Should civilians in the military have to PCS like military?

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 07:54:57 -0500

Should civilians in the military PCS like the "green suiters"? There are pros to keeping there for stability within the unit. There are cons to keeping there that they can become set in their ways and become toxic or unwilling to change, hurting the unit.

What are your thoughts for and against?

Response by MSG Wade Huffman made Nov 26 at 2014 8:22 AM

MSG Wade Huffman — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 08:22:30 -0500

One more thing to think about is that mandatory PCSing of civilians would result in a sizable increase in the personnel budget at a time where they are trying to decrease personnel costs (although I can think of a few that would rater quit / retire if forced to PCS, and that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing! LOL!)

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Nov 26 at 2014 2:38 PM

LTC Paul Labrador — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 14:38:23 -0500

Those are very valid pros and cons. In general I think the value of having GS employees serve as our institutional memory keepers overall outweighs those who have poor attitudes. Remember, while it can be difficult in some cases, you can still fire toxic or underperforming GS employees. Nothing states you have to put up with their BS.

Response by 1SG Cameron M. Wesson made Feb 18 at 2015 9:48 PM

1SG Cameron M. Wesson — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 21:48:48 -0500

LTC Private RallyPoint Member It depends...

I will offer this... As a Senior Civilian... the DOD is moving to make mandatory "mobility agreements" with the civilian workforce... targeted specifically at those that are in management positions, not necessarily supervisory. They are looking at GS12 and above specifically.... maybe even some GS11s

The idea is to spread the wealth of knowledge and broaden some of these folks for use later in higher positions. That being said, it will have a few hurdles to overcome.

As for quitting/retiring... 70% of the current civilian workforce is already eligible to retire... made this would help a few of them decide.

As for me... I had to sign a mobility agreement with the fellowship program I'm in... I just spent 90 days at Fort Sam Houston.... and will spend another 90 days at HQDA G8 this fall I think. After my two year program... who knows where I'll end up.

As for the increase in spending... maybe this could allow military to be on station a little longer?

The Cost Benefit Analysis would be interesting to say the least.

Response by SPC Lukas Jones made Mar 4 at 2015 3:38 AM

SPC Lukas Jones — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 03:38:34 -0500

I believe that they should Sir. However, I would note that looking at USA Jobs, there are positions that do not require or do not authorize relocation for said positions. I think this was done to mitigate moving expenses having to be paid by the military for civilians. Perhaps, like Senators, there should be a re-application process as well as a term limit. Civilians are only given a 2 year contract before they must re-apply for the position along with anyone else who wants to apply and can only serve in that position and role twice before it is required that they transfer to another unit or move to a higher grade position. There is a SGM from one of our down-trace units who works as a civilian with our unit as our finance accounts manager who has been there for 10+ years. He has the power to deny orders or training based on budget, but I often feel that his decisions are also influenced by his personal perceptions of the soldiers involved. I have seen many well-qualified soldiers get passed over for missions or training so that the "new guy" can go instead.