CORPORATE DOWNSIZING!!!!!

[Stephen]

I've made several posts concerning this topic, some of you are already aware, and some aren't.
Well if you did'nt know the Navy is downsising. They're trimming the officer ranks down by 1900 officers. This includes officers who atrrite from flight school(for any reason) those officers who fail to get their warfare qualifications, or lose their qaulifications. Even ROTC and academy Grads are not immune. Right now 418 officers will be involuntarily separated with 6mos in between to transition to civillian life.

How do I know this? I recieved my letter a week ago, as well as several other officers at my command. I am now in the process of searching for another means of employment. The general mood among those who recieved notice is varied. We have some officers who have 13yrs in and now they're beinng booted out, and the Navy is saying sorry no severance pay, unless you have 5yrs of commmisioned service. And considering they're mainly separating JO's the Navy is saving a lot of money.

However, I fear the Navy is going to feel the repercussions of this new policy, if they get rid of us all who will be the new dept heads and leaders of tomorrow? Some of my friends are really ticked off at the Navy right now. Especially those with more than 10 years in. They feel thath the Navy has really turned its back on them.

As for myself I'm considering doing an interservice transfer to the Air Force if they'll accept me, or try to get into Federal Law Enforcement. It's kind of ironic many people think it s rough in corporate america, and there is Job security in the Military.

Corporate Downsizing is what the CO told me when he gave me the news. Now don't get me wrong I'm not bitter or anything because I do have a degree and I'm a certified Law Enforcement Officer in Ga, so I'm not worried that I won't find a job, I just a little stunned.

For you new guys out there I'm not trying to discourage you or anything, but have a BACKUP PLAN! And don't get so GUNG-HO FLY Navy. I STRONGLY suggest you research the other services before you committ to anything. Find out if that services qaulity of life fits in with the standards you want to have. Of Course I know some of you out is probaly thinking I don't care as long as I get to fly. Hey I thougt that too. But consider what if I don't make it?

Again, from what I've read from some of you guys threads you seem pretty motivated and focused. STAY THAT WAY!!! Because they just don't pass out those gold wings. And for any of you GenAvs out there who got letters, hold your head up, we are still officers,(at least until May anyway), but we earned the title and in our hearts no one can take that away. And we still have options.

Well I gotta go fill out my application with walmart. LOL

V/R LTJG Hall

 

[Fatboy]

No doubt this sucks and it scares me also. I've been in the Navy 10 years now and I don't know what I would do. Don't think that the Navy will someday pay for this. This isn't the first time, the second or even the third time the Navy has done this. They did the same thing In the early 90's. Five or six years from now it will probablly bounce back to where it was a year ago. Maybe even sooner god forbid there was an urgent need for it.

Your right though, everyone should have a backup plan.

 

[Jaxs170]

Just a little something to add to this: I overheard some AF officers here at Vance talking about what is going on with the Navy booting out so many people. One guy, a major close to retirement, said that one reason the AF hasn't encountered this problem yet was because they had more staff billets to fill, and suddenly many a furloughed airline pilot came back to help fill them along with flight school attrites, others who could not fly anymore, ect. However, he added that they have almost completely filled the open positions, so the possibility exists that the AF could start axing people in the (near) future for similar reasons as the Navy. My take on this: BUST YOUR REAR END OFF IN FLIGHT TRAINING!!!

 

[petescheu]

Maybe one of ya'll can answer this... I just can't fathom how for years and years and years we have been so stretched to our limits and all you hear is that we are undermanned like nothing else. We just got a huge budget increase from congress... we are fighting two wars right now, and, at least from everything I've heard, are having to do 9 month deployments just to keep up with the pace. It seems to me everything points to not enough people, not enough ships, not enough planes. And yet, all of a sudden, they are "downsizing" and booting all these officers... WTF? Is this another Navy personell fiasco (I swear the people who work there think 1+1=3) or am I missing something here...
shoo

 

[kimphil]

The armed forces are mandated by Congress as to how many personnel they are allowed to have. Regardless of whether the Armed Forces need more personnel, until Congress approves an expansion, the military has to respect those numbers. Thanks to the poor economy, the military is recruiting and retaining more officers than it is legally allowed to have. The result is the recent wave of separation (along with the hard time college grads are having trying to join the military). The same thing happened before the first Persian Gulf War (end of Cold War and poor economy = separation of personnel).

However, if employment improves in the private sector, in a couple of years the Navy will have a hard time retaining the same officers it's getting rid of now.

 

[navsup]

I just heard on fox news that the congress wants to increase troop numbers but the pentagon is resisting. I just cant understand how the navy takes all these guys on bdcp, etc... but seperates officers that are already trained and paid for.

 

[Stephen]

OH Yeah, I forgot to mention I got promoted on the 1st of dec and on the 4th I got my separation notice. And what is even more ironic the notice was dated on the 1st. So I got promoted and fired on the same day (LOL)

 

[04Hopeful]

Stephen:

Best of luck to you, I can't imagine how hard this must be considering all that you have worked for. Any luck as a reservist?

 

[wink]

Can't believe I am agreeing with kimphil! When the navy hires someone for a program, NFO, SWO, etc, they expect that guy will come out of the other end of training as a qualified SWO or NFO some months down the road. If that guy doesn't make it, DOR, NPQ, etc. then he is of no use to the Navy unless there is an opening elsewhere, ie redesignate to another speciality. In our current environment, there are no open slots any where else in the Navy. The Navy is not a social welfare program. We can't pay people we don't need or have a place for. We are aloted a certain number of bodies to do a certain job. All those folks must be trained and qualified. If we have oficers that are not completing the training they opted for and there is no other place for them, they cannot be retained and paid above the current authorized force levels. If you are the CNO do you want to pay a guy that is a 1300 designator (general aviation officer) that did not complete flight school or a 1315 (naval aviator) that can do all the 1300 can do and fly a plane. Everyone that is being RIFed so far are guys that fall into that catagory. In years past guys have been RIFed that were pilots and SWOs in good standing, it can happen. We aren't there yet and likely won't be in the near future. You have all heard it before. The military is getting leaner and meaner. Everyone is a warfighter or in direct support. The 1300 and 1100 general officers have no future in the Navy and unfortunately, there is no place for these otherwise good officers to go get a new designator. Good Luck to all that get caught in this bind. BTW, the AF and Army RIF as well. The grass isn't greener.

 

[signud]

Well said, wink!

 

[riley]

I guess the humor is lost on those that it affects.....

Cover Story of USA Today - Fri/Sat/Sun, December 12-14 2003
"PUSH IS ON FOR LARGER MILITARY. Congress moves after years of downsizing."

 

[Stephen]

Hey thanks for the support, but I am already working on other things so I don't plan on going hungry anytime soon. Wink I agree with you , however, some jobs people just are'nt cut out for. I know many people were NPQ'd no fault of their own, and they have skills in areas which could serve the Navy in other areas and they put in package after package yet they did not get picked up. As for myself flight school was not for me and I did'nt make the cut , I accept responsiblility for that.

However, when you have some guys who have invested 13 years of their lives into military service, trying to get redesignated and you're told thanks for participating see you. (And by the way... you don't get a severence package) is just wrong. A buddy of mine seven years away from reitirement is in that category. Hey don't get me wrong I'm not trying to flame or anything it just seems to be a messed up situation.

Also, what some people may not realize that many of the Gen Avs stood various watch stations aboard ship. Many already are OOD, JOOD, JOOW, and CDC qualed. The Navy is letting people go in one mass Exodus, and there is no relief coming to fill the vacant positions held by the GEN Avs. So a lot of people on ship will be standing port to starboard watches for a long time until they get more people qualed or new blood for the ship.

Again,Wink I'm not disagreing with you are absolutely right in a lot of things, however, you don't miss the water until your well runs dry. And I'm pretty sure you got some people in the upper echelons thinking "OH S@#T" we gotta do something before deployment.

 

[petescheu]

So here's a good idea... why on earth don't they just stop recruiting people for awhile. Is it really that hard? Are the people that are in charge of the numbers & availability for certain jobs in the navy really that dumb that they can't add this together and see we have too many people? And maybe, instead of screwing the ones that are already in and have done some time and know something, we can just recruit less people instead of firing more. Doesn't sound like rocket science to me... but then again this isn't my specialty.

 

[Taxman2A]

The marines are letting Officers go by making it near impossible to get into OCS right now, instead of cutting trained officers. The selection for the last several OCS's has been very tough.

 

[beebop25]

How did the USN allow itself to develope such a large officer surplus over the past few years? What will be the effect on the morale of the remaining officers?