You know, when Roughhead became CNO-I actually looked on it as a good thing. An initially he did try to reverse some of the insanity of the previous years. But now-heading out the door-it would appear Admiral Roughhead has been binging on the Kool Aid:
Asked about layoffs under the $400 billion in cuts, he said, “I believe the Navy will get smaller, and by people.”
Beyond the budget-driven cuts, the Navy will discharge 3,000 additional sailors this year due to what Roughead called “extraordinary retention.”
Because of the poor economy and what the Navy’s chief called “extraordinarily favorable” compensation, too many sailors have opted to stay in uniform, the admiral told a breakfast audience at the University Club in downtown San Diego.
Today, 70 percent of sailors are opting to reenlist after their first contract is up, he said.
A Navy retention board that looked at 16,000 jobs has decided to cut 3,000 sailors, as a result.
“These are sailors we can’t accommodate in the Navy. These are good people,” Roughead said. “They would be great employees.”
Given the budgetary environment, the admiral was frank about his view on how generous the compensation package is for his sailors.
“An enlisted sailor with eight years of service living in Norfolk, Va., makes $4,000 more a year than a high school teacher who’s been teaching in the school system for eight years,” Roughead told the University Club audience.
“And that sailor has the best health care in the world, they have a terrific house to live in, they have a great community support structure to take care of them,” he said.
Asked afterward if he thinks there’s room to cut military compensation, the chief of naval operations said the question is, can benefits be offered in a less expensive way and still attract people to serve.
You know-its not really the job of the CNO to say that last part. That’s a task better left to the folks with green eye shades. After all-a teacher in San Diego stands very slim chance of being sent off to Iraq or Afghanistan for a year -immediately after he has completed three seagoing deployments in three and a half years.
Furthermore-until one acknowledges the cuts that can be achieved by ending the wars this year not in 2014-the service chiefs are have no business talking about personnel cuts. Not that I don’t think they will come-but it should be looked at from a macro standpoint. The Navy is as bit as busy as any of the other services. Without a concurrent withdrawal from other overseas locations-all you are doing is creating an increased strain on those left behind.
And then there is LCS…………..