"SGMA wants troops out for 3 years and then back in...." Topic

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"But Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston says it's a good way for troops to earn a degree, take care of family issues, or acquire a professional skill."

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

So the plan is…You can get out of the Army for up to 3 years, get a college degree and acquire a professional skill which will make you more money, etc…then go back into the Army for 6 years, and make less, AND get sent to third world crapholes and get shot at…

If a person is going to get out of the Army for 3 years….they usually end up staying out.

This is idiotic…

They start families and they get fat…

There are risks to be sure – degradation in physical fitness being the easiest one to identify and the most likely to happen. It is also unclear how many will be allowed to take part each year.

The Army is competing to retain talent with industries that offer sabbaticals and leaves of absence. Many career fields have skills that can be enhanced by personnel working in the civilian sector. Getting a Soldier back into the civilian sector for a couple years may assist in their personal and professional development. Many join the military right out of high school or college and have not experienced the life that more than 95% of their fellow citizens have to deal with. Every year there is a guy that shows up for an interview upon retirement from the Army in a suit last worn when they joined the Army 20 or more years ago. This program should help mitigate that. Finally, it helps to maintain the training base infrastructure and to continue to crank out fresh trainees.

So there are risks but there are benefits for both the individual and the Army as well.

Just more concrete evidence of the upside down world in which we now live in, where what's wrong is right, and vice versa.

This started a little over a decade ago.

Some Good points stated here … However with all the is going on in the Armed Forces to "rewrite history", etc. I hope they don't forget they need to spend time on warfighting skills.

If the latest US ARMY Recruiting commercial is any indication. Plus the Pentagon has a civilian in it's ranks that is there to insure the "current narrative/agenda" of CRT, 1619, etc., is being taught, etc.

Seems that fighting and winning wars is secondary?

Rakkasan is spot on here. I would add that there are also generational differences at work here reshaping the Army to make it attractive to the right markets. That generational differences is partially what drove them to change the retirement plan away from cliff vesting.

Well, sort of sounds like a bastardized Individual Ready Reserve system. You get 2 days pay every month and still allowed on post access but not accruing GI Bill Benefits. No mention about "needs of the Army" in having vacancies for these service members to fill upon desire to return. No mention if the two days pay every month count for points towards a retirement in the reserve/national guard. No mention if the Army restrictions on "time in grade" will apply. What about promotion or schools? Of course, there is also the physical fitness aspect already mentioned. This has some real Kum by ya and Good Idea Fairy staff weenieness to it. Hope it works, but, they'll never have to suffer the consequences for it if it is a colossal failure. Train the way you fight, but I guess its all about things other than warfighting now.

+1 Major Mike … but the other comments had some pluses as well. But I'm a bit "old school" …

Armed Services are having a hard to time keeping people because the people they want to have don't want to be had. This isn't a boys club atmosphere anymore. No bar fights, drinking, whoring around, the things Grandfathers, uncles and Dads told us happens anymore. Now it's gay rights, trans rights, woke culture bull crap. The guys who like to fight and be rough and ready men are not wanted anymore. Did you see the Armies recruitment commercial, it's a cartoon with gay marriage in it. What the hell that?? How does that promote combat.

Yeah I saw that horrible Army recruiting commercial. It's a tragic picture of the USA and what the Army is looking for, etc., …

Everything the military does should have to do warfighting, killing our enemies and winning wars.

Don't care who your mama & daddy are … Can you fight ?