Army to force out 550 majors; some in Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ARMY_CUTS?SITE=VANOV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Army to force out 550 majors; some in Afghanistan
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press
Aug 1, 6:58 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- About 550 Army majors, including some serving in Afghanistan, will soon be told they have to leave the service by next spring as part of a budget-driven downsizing of the service.

Gen. John Campbell, the vice chief of the Army, acknowledged Friday that telling troops in a war zone that they're out of a job is a difficult task. But he said some of the soldiers could join the National Guard or the Army Reserve.

The decision to cut Army majors comes on the heels of a move to slash nearly 1,200 captains from the ranks. Army leaders were criticized at the time for giving 48 of them the bad news while they were deployed to Afghanistan.

The Army declined to say how many majors will be notified while they are at the battlefront.

[truebluegreen]

1. Should have started with the generals. nt

[Downwinder]

2. RIF (Reduction In Force) happens after every conflict.