The pre-selected taking out of those with some of the most experience in their field should clearly leave a mark if one wanted to weaken the military from within.
Almost 19,000 captains and majors will be screened by separation and early retirement boards this spring as part of the ongoing drawdown of the active-duty Army.
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“The Army’s drawdown plan is a balanced approach while maintaining readiness and reducing turbulence to the officer corps,” said David Martino, director of the Officer Personnel Management Directorate at Human Resources Command. “We know the Officer Separation Board and Enhanced Selective Early Retirement Board will separate fully qualified officers who have rendered quality service to the nation. We’ll execute [the boards] with precision, care and compassion.”
More than 10,000 captains will be affected by the boards; about 9,700 will be screened by the OSB, which is for officers with fewer than 18 years of federal active service, and about 700 will be screened by the E-SERB, which is for soldiers with 18 or more years of federal active service, according to HRC.
Almost 8,500 majors will be affected by the boards. Of those, almost 7,000 will be looked at by the OSB, and about 1,500 will be screened by the E-SERB.
Officers with 18 or more years of service who are selected for separation will be allowed to serve until the first day of the first month of their 20th year of active federal service, earning them full retirement benefits, said Hillary Baxter, chief of the leader development division at HRC.
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The board will convene in March for captains and in April for majors, according to HRC.
Officers selected for separation should be notified in late June or early July, Baxter said.
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One option for qualified officers is transitioning to the Army Reserve or National Guard, both of which have company-grade vacancies in their formations, said Col. Charles Slaney, HRC’s OSB/E-SERB National Guard and reserve-component subject-matter expert.
“We’re only transitioning highly trained and qualified officers,” he said. “This ensures a smooth evolution to create the best team possible and retain America’s best and brightest.”
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“I think our officer corps is phenomenal,” he said. “That’s a good thing. Unfortunately, this board will likely select officers who are highly qualified.”
Full article: Army will cut almost 4,000 captains, majors (Army Times)
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