Personnel chiefs balk at cost-cutting proposals

[unhappycamper]

Personnel chiefs balk at cost-cutting proposals
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Nov 23, 2008 9:04:51 EST

In a bullets-or-bonuses debate about financial pressures facing the Defense Department, service personnel chiefs ceded no ground to the competing needs for weapons modernization.

At a Nov. 17 forum sponsored by the Military Officers Association of America, the Air Force, Army and Navy personnel chiefs rejected the idea of a joint medical, legal and chaplain corps to save money on training and management, insisting on the continued need for service-specific training and duties.

And while they expressed a willingness to consider altering the military retirement system so that people don’t have to serve 20 years to earn some form of retirement benefit, they balked at the idea of doing so while the nation is at war.

“Let’s tread very carefully in this area while we are at war,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, the Army’s personnel chief.

That could mean putting off change for some time. At the same forum, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs said he did not foresee a quick end to conflict.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/airforce_gunsbutter_112308w/%2e

[acmavm]

1. I wonder if Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle could please define that

'war' for me, because I've been very confused for years. If it's a war on terra, then logically I should be against myself and my own country for we are the premiere terrorist nation on Earth.

So who is it today that justifies all the money, armaments, and muscle flexing?