Military retention issues

(Scroll down to "Culling the Legions")

I have this from mail, and it can serve as my essay although I didn't write it.

Subject: The Unpublicized Generation Gap

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htlead/articles/20080130.aspx

"Many people in the military now perceive a "generation gap" that is marked by a specific date; September 11, 2001. Those who joined after that day, were more likely to have done so for patriotic reasons and were in to fight. The pre-911 troops had served in a peacetime military. The 1991 Gulf War lasted only four days. The Balkans peacekeeping operations of the 1990s involved very little combat. In other words, the pre-2001 troops had seen very little action. A lot of the pre-2001 officers and NCOs had a hard time adapting to wartime. This is nothing new, and happens every time there is a war. As a result, there were a lot of transfers (to other jobs) and retirements. Yes, the army was offering re-enlistment bonuses of $150,000 to some senior combat NCOs. What the army did not publicize was the large number of officers and NCOs that were encouraged to leave, or get out of their combat job, to make way for people who wanted to fight and were willing to learn how. This is something the military would prefer to keep quiet, despite the fact that it happens every time there's a war. Journalists tend to miss it as well, although historians often catch the scent and dig a bit. But, by and large, the changing-of-the-guard in the leadership ranks is something that goes unnoticed outside the military."

This is worth keeping in mind as you occasionally read horrific articles about how the military is losing senior NCOs and mid-level officers. With an actual war going on, we are building expertise and experience at much faster rates than during peacetime. For instance, the largest movement of US troops at once since WWII took place while I was working at the headquarters that had to carry it out. No pressure... I know some people we're still easing out of the service, because we figure their replacement will be better for the greater good. While I know some good people who are getting out sooner than the expected, I don't know of any who doesn't have health or family issues I'd consider sufficient to explain the matter. The back bench is now extremely capable of stepping up if something happens to the varsity. We let junior sergeants lead patrols knowing that even if they don't make an error, they can still be a horrible example on CNN the next day. Why? They can handle it.

Serving Officer

This morning, there was news of an increase in suicides among soldiers. Now I wonder how many of the suicides had enlisted before 9-11.