The Army has cut orders sending 800 NCOs to recruiting school. Included in the memo are the fact that none of the time-in-grade, fitness or evaluation restrictions will be enforced, and that anyone E-5 (Sergeant) or above who accepts the orders will get a one-grade promotion, $5,000, and then $1,500 a month if they accept a one-year extension of the duty. And then, if the recruiter recruits 24 people in a one-year period, they get another one-grade promotion.
To put that in perspective, the first year ($5K bonus plus E-5 to E-6 promotion), will be about 24-30% increase in pay, and the $1,500 extra per month for the next year will be a 50% bonus on top of that (and the E-7 promotion on top of that). So, a newly minted E-5 on their first enlistment could be an E-7 two years from now, doubling their pay (2nd year E-5 makes $2,730 a month, fourth year E-7 with the extension bonus would be making $5,405 a month).
Anyone want to bet against the Army dropping or severely reducing their recruitment standards?
It's the promotions that will really cause damage here. One of the worse problems of the military is poor leaders get promoted because the good ones get out: tired of the bullshit better opportunities outside.
So we're going to waive the fitness and eval restrictions AND provide free promotions to SSGT? SFC if you actually get people to join. Some fat fuck liar SGT is going to get a bunch of dumb kids in, who are also worthless, and then go back to big army to ruin more lives as an immensely underqualified SFC.
Having been under a couple of eternal sergeants in the civilian world, it's not just the good ones who get out.