Déjà vu all over again. The drawdown after the Vietnam War was heartless like this as well; Lots of officers got the axe unexpectedly . The post-Cold War drawdown in the 90’s was better managed, but still a lot of personnel both officer and enlisted who wanted to stay in the service got told to leave. This is perpetual problem for the ARMY since it is always expanding and contracting in size to meet the needs of the day. In the past that was a big a problem since back in the old days most of the men who joined the Army at the start of a war couldn’t wait to get out when the war ended. Such is not the case anymore, more people joining the Army want to stay in since the pay, benefits and living conditions in the Army are much better than they were in times past, even as compared to civilian life. Further since the current civilian economy is partially stagnant and offering few good job opportunities, soldiers, especially those with families have an even greater incentive to remain in the service.
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So he and his wife, who's newly pregnant with their first child, signed a lease and put a deposit on a home at the family's next location. A few days later, he was called into his post's commanding general's office and informed that, effective almost immediately, he would no longer be in the military.
"I was led to believe that everything was good to go, and next thing you know, Monday morning, you're having to talk to the man," said the captain, who requested anonymity to speak freely about the incident and without professional repercussions. "You never think it's going to happen to you."
The Army last week began notifying about 1,100 captains that they will be purged from the ranks. The same fate is awaiting about 500 majors, who beginning this week will be told their active-duty careers are over. They're among nearly 2,500 officers and NCOs who will be involuntarily separated this year as part of an ongoing drawdown of forces.
After growing in size to 570,000 soldiers in 2008 at the height of the war in Iraq, the Army has less than 520,000 soldiers today and is on pace to shrink to 490,000 soldiers by next year. It's bracing for even further contraction driven by automatic budget cuts known as sequestration.
The Pentagon's proposed budget for fiscal 2015, which begins Oct. 1, calls for the service's headcount to decrease to 440,000 to 450,000 soldiers by fiscal 2017. If sequestration remains in effect, the number may fall to as low as 420,000 soldiers – tens of thousands less than what the Army's top officer, Gen. Raymond Odierno, said is needed to adequately respond to conflicts around the world.
Even officers who escaped the current round of dismissals criticized the move, saying it encourages talented leaders to leave the service.
By Epictetus
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