Time for some brass tacks.
Do you really want to know why Sequestration will cause so much damage to the Pentagon?
If you're thinking bloated weapons programs like the F-35, F-22, canceled EFV, Crusader or the like then you're wrong.
If you think that its because the military has too many bases it doesn't need...nope.
Its all about the troops, benefits and E-1's with kids.
First a tidbit from AOL.
Remember that I said the real end strength for the Marine Corps would be 150K? Remember when I said the Marine Corps would get rid of Marines before it got rid of weapon systems?
You're watching that play out now.
But back on subject.
Want to know a secret? The Marine Corps turns over approximately a third of its force every year. The reason? It saves money.
The troops deserve every cent. But its caused an unbalance in the Pentagon and it will probably be solved by a massive reduction in force.
Don't hate me. I'm just the messenger.
Note: Name an industry anywhere in the free world where the workers have seen their pay increase by 50% over the same span of years. I tried and couldn't think of one. Whether Sequestration hits or not is irrelevant. The services must shed personnel in order to absorb future budget cuts.
Do you really want to know why Sequestration will cause so much damage to the Pentagon?
If you're thinking bloated weapons programs like the F-35, F-22, canceled EFV, Crusader or the like then you're wrong.
If you think that its because the military has too many bases it doesn't need...nope.
Its all about the troops, benefits and E-1's with kids.
First a tidbit from AOL.
Manpower costs dominate the Army budget, dwarfing all other expenses, from training to equipping to running bases, as the official graphic above makes clear. (Click on the image to see it full-size). Army spending on manpower soared 54 percent from 2000 to 2013 -- but the number of soldiers is only 4 percent higher. Base pay has risen by over 50 percent, set-asides for retirement pay by over 65 percent, housing allowances are up over 300 percent.Next a tidbit from the Weekly Standard.
According to the House Armed Services Committee, the 2011 Budget Control Act (the law that imposed both spending caps and sequestration) will force the Marine Corps to shrink by 25 percent--from 202,000 Marines to 145,000. What's more, "by the end of calendar year 2013, less than half of our ground units will be trained to the minimum readiness level required for deployment," Marine Corps commandant James Amos testified to Congress this month.Wait. Before we continue I need to pat myself on the back for being right...not now but in the near future.
Remember that I said the real end strength for the Marine Corps would be 150K? Remember when I said the Marine Corps would get rid of Marines before it got rid of weapon systems?
You're watching that play out now.
But back on subject.
Army spending on manpower soared 54 percent from 2000 to 2013 -- but the number of soldiers is only 4 percent higher. Base pay has risen by over 50 percent....That is the real issue. The Pentagon has launched so many morale and welfare programs, done so many family outreach services, allowed pay to rise so fast that it now can't afford its basic building block...the individual Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine.
Want to know a secret? The Marine Corps turns over approximately a third of its force every year. The reason? It saves money.
The troops deserve every cent. But its caused an unbalance in the Pentagon and it will probably be solved by a massive reduction in force.
Don't hate me. I'm just the messenger.
Note: Name an industry anywhere in the free world where the workers have seen their pay increase by 50% over the same span of years. I tried and couldn't think of one. Whether Sequestration hits or not is irrelevant. The services must shed personnel in order to absorb future budget cuts.
Mccaine was right back in the Bush days.
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