Posted on Sep 27, 2013
CPT Aaron Kletzing
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As the military enters a significant downsizing period, it's important to talk through relevant issues and solutions. &nbsp;Enter your response below, and if it gets the most Up votes, you win a free iPad Mini and we will personally deliver your thoughts to our Advisory Board, which includes retired Generals George Casey and Norton Schwartz, the recent Chiefs of Staff of the Army and Air Force, respectively.<div><br></div><div>Tip: Get all your friends to vote Up your response by the end of the contest on Oct 7, 2013.</div>
Posted in these groups: 702767d5 Downsizing
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Responses: 502
SSG Acquisition, Logistics & Technology (AL&T) Contracting NCO
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Have a reward program for best ideas through AKO. If your unit saves so much money they get recognition, 4 day pass, ect. Hold commanders responsible for enforcing recycling. In TRADOC I have seen it pushed but in line units I never saw it promoted.
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CPT Hhc Company Commander
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The civilian side should work as much as the green side.  
I am fairly new to the military, but I have already heard many times that 'it' is sitting on one of the civilian's desk and they only work 'such and such' hours and on 'such and such' days.  
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SSG Brigade S6 Communications Ncoic
SSG (Join to see)
11 y
That is the case in some places, for sure. I'm a contractor and a Reservist; part of our contract states we have to open where I work at any time, on any day of the year if the Gov't needs access equipment in the building. Until about a 2 years ago, we actually ran 3 (8) hour shifts Sunday Night through Saturday morning. Not all contractors are slouches, and we don't all make tons of money. In fact, I'd make a lot more on AD as an E-5 than I do now.
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SFC Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Operations Specialist
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The first thing the Army should do is to re position Soldiers so that they can do their jobs as specified in their MOS. Not all civilians are replaceable but I firmly believe that with the amount of MPs in the Service, you would think they would be the ones manning the gates and patrolling the streets on post; let me also say that we can make great use of all Finance, Personnel and Supply Soldiers. If we found them more jobs maybe the promotions wouldn't be as hard for them? I dont have all the facts but it is a thought as a young NCO looking at things. We need to cut Soldiers that have become unworthy and hazardous for the health of a unit, but we also need to reposition everybody to see what we need.
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SSG S2 Intelligence Ncoic
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I am going to attack this as simply as possible.

 

I see there being three parts to this problem.

 

Manpower, equipment, and for lack of a better term real estate.

 

1. Manpower.

 

Recruiting is already so selective that recruiters are turning potential soldiers away becasue they have already met there quota and the standards of entry have been restricted. With current programs such as Bars to reenlistment, flags, chapters, and med boards the ranks will thin out as long as the recruiters are held in check.

 

2. Equipment.

 

The Military stands to recoup a lot of it's investment in equipment if they so choose. There are thousands of excess vehicles, computers, weapons, tools, and various small end items that could be sold to lessen the financial strain. The downside to this is if anything big happens we will most likely bring the fighting force back up to full strength and we will need the equipment again. The key thing to be done is to stop upgrading things like vehicles all the time. Wait until a need is identified and then spend the money on it.

 

Real Estate.

 

The military has to many bases, camps, forts, and so on. These are expensive to maintain and to staff. We need to consolidate our active duty installations and leave the smaller more remote bases to the reserves/guard forces.

 

 

Now to pick one of these items.

 

I believe that the most important thing the military should do while downsizing is preserve the knowledge and lessons learned in deserving members of it's current manpower. We have to carefuly consider is it more cost effective to separate somebody or bring them within the standards of rentention. Did we spend more money training them then it will save us getting rid of them?  Do they meet an operational need? The most valuable asset the military has is it's personnel. Are there members of other branches who cannot stay in their branch due to force reductions who can fill the ranks in another branch without recruiting and training a new service member? If the answer to these questions is yes (which I believe in most cases it is) then the way ahead is clear.

 

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1LT Executive Officer
1LT (Join to see)
11 y
All good points. Can you expand upon recruiting? If DA does an analysis and states that they are overstrength for a specific MOS than maybe standards for entry should be higher than what it is for these specific MOSs to capture the best.
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PO1 Jack Howell
PO1 Jack Howell
8 y
SSG, you do realize that, at least since Bill Clinton was President, there have been many base closures, don't you? Also are you aware that some bases have been combined into joint bases (Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, etc.)? The main problem is that the military has been asked to do more with less (personnel, funding, equipment, etc.). This has hurt the military the most and it seems as though our government either doesn't know or doesn't care that this is happening as well as the effect that it's having on military personnel.
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Sgt Jay Parsons
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The most important thing the military should do while going through this downsizing period is to focus on the fundamentals. Get back to basics and keep only essential training. Keep those with the best attitude and best performance.

If the numbers are still too high, keep raising the bar based on performance and attitude. We will be left with men and women with the level of professionalism to carry forward in these leaner economic times. 

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SGT Hugh Nunn
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Any downsizing actions should be implemented with the clear intent to keep our best and brightest, allowing them to actually do the jobs they were trained to perform.  I would start with three actions reducing cost, personnel, and infrastructure.



1.  Reduce or remove reliance on C4I systems as much as possible.  PowerPoint and the inherent subculture it pervades has all but destroyed traditional models of communication and leadership.  Entire careers are reduced to bullet points.  Leaders are too afraid of making mistakes to actually lead.  Give leaders at all levels the opportunity to learn and be mentored without every misstep and minor transgression appearing on the General's "blotter."


1.  Return C4I systems and support to the Military as much as possible.  Contractors are expensive, and their corporations are more worried about the bottom line than the deliverable product.  Making this infrastructure and support organic to commands will reduce the footprint, and subsequently the amount of personnel , equipment, and ancillary goods and services needed to maintain them.




2.  Reduce the number of Officers and Senior NCOs from the top down.  Reinforce and reinvigorate the NCO Support Chain.  While in Iraq in 2011, I witnessed E-8s performing tasks that I had handled as a PFC.  Don't pay a MSG to do a PFC's job.  I would rather pay a PFC and have fewer Senior NCOs who actually have the chance to train, mentor, and lead.  




Whatever form this downsizing effort takes, it will be a much tougher process with harder choices than similar efforts had in the mid-90's.  However if those tasked with it shrink from the hard right over the easy wrong, our military will be immeasurably weaker and much less able to respond as needed.



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CMSgt Lee Beausoleil
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Instead of spending ungodly amounts of money on garrison support contracts, why not use our internal manpower and keep a viable defense of our country on the roles.
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SGT Leigh Barton
SGT Leigh Barton
11 y
You mean move back to an earlier Army that didn't allow idle soldiers? I'll applaud that sentiment.
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SSG Mike Angelo
SSG Mike Angelo
>1 y
Some posts, camps, and installations will be vacated and signed over to the civilian leadership.
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SSG Bradley Ford
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When going with a draw down,i would get rid of some of the dead weight.People in the chapter period,fat bodies that can not meet standards,an not just the enlisted peopl
e.The military is to top heavy with alot Col an General that are just hold a job an do nothing but get paid.
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LCDR Jason Woodward
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If by military we are including the military communitee and not just "the military", then hire vets.
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SFC Dennis Leber
SFC Dennis Leber
11 y
Good point, and reduce the use of contractors and place service members back into those jobs. 
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SFC Wayne Robinson
SFC Wayne Robinson
11 y
good comment use the wounded to facilitate the slots instead of paying the civilian three times more than a GI gets. cost savings and retention all in one

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Cpl Brett Hill
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Reduce the amount General Officers and their perks.
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