U.S. ARMY SPENDING BIG BUCKS TO KEEP THEM AROUND

As you can see by the story below, the Army is not going away anytime soon. The Army's mission is changing and in today's environment they will be needed more than ever. This new policy only illustrates the need to keep the Army force strong and vital. This does not mean they will not moderize and use their forces more effectively and efficiently. This means they will become a force to reckon with within the services and funding to use this force more efficiently to come more easily. How do they do this in our present economic climate? What I hear and believe is that you will see more forces outside the country being returned to the U.S. and the closure of more costly bases outside the US. The warfare of the future will be more rapid deployment forces and high tech weaponary. Guess what! With the building of a new Army Base for the Army Special Forces being built within Eglin AFB, the Army Ranger Training at Eglin, the Headquarters of the Special Operations Command at Hurlburt, and the mission of testing of new high tech weapons at Eglin, I believe our area is sitting in the cat bird seat. Any questions or comments, give me a call.


February 06, 2009


"Up-or-Out" is on the move again -- this time for the Army's enlisted leaders. But not everyone is going to be happy and the Army is unsure how much it will cost in the long run. Three years after the Army more than doubled the number of years a Soldier may serve as a private first class the service has now extended the shelf life for senior noncommissioned officers, in some cases by up to three years. The move provides senior enlisted leaders the opportunity to extend their careers at a time when the Army is stressed for manpower while fighting two wars and still meeting its training obligations. Lt. Col. Thomas Erickson, Chief of Enlisted Professional Development Branch, said the move was needed to retain sergeants major longer. But it affects Soldiers down to the rank of staff sergeant. "These changes to retention control points were part of our sergeant major utilization program," Erickson told Military.com. "As we worked our way back from [sergeant major rank], we had to keep master sergeants longer and RCPs were increased for several ranks. But there is no change for sergeant promotable or below." Under the new so-called "Up-or-Out" policy, a staff sergeant can serve an additional year in grade up to the Soldier's 23rd year in uniform, while a sergeant first class or staff sergeant promotable can remain in grade an additional two years up to the troop's 26th year in service. A master sergeant or promotable sergeant first class now gets three extra years up to the Soldier's 29th year in service, while most E-9s and promotable master sergeants may now remain in their rank for up to their 32nd year in service. Some exceptions exist that would allow certain E-9s to serve up to 35 years.
The Army was unable to provide precise numbers on how many Soldiers this new policy could directly affect. "The feedback we are getting is favorable," Erickson said. "Those who want to retire when they reach 20 years, they can still do that. But those Soldiers who wanted to extend their careers will now have that option." As a comparison, an E-7 in the Marine Corps must be promoted to E-8 by the leatherneck's 22nd year of service or retire, meaning his Army equivalent can serve four more years in the same grade. The change went into effect in November of last year, meaning Soldiers who were pushed out of the Army earlier in the year under the old promotion policy missed an opportunity to serve longer. "When you are working with a timeline in a calendar, there is somebody who's going to be on the other side of the line," Erickson admitted. "We need to move forward and make those decisions." Soldiers who were forced to retire or separate under the old policy -- no matter their date of separation -- are not eligible to return to the Army under the new policy, Erickson said. It's unclear how this will affect the Army's plan to grow the force, but it does mean a potentially larger pool of senior NCOs competing for promotions and coveted billets and duty stations. "The majority of Soldiers, once they hit 20, we see a spike of retirement. And once they hit their RCPs, we see another spike," Erickson said. "The change in the RCPs does not mean every staff sergeant will stay in for 23 years. It allows them more opportunities, if they choose." Erickson said he was unable to provide a cost estimate because it's unclear how many senior NCOs will take advantage of the opportunity. Under the latest pay scale, a sergeant major with 26 years will receive a monthly salary of $5,928. That figure jumps to $6,224 at 30 years and $6,536 at 34 years. The Army has experienced more success of late in recruiting -- thanks in part to the sagging economy -- but it's yet to be seen whether the plunging stock market will cause senior enlisted Soldiers to remain on active duty for a few more years without being promoted, knowing they will at least get longevity pay raises. "The cost to it is balanced against other factors. If I keep a Soldier longer, that's one less person I have to recruit," Erickson said.
The Army is spending hundreds of millions across the service to retain Soldiers of all ranks -- enlisted and officer. The Army recently said that roughly 70 percent of captains signed up for a three-year retention bonus, costing the Army at least $400 million in cash and other incentives. The Army also offers retention bonuses of up to $150,000 for senior NCOs in critical positions. Erickson said the Army is not worried the new policy will entice some Soldiers to become slack in their duties or less aggressive in seeking promotions. "I don't believe it will diminish their motivation to be promoted," he said. "If you are going to stay longer, you might as well stay longer in a higher grade."