Gates wants to eliminate the Joint Forces Command, long a presumed target for belt-tightening, and will also announce Monday that he wants to cut the Pentagon’s use of outside contractors by 10 percent next year, The Associated Press has learned. The Virginia-based command trains troops from different services to fight together.Thank goodness. JFCOM has always been a non-value-added entity. Every, and I mean, every Navy-friend that I knew who got orders there went there for one of two reasons:
...
Joint Forces Command, with nearly 4,900 employees and annual salaries of more than $200 million, is the largest single cut to be announced Monday.
Gates is not expected to say how much money will be saved by shutting down the command, which holds more than 1 million square feet of real estate in Suffolk, Va., and Norfolk, Va. Savings will be offset by the cost of shifting some jobs and roles elsewhere.
The Pentagon has already announced a target of cutting $100 billion over five years. And earlier this year Gates ordered a top-to-bottom paring of the military bureaucracy in search of at least $10 billion in annual savings needed to prevent an erosion of U.S. combat power.
- They needed to hover for a year prior to Command or other tour they were slotted for.
- They needed a Joint ticket punch.
I would ask them what they did - and to a person they shrugged their shoulders and gave a broad answer that ammounted to "I respond to emails and create briefings." Sure, there are parts that are good - but 80% was a self-licking ice cream cone. Redistribute the good 20% and shift fire.
Low hanging fruit ... and about time. Now, here is something more. Almost Salamanderesque.
Gates took aim at what he called wasteful business practices and too many generals and admirals, and noted that “overhead” costs chew up as much as 40 percent of the Pentagon’s budget.I would be happy to help - just call. It ain't that hard - all you need to do is give good people the top cover they need. You have a lot of good people waiting .... I recommend a small (4-6) group of Bull Captains/Colonels with retirement papers already in.
Hat tip B2.
Mattis barely made it out alive. Pottenger just showed up as deputy for transformation.
ReplyDeleteFear the O5 or O6 w/ no concerns for promotion. You might just get the unvarnished truth w/ experience to back it up. :)
ReplyDeleteLadies and Gentlemen....let's hold our applause until they lock the doors and vacate the parking lot. After all, Congress is on recess.....
ReplyDeleteSort of. Didn't they just reconvene to spend MORE money?
ReplyDeleteThe caterwauling from Horseface and CrazyMan (Sens Warner and Webb) has already commenced..."NIMBY" on parade...
ReplyDeleteNever had much use for JFCOM/JWFC during my time at CENTCOM. Keep the joint training function if you must, but make it a CJCS direct reporting unit with a hard cap on staff. "80% self-licking ice cream cone" is probably a conservative estimate -- especially in the vicinity of "Joint Experimentation".
They won't close the doors - the building will become property of Stratcom, Northcom, or some other component. Everyone will just have to change their nametages.
ReplyDeleteCDR, SecDef has the right idea, but he's only cutting 50 flag officers over the next two years. He could/should whack more and at a more expeditious pace.
ReplyDeleteI believe his number anounced last night was 200 axed flags. I would like to see how many O-6s are going too: that rank is also very fat (in may ways).
ReplyDeleteAbout time! I was on a DESRON staff that went from 10 to 35 in a year. Lots of solitaire playing was going on with only a few doing the work. The same bloating was going for all staffs: rice bowls grew while ship crews shrunk. All the time, more requirements were coming out of these bloated staffs on the ships. it is a wonder why so many are failing INSURV now and are failing to meet committments. Once apon a time, I heard there were 4.6 people for everyone person at sea. I wonder how large that number is now.
ReplyDeleteMy motto: Go Bates!
How much you wanna but Ordienero gets his orders changed..?
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good start. A more reasonable cut might be 50% of general/flag billets and associated staffs.
ReplyDeleteStatuatory limits should be put into place that peg the number of such billets to operational infrastructure. X ships/combat brigades to Y general/flag slots.
The military needs to be WAY more of a pyramid to function properly. That means pushing functions down to more junior folks at all levels. On the enlisted side this also needs to occur. Cut the Master Chief ranks sharply and change E-4 to a non-Petty Officer rank (like in the Army and AF). Empower junior leaders all around.
Oh yeah, move contractor jobs back into the active military at junior levels.
ReplyDeleteWhat is 200 fo/go with orders to "home, chop to retired list"? A small but promising start.
ReplyDeleteSince each has a platoon of Captains/Col's to fan their brow, send most of same home and recruit more Pvt/SR. We really need more worker bees at sea.
Unless the O6's want a job that puts them in coverall's or in front of a classroom to pass on their expertise, or on a watch bill in a major command center (yes, Virginia such jobs do exist, and there are O6's who lead from the deck plates or pull their weight in the boat). Another option would be liaison with someplace the Navy et al deals with a lot that needs adult supervision. Dare I say SUPSHIPS in process inspector?
Just as long as they get their hands dirty and steel toes scuffed.
Unheard of? Look up Edward Ellsburg. Or the guys who worked for John Bulkely
I'd wager that even more savings could be made, considerable savings, in fact, by clsoing down a certain command in Tennessee. Lots of folks there who could be put to better use standing watch at sea. =-X
ReplyDeleteDG: 3/c PO's deserve to be PO's. Very junior PO's. It's about learning to carry responsibility. Some of them don't? Then the LPO, Chief and Div O got some 'splaining to do to the XO.
ReplyDeleteBesides, the best way to spot future Chiefs is to watch their eyes shine and see them stand straighter when you hand them their first one chevron crow and say "Welcome to middle management."
The Navy isn't the Army, MC, or AF. Doing something so sailors will be more like them is not a good enough reason, to put it mildly. Need I say "camos at sea"?
Surprised you weren't liked to death here
ReplyDeleteReally, don't wish an 06 on anyone. Nobody injured you that much. The guys out there on the front never did anything to you. why sic an 06 on em?
I have said it before but I agree, it is worth saying again. I ran up alongside Bulkely's men a few times. Very few people impressed me more. I was in the hip pocket of a CDR speeding to the lower level. 2 hours later, when we came out to the upper level he eyeballed the swbd operator and asked why the switchboard showed a ground which had not been present 2 hours earlier. At the most, he caught the whole switchboard from the corner of his eye as we flashed by.
ReplyDeletePEB, OPPE, MTT never held a candle to INSURV.
Google the earth and gaze at CUSNC in Manama
ReplyDeleteDESRON 50 now occupies the offices of the VADM. The trailers are filled with trash or vacuums. The ones that do the job of the ones before, they occupy the large multistory buildings except for the RN building. Staff went from not more than a hundred to several thousand.
12 years earlier, the whole Mideastfor Sfaff would still fit into their admin replicators
It would be smart to shift billets and functions from DC to Hampton Roads. There are some good facilities in Suffolk, VA and the cost of living and traffic are both much more manageable. It would also save about $600 a month in BAH cost for every billet moved from DC to Hampton Roads.
ReplyDeleteIt started out life as NAVSEA PMS 325's building. myahap theill get it back
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have my skills and experience be used at sea or in the classroom. Just tell me which version of the NWU to pack in my seabag...or better yet, a flight suit.
ReplyDeleteSlarty:
ReplyDeleteThe hidden agenda was to send the O6's home and put the CAPTAINs back to work, growing PO's and JO's.
Traffic... manageable... Hampton Roads...
ReplyDeleteAll those words in the same statement, and not a singe "is not"?
So I read all the comments here, and I am left wondering a single thing:
ReplyDeleteIs the SECDEF doing what BRAC was supposed to have been doing?
YNSN, In relative terms, yes. Traffic is much more manageable in Hampton Roads than NoVA.
ReplyDeleteA great first step. Since it's the natural order of things for staffs to expand and make work to justify their existence the best approach is to eliminate the targeted organization altogether.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, like JimmyMac, I'll believe it when they turn out the lights and lock the doors. Already the opposition is mustering to delay action beyond Gates' tenure. The WaPo had an interesting piece this AM indicating that this is really a "preemptive strike" intended to prevent more serious cuts.
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I used to work at JFCOM/J9 Joint Experimentation and there were many elements that were redundant across the board. However, some good things did exist to bridge the gap between DARPA's long range vision (at the time) and service rice bowl projects. Millennium Challenge 2002 was setup by JFCOM J7 and J9 with all services screaming in tow (Congress told them they must). From my perspective, forcing the services to actually work together had far more good than bad and actually woke some of the PEOs up about how we were not "joint" or "interoperable" with each other as proven daily on the 2001/2003 OEF battlefield and reinforced by MC02. As one of the commenters stated below, don't hold your breath. The commonwealth has some pretty powerful people and I am sure the net result will be an increase in jobs for VA vice a loss - now what you call them, JFCOM, NORTHCOM, CJSI, etc.. will be immaterial to politicians. The fat is very hard to shed.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny. Just a few weeks ago I was sitting in a meeting at the Pentagon where they discussed getting rid of all the contractors, converting the billets on a 3/2 ratio (turning 3 contractors into 2 civil servants), and firing the rest. They are going to be necking down salaries in order to ensure that the bloated government doesn't amass any additional TOA in the conversion. So, as we all know, being government costs the taxpayer more money, so you need to neck down on folks' salaries in order to make the conversion "zero sum gain." Contractors are all over the pentagon for one reason: it takes the pigs in USN HR forever to hire a civil servant. You can get a contractor cleared and on station in the Pentagon in less than a week.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, there has been no discussion about getting rid of the secretaries. For those of you keeping score at home, there is no job responsibility left that a secretary does in the Pentagon that someone else can't do. Examples:
Dictation: everyone has microsoft word
Presentations: everyone has power point
Correspondence: everyone has e mail
Scheduling: everyone has Outlook
Clearances: everyone (should) have JPASS
Coffee: everyone has their own machine (just about!)
Answering phones: everyone has their own dedicated line
Before we get rid of all the contractors, can we please, for the love of God, get rid of the secretaries?!
and at least in the offices I have been in, the secretaries don't know how to operate any microsoft office applications except for the e mail functionality in Outlook
ReplyDelete-Less GOFO's - good start
ReplyDelete-Was at USJFCOM - joint is good, but you're spot on that it's a waste. Questionable as to whether NOB or Suffolk location was less effective. My vote is Suffolk.
-On the personnel front, this same reduction wave has retirees and Tricare in the target sites - again - and bracketed. I'm challenged by that as earned rights, codified in legislation, but since when did appointees, elected hacks, and the federal government keep their promises? Bastards. Pay attention my friends, and make sure the grip & grin slimy congress folk know earned is earned.
SG,
ReplyDeleteour secretary filled emerging duties.. like tracking who had their H1N1 Shot, Who DID NOT complete IA and NKO required Trafficking in Humans.. Who DID NOT get their level 2 Dental compeleted. Who DID NOT complete the mandatory DOD survey on Doctors Uniforms at thelocal branch clinic.. who DID NOT complete MotorCycle Safety course and WHY not ( did they actually OWN a bike?) well you get the idea.. we would be lost with out our secretary... also still do Evals and Fitreps and since we no longer have a PSD they do TOPS entry...
Hurricane Mattis certainly created some great second hand stories.
ReplyDeleteSalty, But then what would you do for fun? Years ago when we wanted to keep our secretary busy for an hour we'd ask her to open a safe...no joke. She put the "passive" into "passive aggressive" :)
ReplyDeleteActually the "secretaries" you really need to get rid of are the ones whose job titles start with "Assistant Secretary of..."
FUnny (actually no so) story: Back in the BRAC days, some staffer called and asked how much savings if they halted construction on said bldg in almost Suffolk. Seeing as how answers were due back in 24 hrs, and it was a weekend, seems no one computed the cost of breaking all the contracts, let alone the things that were being paid for.
ReplyDeleteIt was the standing up of JFCOM that allowed a gracefully backing out of the BRAC decision to shut down the bldg, there by avoidng lots of costs, and getting a bargain on a Home for the new command.
BTW, my P-3C TACCO shipmate from CDS days ended up there...that tells me all I need to know about the place.
Um, make no mistake about it at all. It is the CPOs that grow those two groups. And some dangerous types.
ReplyDeleteIt was NAVSEA's building first. To quote, 'they're back!'
ReplyDeleteRead CPO not E7! Any Officer worth his salt will admit that.
ReplyDeleteJFCOM. I saw the building once so my exposure is not too great. But I believe there is value in a gatekeeper who holds everyone to joint. So, that part of the mission statement goes where? JCS? Think about, JCS! Funny stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe issue really is all about money. It has nothing to do about capabilities, requirements or missions. This is just the tip of the iceberg. 30% cuts in manpower and weapon buys are already being batted around. Massive program cancellations are coming. As mentioned before, there those who are looking at the retirement system as another place to cut and rape.
In very short order, you will see the services circling the wagons around thier prized rice bowls. It's going to get ugly!
offtopic, but something I felt need to share with the porch...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.upi.com/Top_News/Analysis/2010/08/10/Outside-View-Trade-deficit-causes-jobless-recovery/UPI-95721281443616/
Unpromotable 05 and 06? They don't know anthing at all about varnish. elsewise???? It's darn slippery stuff. Never really understood why anyone would varnish the inner sides of Thistles but not the outside but they still had some fierce PH numbers.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't Secretary Gates have a three-star as an Aide? Perhaps he should start by eliminating that one.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: do the "savings" on this actually get re-routed back to DoD? or are they cutting real jobs by real responsible people in order to take some "not so peace dividend" and spend it on... shovel ready maybe programs and social service boondoggles outside of DoD?
ReplyDeleteIs Congress helping cut the deficit by eliminating its secretaries? Are we all in this together?
DB, NPR picked up on this today. DoD plans to "reprogram" the savings to other projects w/i DoD.
ReplyDeleteI'm OK with that as long as it doesnt' go towards funding more BA/NMP. If it does, or they just transfer BSC to different UIC - then it is all a joke.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the replies, gentlemen.
ReplyDeleteFrom one of those "terminal O-5s/O-6s with nothing to lose", I have the first 8 flag billet reductions and additional downgrades. There are 16 current Supply Corps flag officers/selects. There are 8 traditional SC flag billets and another 8 that have grown due to expansion of joint staffs. Eliminate those 8 billets. Also 7 of the 8 SC flag officer billets are interchangeable between a RDML and RADM. In other words at any given time you'll see a RDML or RADM in those billets...the exception being the Chief of the SC which is always a RADM position. Downgrade the other billets to RDML. Follow this and DoD is already 16% of the way towards their goal with some billet downgrades as a fringe benefit,
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