This is nothing new. We have been doing this since the 90's actually. Officer ranks are cut first due the higher pay rates. They then move on to enlisted areas with hign numbers in a given field. We call it a RIF or Reduction in Force. This bounces back and forth so much it's hard to keep track.
Shelby
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10:14 PM
Rainman Member
Posts: 3877 From: Cincinnati, Ohio Registered: Jan 2003
I was talking with a neighbor the other week and he told me his son had just signed up with the AF. When he walked in to sign up, the recruiter asked a few questions and one of them was "any tatoos?" They said if he had any, to walk out the door and go down the street, AF is over staffing level and they can be as picky as they want on who they select at this point in time. If that's true, I don't know, but that's what they said.
[This message has been edited by Rainman (edited 07-08-2011).]
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10:28 PM
carnut122 Member
Posts: 9122 From: Waleska, GA, USA Registered: Jan 2004
This is nothing new. We have been doing this since the 90's actually. Officer ranks are cut first due the higher pay rates. They then move on to enlisted areas with hign numbers in a given field. We call it a RIF or Reduction in Force. This bounces back and forth so much it's hard to keep track.
Shelby
I agree they do this stuff all the time, in fact one of the officer specialties they are cutting this year is my wife’s. She is safe from the cut this time around but who knows what the future holds.
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10:43 PM
blackrams Member
Posts: 33134 From: Covington, TN, USA Registered: Feb 2003
As the economy worsens, more people consider the military as an option. Well, the economy has not improved and does not appear to be on the incline. Add to that, Obama's promise to remove 30,000 troops from the war theatre and you have the perfect storm for lightening up the military. Won't surprise me to see the military's budget dramatically cut in the very near future. Weapon systems, aircraft and ship building is already being slowed or canceled. The next few years will be very similar to the post Viet Nam era. There's gonna be a lot of unemployed soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in the very near future and it'll last until our economy turns around.
------------------ Ron
[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 07-08-2011).]
Yep, this has happened so many times it's difficult to keep count. A transition to "peacetime America"--again, and then in perhaps the not-so-distant-future, a ramp up to put us back on a war footing. RIF after WW2--ramp up for Korea. Rif after Korea--ramp up for Vietnam and the Cold War. RIF after Vietnam--ramp up for Desert Storm. RIF after Desert Storm....you get the picture.
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12:08 AM
aceman Member
Posts: 4899 From: Brooklyn Center, MN Registered: Feb 2003
It's why I took my retirement. I was offered retirement within a year or go in front of a Reduction In Force board and be boarded out within 90 days from the board. My background of Supply and Human Resources were overstrength. I've seen the results of these boards. Those boards will overlook numerous atta boys on your record and zero in on one awshit from 10 years ago. I wasn't rolling the dice for some pinhead to decide if I could continue for another 2 1/2 years before I hit maximum years of service. At least the Army is only looking at those Senior NCOs and Senior Officers with over 20 years of service so they have the option of retirement.
Right now the Navy has three 'force shaping' boards going.
PTS looks at people at first and second enlistment. A new board looks at seven to fifteen year personnel and then there is the ERB, which I fall under, that covers people over 20 years. Overall not a good time to want to make the military a career.
I just had an E6 at 13 years put out since he was not needed supposedly. Strange thing is his job is extremely undermwnned. Would not surprise me if they try to get him back in in a year or so when they realize his selection was a mistake.
