On the reserve side, you don't need it to take command of a unit that doesn't have any aircraft assigned.
Gotchya.
On the reserve side, you don't need it to take command of a unit that doesn't have any aircraft assigned.
Amen, and seriously, do we really have to rehash this issue again? The FITREP is how a CO communicates to a selection board on a member's fitness for command. It's not your report card, guys. The sooner people come to terms with this concept, the sooner they'll understand the logic of how the system is designed to work. In my view, absent some kind of extenuating circumstances, giving competitive EPs to guys getting out is command malpractice.This question will (and has in the past) cause an unholy firestorm of opinions and comments. Get the popcorn ready . . . . .
I generally avoid such memes, but this one seems rather appropriate to the imminent conflagration.
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On the contrary, I don't think it's that people feel victimized, whiny, or wronged like you are implying... I think its that some among us are marginalizing legitimate concerns with haughty platitudes, which just makes everyone want to double down, because of apparent arrogance, etc. on the other side. I have no skin in this game anyway - I don't think its a matter of self-absorbtion.
Well, I feel like that kind of attitude kinda diminishes all the #1's out there (or at least half of them anyway).To Wlawr005's question, "How would that help anybody?" I'd respond that it would "help" the completely committed, sacrifice-making person in another squadron who was legitimately the #1 LT who now has the same paper as a #3 performer for no good reason, and now there is a better chance that a #3 performer makes command over a true #1 performer. And it would *really* help the #2 person in another squadron who now has worse paper than the #3. Imagine if 4 people got out and the #5 now has the same high water as a true #1... that to me kind of makes me sick knowing what it takes to actually be a legit competitive #1.
I think that the entering assumption is that any squadron/boat/ship wardroom is going to have a decent amount of talent spread, and the rare cases when you get an exceptionally weak (or conversely an exceptionally strong) wardroom doesn't warrant overhauling the entire system.So if you have a squadron full of meatheads and mouth breathers, they should just give all their EPs to the Battle E squadron down the sea wall? That would be interesting to say the least. It would definitely make recruitment out of the RAG more like the NFL draft with a lot of hurt feelings all around. Not to mention the accident rate of the squadron full of also-rans.
There's also the problem that someone who's "decided" to get out at the end of a first sea tour and thus takes the ranking hit still has several more years of obliserv and could change their mind. Say they're burned out and want to leave, but a couple years IPing at the VTs recharges them and they're born again hard. Or they drew a shitty run of front offices and got disillusioned. Or they have a significant other pressuring them to get out and the relationship ends. Whatever, there's countless reasons why a strong performer would not be willing to stay in and make that known, but then changes their mind. I've seen, and I'm sure everyone else here has too, guys frantically trying to 'get well' from a decision they made at, frankly, the worst time to have to make that decision. Half this thread is about why guys are getting burned out on sea duty.
No, the board doesn't only look at one fitrep, but it's also very clear which ones are the most important: last competitive paper in a command. Taking the ranking hit on that paper doesn't doom you, but it makes it really damn hard to stay competitive.
I still believe that if we want to try to improve the system, the ranking/EP-MP part of the fitreps should go away. It's too artificial a construct and is detrimental to honest appraisals of performance. The numerical average vs reporting senior average by itself tells a story, and I think a simple breakout of 'LT Smith is meeting/exceeding/below the standard of performance I expect for an officer of his years and experience' is sufficient.
... that to me kind of makes me sick knowing what it takes to actually be a legit competitive #1.
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Sam I am, thanks for the original post. Like you said, a useful datapoint, and/or anecdote. As an aside, what is a "car allowance" or however you termed it?