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SWJED
11-07-2006, 01:10 PM
Under capabilities - Amid War, Army Struggles to Retain Junior Officers (http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/11/05/5militaryretain.html) in the Austin American-Statesman by Bob Deans.


Concerned about midlevel officers leaving the Army under the strain of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has adopted new incentives, including enhanced graduate school opportunities, to help keep lieutenants and captains in uniform.

But concern persists over how the Army will be able to retain enough officers to fully staff an expanding force. The number of junior officers stands at 40,300 and needs to increase by 3,000 officers in the coming years to meet the goal for the expansion.

During the past year, 7.9 percent of the Army's junior officers left active service. To meet the growing demand for officers, the attrition rate will have to fall to 5 percent a year, a tall order given the pressures that multiple combat deployments are placing on young officers and their families.

''We know it's a strain on the force,'' said Col. Mark Patterson, chief of the Army group responsible for recruiting and retaining officers. ''It's a challenge that we're meeting head-on. We're not waiting until we have a retention problem; we're working it hard right now.''

After losing 5.7 percent of its company-grade officers in 2003 - the year President Bush launched the invasion of Iraq - the Army saw its officer attrition rate jump the next year to 8.1 percent. In 2005, it hit 8.5 percent, prompting concern within the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill.

In response, the Army initiated three programs a year ago aimed at extending the service commitment of newly commissioned lieutenants and experienced captains.

The dip in the attrition rate over the past year suggests that the programs are working...

jonSlack
11-08-2006, 02:23 AM
Army Officer Shortages: Background and Issues for Congress (http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33518.pdf)

Be sure to take a look at the chart showing promotion rates since FY01.

Some interesting "Possible Options for Congress" listed in the report.

jcustis
11-08-2006, 01:10 PM
The FAS file seemed to totally ignore the simple fact that numbers have gone down due to the number of casualties we have sustained. This war has not discriminated against any rank, and a large number of lieutenants and captains have simple been killed, maimed, or otherwise wounded in ways that make continued service problematic.

Add this statistic to the annual attrition percentage, and yes, you'll get a higher number.

Other forces are at work here, and that's why you can't punch numbers into a computer and develop a perfect model.

Of the five lieutenants that served under me during OIF I, three went on to become captains, but have since either left the Marine Corps or intend to in the next few months. In two of the three, the "family effect" played a part. They had since become married and had children. As much as the spouse may support a desire to remain part of the military, children are a totally different dynamic, and I completely respect them for wanting to watch those kids grow up. The point is that I figured these guys to be in it for the long haul and was proven wrong.

I think one spin-off of the GWOT is that attrition morphs a bit because young officers find themselves in more "un-rewarding" situations than they may been in during peacetime. Formal school slots may go down, optempo is up, we have the MiTT situation, etc., etc. We simply cannot assume that the force can be maintained as casualties continue and normal attrition rates increase. That's just simple math...

Steve Blair
11-08-2006, 02:34 PM
We saw this during Vietnam as well. It's amazing that people seem to think that this stuff is new.

JKM4767
01-05-2007, 06:10 PM
Army LTs are becoming CPTs at 37 months now. Should be an indicator. Wow.

Smitten Eagle
01-05-2007, 07:42 PM
Army LTs are becoming CPTs at 37 months now. Should be an indicator. Wow.

Yet it's not uncommon to see 5 year Lieutenants in the Marines (and these are good officers!). As to their attrition rate beyond that, I'm not really sure.

I don't know that "sweetening the deal" with money is going to fix it. Not many people pick the soldier's existence for the money.

There are other things that kick the butts of soldiers and Marines:
1) PCSs for no apparent reason at the 3-year time on station mark (deploy your ass for 2 years, only to deploy your family at the 3 year mark again!)
2) Centralized promotion systems
3) Other admin stuff, like the awards system, etc...

I love what I do; I'm not here for the money.

JKM4767
01-05-2007, 08:46 PM
I think Bonuses are key to keeping Soldiers in. I don't know that it would work with Officers. No doubt. I always try and ask one of my guys when he re-ups what his motivation is. Money is normally the answer I get. Which is fine. I like the pay, also. I certainly know that the Marines have a much longer time to wait to CPT. I have met some absolutely incredible Marines that commissioned before me and are still LTs. USMC benefit, totally.

jonSlack
01-08-2007, 01:31 AM
This post is cut and pasted from a post of mine in another forum I participate in back in July.



I love being a 1LT and I look at my mandatory 37-40 months to CPT as a ticking clock. I wish I could delay promotion for a continuous year of PL time in a normal functioning unit, instead of the 6 months in a deactivating unit and the other 6 months in an activating/red cycle OPFOR unit each time with 3 different PSGs. Following the PL time, a year of continuous XO time with the same company. Honestly, I would go back to being a 2LT if it meant I could get the PL and XO time like that. It is not going to happen and I accept it. FIDO. I will do my best at whatever my current assignment is. But, when the time comes to make the decision on staying or going after my 4 years, the fact that I have 2 1/4 years TIS and this week will be starting the 6th line of my ORB will have an effect on that decision.

I want the experience and knowledge before moving on. Right now, I do not feel like I am earning my promotion to CPT, it is just something that happens at 37-40 months. It is a given to all 1LTs unless they have had a DUI, domestic abuse, GOMER, relief for cause OER, or something else of equal weight.

jcustis
01-08-2007, 01:41 AM
The Marine Corps has (or at least had) insane bonuses to retain its pilots to a certain year mark. That's why they all drive sporty coupes or Lexuses.

If there are retention problems, it will be interesting to see how well we grow the structure that the services are asking to get back, and what that structure looks like (units, MOS's, etc.)

Jedburgh
01-08-2007, 03:18 AM
...I want the experience and knowledge before moving on. Right now, I do not feel like I am earning my promotion to CPT, it is just something that happens at 37-40 months. It is a given to all 1LTs unless they have had a DUI, domestic abuse, GOMER, relief for cause OER, or something else of equal weight...
During my final year before retirement, I knew a MI 1LT who was an XO for a training Co at a TRADOC unit and was relieved from that position after being picked up for a DUI by the local cops. He ended up being sent out on an individual tasking to a staff position with CJTF-7 to get rid of him for a while. Less than six months after his return, he was picked up for CPT.

The combined DUI/relief for cause did not stop him from being picked up. I suspect there's more like him out there....

In any case....If you feel like you haven't earned it yet and you're still striving for self-improvement - you're probably ready for promotion. No hard working officer should ever feel guilty about a promotion - simply because there's plenty of parasitic incompetent bastards out there who care more about the speed of their next promotion than they do about the mission and the soldiers they're supposed to be leading (except as it affects their OER).

120mm
01-08-2007, 06:44 AM
I got picked up for O-5 today, and don't really know if I want it. It means I have to finish that abomination known as ILE, and two additional years of obligation that goes with it.

It also means I get moved even farther from my comfort/interest zone. Now, instead of being a marginally useful O-4 force-branched TC-officer (from Armor), I am a completely worthless O-5.

My experience so far has been in Armor/Cav (No field grade slots for Reservists in Europe) and MI (My civilian career never allowed me to become branch qualified) So, should I be mobilized, again, I will do absolutely nothing worthwhile for 18 months, just like last time.

I spent 10 years attempting to get a CA billet, but the CA "clique" wasn't interested. It has been my experience thus far, that the Army finds out what your interests/qualifications are, and then spares no expense and effort to see that you NEVER serve in those fields. Yep, I'm bitter.

steel rain
04-09-2007, 03:57 PM
During my final year before retirement, I knew a MI 1LT who was an XO for a training Co at a TRADOC unit and was relieved from that position after being picked up for a DUI by the local cops. He ended up being sent out on an individual tasking to a staff position with CJTF-7 to get rid of him for a while. Less than six months after his return, he was picked up for CPT.

The combined DUI/relief for cause did not stop him from being picked up. I suspect there's more like him out there....

In any case....If you feel like you haven't earned it yet and you're still striving for self-improvement - you're probably ready for promotion. No hard working officer should ever feel guilty about a promotion - simply because there's plenty of parasitic incompetent bastards out there who care more about the speed of their next promotion than they do about the mission and the soldiers they're supposed to be leading (except as it affects their OER).
I've seen promotions go to LTs who have never deployed and take longer than it should (usually slowed down by the process of putting people in the right slot and S-1 taking their time on the paperwork) for people who've done multiple tours and done them well. Granted it is in the Guard and things work differently there. It may help that the LT who got promoted is dating a senior officer. I will say that it is good we have hard chargers like you guy's the help shoulder the load. Thanks