Not really a surprise. The whole thing is too much of a bureaucracy and it comes with all the ineffiencies normally linked to one. That includes lots of commanders protecting their pet projects.
They’re mostly dumping Captains who didn’t make field grade, and low performing Majors. What’s disconcerting is they’ve REALLY targeted those officers promoted from the enlisted ranks. It does look like those performance reviews might be suspect?
Hmm, ONE Hellfire missile costs $70,000. Paying off one Major will cost $100,000 in buyouts. ONE tomahawk missile is $1.3 million dollars- gee, how many officers is that?
Real cost savings are in R & D now paid to contractors, and NOT buying more of the junk they’re selling, like tanks($billions) and, F-35s ($1.3 TRILLION so far!).
That $10,000,000,000,000 Obama blew could have funded a decent army and taken care of our veterans. Instead, we got Solyndra, EnerOne, ObamaCare, and lots of payoffs.
TJDestry: when I would hear the blathering about JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!, I used to want to suggest that we establish torture chambers, because there’d be a lot of good-paying jobs. Then the CIA activities came to light, and the “enhanced interrogation” BS was so fiercely defended. Reality trumps snark.
When you boil it down to essentials, all the cries for “job creation” through military spending are little different from the torture chamber idea.
If this meant fewer wars, I’d be all for it. But it’s shameful to promise job security to our trained assassins and then cut them loose. Although vets have always gotten screwed.
TED; I’ve always read and enjoyed your ’toon. I would ask you, and your colleagues, to at least once do a ’toon on age discrimination against older workers seeking employment. It is RAMPANT out there! I have met and spoken with many men and women even in their FORTIES who have shown up for a scheduled interview, only to have some 22-year-old “Human Resource Specialist” girl hustle them right out the door! (It has happened to me 5 times in the last 32 months) Last week, Bill Maher, at the end of his show on HBO, did a very good piece on it, which I wish I could force every H.R. specialist to view! There are MILLIONS of un-employed people out here, and many millions more of under-employed: Good experienced workers who WANT TO WORK, who do not want to be the “takers” that so many right-wing pundits here on GC complain about! No matter how much experience one has, our age works against us. Young people simply do not want to work with us.
Another little trick the Pentagon uses to reduce their “cost” of war. They deny “combat related” injury to the disabled retirees, so that part of the payments from VA are DEDUCTED from disabled retired pensions from the Pentagon. They’ve nailed thousands of vets with this little exclusion, even folks blown up by IEDs in Iraq!
tengu99 over 9 years ago
Not really a surprise. The whole thing is too much of a bureaucracy and it comes with all the ineffiencies normally linked to one. That includes lots of commanders protecting their pet projects.
Dtroutma over 9 years ago
They’re mostly dumping Captains who didn’t make field grade, and low performing Majors. What’s disconcerting is they’ve REALLY targeted those officers promoted from the enlisted ranks. It does look like those performance reviews might be suspect?
Hmm, ONE Hellfire missile costs $70,000. Paying off one Major will cost $100,000 in buyouts. ONE tomahawk missile is $1.3 million dollars- gee, how many officers is that?
Real cost savings are in R & D now paid to contractors, and NOT buying more of the junk they’re selling, like tanks($billions) and, F-35s ($1.3 TRILLION so far!).
moosemin over 9 years ago
I’m sure the Chinese will loan us the money to keep them on!
moosemin over 9 years ago
Well, congress is acting like a corporation these days, so why shouldn’t the Pentagon?
Michael Peterson Premium Member over 9 years ago
Another invasion, please. Nation building creates job security.
manteo16nc over 9 years ago
That $10,000,000,000,000 Obama blew could have funded a decent army and taken care of our veterans. Instead, we got Solyndra, EnerOne, ObamaCare, and lots of payoffs.
Cerabooge over 9 years ago
TJDestry: when I would hear the blathering about JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!, I used to want to suggest that we establish torture chambers, because there’d be a lot of good-paying jobs. Then the CIA activities came to light, and the “enhanced interrogation” BS was so fiercely defended. Reality trumps snark.
When you boil it down to essentials, all the cries for “job creation” through military spending are little different from the torture chamber idea.
Ted Rall creator over 9 years ago
If this meant fewer wars, I’d be all for it. But it’s shameful to promise job security to our trained assassins and then cut them loose. Although vets have always gotten screwed.
Dtroutma over 9 years ago
^And there is the factor that some of these folks may be good enough to go to work as mecs, and make 2-3 times as much as the military pays them!
moosemin over 9 years ago
TED; I’ve always read and enjoyed your ’toon. I would ask you, and your colleagues, to at least once do a ’toon on age discrimination against older workers seeking employment. It is RAMPANT out there! I have met and spoken with many men and women even in their FORTIES who have shown up for a scheduled interview, only to have some 22-year-old “Human Resource Specialist” girl hustle them right out the door! (It has happened to me 5 times in the last 32 months) Last week, Bill Maher, at the end of his show on HBO, did a very good piece on it, which I wish I could force every H.R. specialist to view! There are MILLIONS of un-employed people out here, and many millions more of under-employed: Good experienced workers who WANT TO WORK, who do not want to be the “takers” that so many right-wing pundits here on GC complain about! No matter how much experience one has, our age works against us. Young people simply do not want to work with us.
Thanks!
Dtroutma over 9 years ago
Another little trick the Pentagon uses to reduce their “cost” of war. They deny “combat related” injury to the disabled retirees, so that part of the payments from VA are DEDUCTED from disabled retired pensions from the Pentagon. They’ve nailed thousands of vets with this little exclusion, even folks blown up by IEDs in Iraq!