them? OF COURSE NOT!! Different spanks for different ranks.
In addition to the 20% of Army generals who are non-deployable at least another 20% are not necessary to successfully prosecute operations in SWA.
Ding ding ding we have a winnah!!!
“The top factors for failing to meet the standard was being overdue for an annual physical or dental exam, a relatively easy fix”.
The “top factors”. (Nice.)
However, investigations into misconduct (aka “legal issues”) aren’t as easy.
I wonder what the percentages are for physical/dental versus SJA that renders them non-deployable?
Couple of my neighbors are retired Army generals. One told me that it was on them to schedule physicals, dental exams and, etc. Some are so busy, or focused on other efforts, they overlook the personal medical stuff. If you think about it, most of us had a 1sgt riding heard on us making sure we made medical appointments and etc. My experience is that a 1sgt can handle company grade officers with no problem, and most field grade officers. General officers may be another story when being told about medical appointments by the 1sgt.
Along those lines, a few years ago, a freshly promoted four star went in for a long overdue physical. Docs discovered he had stage four prostate cancer. Retired and died a few short years later. I suspect that had the general had regularly scheduled physicals, his PSA test would have alerted the medical staff of early stage prostate cancer and he could have been successfully treated. Pays to get your physicals.
General One Tooth and Admiral Phatty Phuk are on notice.
I’m kind of ambivalent about this subject. If you can’t just get rid of them, the troops are probably better off if they stay home.
If you deploy with a 60 year old Brigadier
General, I guarantee he’s thinking he can still get that second star if he can impress the right people.
And if he has to get you killed to do it, well… eggs, omelets, etc.
Yet, when I commanded a Reserve Battalion, your “Leadership” was measured by, among other things, dental and medical readiness! 2 hour phone conferences every fourth Monday of the month, when each Battalion commander had to explain line-by-line those Reservists who were “RED” for Medical and Dental!
Most all USMC Flag officers I worked for were work out nazis..and serious runners. A few were chronically buggered up at the knees and still ran up front in formation. Only had one “OMG” at our January swim suit ” Polar Plunge” where a 3 Star showed up in rubber booties, knee length wet suit including arms. As we ran past him to the surf line I don’t recall seeing him ever in the ocean. He looked like he belonged at Happy Landings Assisted Living Facility. Cracked me up.
CAPT Bones USN (ret)
Average age of an Army general: 53 1/4 years-old. But, hurrr durrr, if they was a 22 year-old e-4 they would totally string his ass up. hurrr durrr when I was a wheeled vehicle mechanic in 7th Group I deployed for a whole year, durrr… fat generals durrr…
Petraeus challenge buck sergeants to push up contests all the time… and win.
Sounds like typical “Do as I say, not as I do!”