Navy Announces Layoff of 207 Experienced Pilots and Flight Officers
MILLINGTON, TN.
On Tuesday, the Navy decided to prematurely terminate the careers of 207 experienced Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers, most of whom were more than halfway towards retirement. Many of the pilots who were terminated had amassed nearly 2,500 flight hours each and were EP sailors during their shore and multiple sea tours.
It is estimated that it cost the Navy in excess of $300 million to educate and train these aviators, an investment of taxpayer money that will be forever lost once those officers are involuntarily separated in April 2016.
Officials at Millington struggled to explain why officers with exemplary careers are being shown the door. In fact, Millington struggled to do anything at all as the BUPERS website malfunctioned throughout the day yesterday; and as of the time of this article, an official message had still yet to appear on the BUPERS website or Outlook message traffic nearly 24 hours later. Most had to be informed of the news via social media and through an increasingly popular and pertinent web forum, Airwarriors.com.
Cold Shoulder
Command triads are privy to the information 24 hours in advance for the express purpose of notifying service members who will be separated as a result of the narrow-sighted "Up or Out" policy which has wreaked havoc on the officer ranks ever since DOPMA was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on December 12, 1980.
Despite the advance access to this information, a majority of affected officers surveyed stated that they still have not been personally notified by their respective Commanding or Executive Officers. In fact, many stated that their Department Heads and HODs were "completely clueless" about what had transpired on Tuesday. Worse yet, many were completely unaware that the firings effectively slashed disassociated sea tour manning by more than 60%, as many of the affected officers will be separated nearly a year before the completion of the current sea tour orders to which they are assigned.
One officer who was interviewed simply stated: "In my 14 years in the Navy, I have never seen a bigger failure of leadership as what I saw yesterday. I lost my job yesterday- after 3 deployments, one of which was on the ground in Iraq near Nasiriyah, I was fired and nobody told me why. Not a single person in my chain of command had the moral courage to call me into their office, look me in the eye and tell me face-to-face that I had lost my job. My CO sent out an email the next day congratulating those who had made it, but still hasn't personally informed those who didn't for a second time. I have a wife, a four year old and a child on the way, mortgage note to pay and I have to start my terminal leave in just four months. Now what am I supposed to do? I was an EP sailor in both my sea and shore tours, an instructor pilot, took disassociated orders to a deployed carrier- but still that wasn't good enough to make O-4? What happened to all the promises that were made in the wake of last year's board? I just don't get it."
Trouble on the Horizon?
If it wasn't troubling enough that 60% of disassociated sea billets are about to go vacant in just four months time, an even more deeply disturbing trend was uncovered while conducting an informal survey among those recently selected.
The selection board failed to take into account that many of the names on the promotion list already notified Millington prior to the selection board that they intended to leave active duty and enter the reserves, taking dozens of spots away from those who intended to stay active and take department head billets in operational squadrons.
Even dozens more of those selected for promotion have no intention of serving at all- either active or reserve. "Three people in my office alone made the list but are already planning on getting out," said one Lieutenant on condition of anonymity.
Flying in the face of promises of massive overhaul and change after the shocking results of last year's board, the Navy only chose to promote 80% of it's junior officers despite having the authority to promote up to 90% across all communities. Most of those spots again went to the Surface Warfare and Submarine communities.
With the number of separations, lateral transfers, FTS selectees and officers planning to resign, it remains unclear if Naval Aviation will be able to keep crucial billets manned. What will Millington do when (not if) 25% of those selected for active duty promotion leave for the Reserves or civillian sector? Will Millington be so confident in their course of action when they loose another 50 or so officers that they thought would be sticking around for Department Head orders? Maybe not.
***not an actual article but probably should be- Maxillarious