Army Officer drawdown; what are your thoughts? 1,100 Captains and 500 Majors being cut.

SFC A.M. Drake — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:02:58 -0400

Army Drawdown Continues: 1,100 Captains to Be Cut

Jun 23, 2014
Stars and Stripes, by Chris Carroll

WASHINGTON -- The Army drawdown continues this week, when about 1,100 Army captains will receive word that their military careers are about to end. Another 500 majors will get the same news in early July.
The cuts were planned by officer separation and early retirement boards that convened this spring to review 19,000 active-duty officers for possible early separation. It's all part of the Army's effort to smoothly trim down to a number that, thanks to federal budgetary uncertainty, remains unclear.
There were about 28,000 captains and nearly 17,000 majors in the Army on April 30, according to Defense Department statistics.
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Campbell, who sat down with Stars and Stripes recently to discuss Army end-strength cuts, said the separations aren't something anyone wanted. Good officers who've risked their lives to serve the nation will have to leave, he said.
"They're in the Army now, and in other times they'd probably continue to stay in the Army," he said. "But this is not normal times."
During the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the Army had about 570,000 troops and has since dropped to about 510,000. The current cuts, which also include 500 noncommissioned officers selected early this year for separation, are aimed at producing an end strength of 490,000 troops -- the Army's previous target.
But the force will almost certainly get smaller. The most recent defense budget proposal from the Pentagon, now working its way through Congress, calls for an Army of some 450,000 soldiers.
Should automatic budget cuts known as sequestration return in 2016 after two years on hold because of a bipartisan budget deal, 420,000 troops will be the target end strength, officials say. Campbell and other Army leaders say that such a deep cut would be risky enough to require an overhaul of the nation's defense strategy. However it plays out, many more troops will have to leave.
"This will be a continuing effort as we go forward," Campbell said.
Even as the Army plans for continued drawdowns, certain fields -- including cyberwarfare, special operations and missile defense -- have grown, he said. The service branch's leaders are looking hard at areas for offsetting cuts, Campbell said.
Among them are Army educational institutions and Training and Doctrine Command, or TRADOC, he said. Other areas that may be ripe for reductions are Army Medical Command, brigade combat teams -- which have already been cut significantly -- and enabling functions such as logistics units, he said.
The Army is focused on moving troops to civilian life as compassionately as possible, Campbell said. Some of the most difficult notifications, he said, could be to officers now commanding troops in Afghanistan.
"Just think, if you're a young captain ... you've been in the army four to eight years, you could be a company commander who commanded in combat, and now somebody's going to come up and say, 'Hey, thanks for your service,' " he said. "It's going to be a shock."
Most of the captains who receive notice this week will receive separation pay, while a few have accumulated enough time in the service to qualify for early retirement.
The Army hopes to move many into the Army Reserve ranks.
"We think about two-thirds of those who are selected would be great candidates to go into the reserve component," said Maj. Gen. Thomas Seamands, director of Army personnel management. "The reserve component shortages are actually captains and midgrade NCOs, so it would improve readiness in the reserve forces."
The 1,100 captains will remain in the service until April 1 and can use the intervening time to prepare their families, retrain and look for work in the civilian world, Campbell said. Support for transition is available through the Army's "Soldier for Life" program, instituted by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno in 2012, he said.
"They'll have nearly 10 months to transition, to get their finances and their families ready, all the things they need to do to get a smooth takeoff as they leave the service," Campbell said. "They'll have almost a year to get ready for that."

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 25 at 2014 11:07 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 11:07:38 -0400

Any way you put it, I think it is really sad when you see any soldier (officer or enlisted) have to leave the Army involuntarily. It's like the article states any other time these officers would be allowed to serve their country and retire proudly. But these are not normal times.....

Response by CPT Jacob Swartout made Jun 25 at 2014 6:55 PM

CPT Jacob Swartout — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 18:55:54 -0400

The Army is getting to be very competitive at all positions and I tell everyone to do their best. It is unfortunate that some good friends will be separated involuntarily from the service and all of them want to only serve longer and retire out.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 25 at 2014 7:08 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 19:08:37 -0400

As I've said previously, based on the year groups being reviewed I think the CPTs and MAJs would have had to have been passed over at least once while in zone. I don't have a problem with them implementing the cuts starting with people who are not promoting with their year group. There's generally a reason (especially at O-3 to O-4) if a soldier gets passed over.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 25 at 2014 11:21 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 23:21:54 -0400

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, this is no longer a growth industry. That being said, I wish anyone receiving the bad news this week the best of luck. Let us do what we can if we know any of them to help them transition successfully.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2014 2:12 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 14:12:37 -0400

Hopefully this doesn't stifle my career in the Army once the Marine Corps decides they don't need me anymore...I guess I better start looking at the Navy!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2014 5:08 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 17:08:59 -0400

I just want to know when am I going to read about the Army separating a few Generals, because if we are separating so many Soldiers, then why would we need so many Generals if they have no Soldiers to command

Response by Capt Jeff S. made Sep 5 at 2014 7:17 PM

Capt Jeff S. — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 19:17:55 -0400

The lower you go in the pyramid, the more cuts you make. But in general, our Armed Forces have too many officers. They need to get back to a ratio between 1:10 and 1:15 officers to enlisted...

1:10 USAF > USN > USA > USMC 1:15

AND we also have to flatten the pyramid and get rid of the bloat of senior officers and generals. We really don't need much more than 3:10,000 3/4 star generals.

How bad is our bloat of generals? How does it compare with other armies?

Summary: As a followup to yesterday's powerful rant by Richard A Pawloski (Captain, USMC, retired) about our bloated corps of senior generals, today we look at the actual numbers. They show that ...

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Sep 5 at 2014 7:25 PM

LTC Paul Labrador — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 19:25:16 -0400

Well if things blow up in Ukraine or we ramp up our efforts against ISIS, those cuts may prove to be premature. Would love seeing the Pentagon send a "just kidding" letter to the folks who were boarded out....

Response by COL Mike Caldwell made Sep 10 at 2014 1:51 PM

COL Mike Caldwell — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 13:51:39 -0400

We go through this scenario every time we have a down. But, with ISIS actions in Iraq. The total Army force must self correct ASAP.