Money talks, b.s. walks, that is a truth in life.  So what I offer is not a b.s. option, but a unique and workable option that will allow the U.S. Armed Forces not only to survive, but thrive.  Back in 1992, I read an advertisement in Proceedings magazine for an essay contest about Warfighting, and that started my journey and a lifetime commitment towards doing all I can do to save our Military.  The United States Armed Forces will never face defeat on the battlefield to the point of total collapse and surrender, but it will succumb to the meddling of Washington D.C.’s political system.

    Today, I finished watching a South Korean made movie called The Front Line and it too exemplified the prime example of politicians costing the lives of the troops.  That is a historical fact sadly repeated in every operation/war that military Worldwide, become involved in.  Someday, that problem will be rectified by itself when troops quit pointing guns at each other and point them at those responsible for the hostilities in the first place.

     What I set out for today, is to offer the alternative to the current system of pay, allowances, and retirement benefits that currently is in use.  What will be affected as well is ‘advancement’ in rank, which in itself, will make our Military stronger.  

    The pay option is simple, it’s set up already.  The ‘civilian’ G.S. step-pay grade system.  It is already nearly the same in pay as the Military pay scale, the only differences that need to be worked out are at the higher Officer levels.  For what a Flag Officer does and is responsible for, the pay compensation is just and fair at the current Military pay level.

    The Armed Forces has a really bad habit of ‘forcing’ people out.  This is such a huge waste of money and training.  Always those forced out are often ‘mid level’ NCO’s and Officers and that disrupts command missions and readiness to add to the waste of time and money invested.

    I knew/met many personnel that were happy, literally happy, at their current situation in life.  They enjoyed their ‘job’, their comrades, and they had pride in their Service and their Nation.  The problems always arose with these personnel when ‘advancement’ time came and as well, the end of their current contract.  Many simply did not wish to advance in rank, nor were they enthusiastic about ending their current ‘career’.  But under the current system, often if a person is in for “x” amount of years and did not ‘advance’, that person was deemed unsuitable and shown the door.  Again, waste of time and money.

    What a change to using a ‘step method’ of pay would offer, is a reward system and a better system of building true ‘leaders’ in the Armed Forces.  Every person in the Armed Forces, at one time or another during the advancement cycle, would ask him/herself or someone they knew, ‘how did that person get advanced??!!”  Deep down everyone knew that ‘person’ was not a true leader, but just punched the right tickets, and was a good test taker enough to get advanced in rank.  That is what creates problems within commands when during time of any crisis, a weak leader is unable to act properly and catastrophe of minor/major level then occurs. 

    Using the G.S. step level method of pay will offer incentive and reward for time served, as a person is compensated justly over periods of time.  Often, under the current advancement system, a person’s pay raises only after being promoted, but then finds themselves in positions they are not suited to carry out as a leader.  Thus they get frustrated and what was a great worker, becomes a mediocre leader and at the end of their contract, terminate service.  Now two people need replacing, where maybe one leader would have sufficed. 

     Leadership is learned over time.  Rare is it that a leader is born, even then all of the World’s greatest leaders had to learn over time through trial and error.  Same as for the Armed Forces today.  The current system pushes so many people forward onto leadership positions that few real leaders stand out and mediocrity among the masses is the norm.

     Leaders are recognized among their own groups and peers, they do stand out as those with initiative who can take charge of a situation.  Advancement should be made after a person is recognized and recommended by peers/seniors, with a standard of criteria and testing.  Instead of flooding the pay scale with personnel requiring higher pay simply because of being pushed ahead, leadership pay would reflect a person’s true worth and value as well. 

    A stronger worker/professional/trained force would also be retained building a strong military at it’s base/root levels.   These personnel would be happy at their station in life, being justly monetarily compensated over time, saving the continuous cycle of training, time, money of so many to refill those slots/positions.   This is how, why military contractor company’s succeed, as well as USNS ships company thrive.  People are happy being paid fairly for the job they do.  Many people do not want nor seek the leadership roles, and when forced, it becomes uncomfortable for them, and they seek to find a way out of that discomfort which often is terminating their service.  

    The United States can maintain a strong, professional all volunteer force, and save money in the long run.  Discussing ‘careerist’, when a person hits that 10 year mark, they should decide then to either terminate service or sign a further 10 year contract and become a careerist.  At the 20 year mark, they can chose to ‘retire’ and receive that half pay, which is fair and just, or continue to the 30 year mark on a five year contractual basis.  At which point, a medical and physical testing assessment will determine that person’s option of being retained or due to limitations, be retired.  

     As for long term health care, the V.A. system should be hugely expanded in all 50 States and U.S. territories to care for prior and retired personnel.  The ‘Tricare’ system could be done away with, and replaced with a good V.A. system that would inclusive for all prior, and retired personnel.  

     A retirement pay system could/should also be set up for Military personnel, the same that is offered for civilian Civil Service.  This would be emphasized to help off-set health and retirement requirements for later in life.   

     Sometimes, solutions are simple, the hard part is implementing them.