Navy’s New Plan To Halt Re-enlistment

[Ross]

Navy's New Plan To Halt Re-enlistment

PacificFlyer | Apr 08, 2012 | Comments 33

By Sanford Hughes
Military Affairs

Bad news for squids and jarheads (our beloved sailors and Marines).

The Navy Department has figured a way to cut back on the expense of running a Navy and all those desert wastelands they call Marine bases.

Basically, stop all drinking, smoking and eating rich foods, test everyone all the time and eventually, there won't be anyone left to collect pay and pension benefits.

Of course they didn't say that exactly. What they did say is, the Navy will implement fleet-wide breathalyzer tests for sailors and Marines, crack down on smoking and drinking, and phase in many other major personnel policy changes, such as giving females three years off to birth babies instead of standing duty they signed up for.

The broad collection of new policies has been dubbed "21st Century Sailor and Marine," and reflected many "longstanding issues or goals" for the department by social engineers now seemingly in charge of the U.S. military.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Jim Amos unveiled the coming disaster but it isn't clear if the White House forced them into it or they went along willingly.

Juan Garcia (a civilian), assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs, said that "21st Century" has five "pillars" - readiness, safety, physical fitness, inclusion and "continuum of service."

The Navy Department's basic goal is to get the most possible good out of every servicemember and keep them in the force for as long as possible before they come to their senses or just head for Canada. Officials said they hope anti-drinking, anti-smoking and physical fitness campaigns will make troops healthier, reduce accidents such as drunk driving and result in fewer missed work days over a sailor or Marine's career.

Contrast this with the British Navy which not only allows smoking but still issues a cupful of grog every day.

EVERYONE GETS SCREENED
The highest profile new policy will be the fleetwide use of breathalyzers, which until now have only been tried sporadically in various parts of the Navy. Within the coming year, Garcia said, virtually all ships and many Marine units will begin fielding breathalyzers and a novel approach for using them.

"What we're stressing is this is not a punitive tool, not a legal tool, but instead it's an inspection and prevention tool," Garcia, who's obviously never been in the Navy, said, "leading chiefs to prevent career-ending or service-ending incidents." Of course, just the opposite will be true.

For example, all sailors coming aboard a ship for a duty shift after liberty will be screened with the breathalyzer, and the whole crew will be subject to random inspections. In addition to being deeply unpopular with sailors, the Navy's past breathalyzer experiments also have drawn skepticism from its own leaders: former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Joe Campa once observed that a breathalyzer on the brow could cause as many problems as it solved.

A sailor or Marine who shows up for duty with a blood alcohol level above .08 will be sent to medical, his leaders and shipmates will be notified, and his case will rest in the hands of his commanding officer and noted in his record. That should do a lot for reenlistment figures.

NO SMOKING ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
Tobacco and the synthetic marijuana-like drug known as "spice" are also on the hit list. The Navy Department will stop discounting tobacco products at exchanges and begin new rounds of tests to catch spice-smokers.

Recent congressional action also means that, for the first time in decades, Navy warships may not go to sea with tobacco in their ships' stores. Navy officials want to duplicate what they say has been the success of the submarine force, which outlawed smoking at the beginning of 2011.

So much for having an after dinner cigar in the goat locker (chief's quarters).

WOMEN CAN GET THREE YEARS OFF
It also will offer women new options to take time away from service to have children, then return to duty to pick up their careers. Women will be able to move into the inactive ready reserve for as long as three years, receive a stipend for not working, keep commissary and other benefits and use one permanent change of station to relocate.

They'll incur a "two for one" obligation - meaning a woman who took the maximum three years off would owe the Navy or Marine Corps six additional years. Let's see how long that lasts.

BAD NEWS FOR RECRUITING OFFICES
Worse, for Chief Petty Officers and Gunnery Sergeants, the Navy and Marines will also step up a "year-round culture of fitness" to lean on servicemembers to keep fit. With all these sailors and Marines in better shape, drinking less and not smoking, the Navy Department wants to keep them in service for as long as possible, or, at least, until their enlistment is up.

Of course, it may be impossible to get anyone to re-up since the men are unable to smoke or drink. And as all the women will be off having babies, who's going to run the ships, planes and shore bases in about four years?

Hopefully, by that time, all the social experimenters in Washington, D.C. and in the Pentagon will have been replaced by realists who understand military enlisted men and what it takes to be a warrior.

But probably not. Please don't let China, North Korea or Iran hear about this.
http://www.pacificflyer.com/2012/04/navys-new-plan-to-halt-re-enlistment/

[Warph]

Interesting article, Ross... and I especially loved the comments to the story.  I wonder how Jarhead is taking the news?  A marine on a liberty pass with no drinking or smoking priviieges  As my brotherwould say, "That's a 4th Marine dimension.  What are the medics going to do when no one shows up with a good case of the clap and stinking of Bud Lite  Huh "  

They went from this:


To This:


Betty White is tired of you mambie pambies


They need more of this:


And This:


I guess their "First to Fight" slogan will be changed to "First To Flight".. always knew the Navy brass was a bunch of pansies!  We Flyboys are ROTFLOAO.  

[jarhead]

I hope your brother Jap-Slaps the shit out of you Warph. Marines have Corpsmen---not medics. Don't make Larry hump to Az. and read to you from the Good Book !!. I guess I was in the Old Corps because I think they wanted me to smoke ---why else would each meal of C-rats have a 4 pack of smokes in it ? I will admit them Chesterfields slowed my habit down a smidgen.
As for the no smoking and drinking directive, it will probably mean about as much as them doing away with the Don't Ask--Don't Tell policy. If you believe that most DI's will graduate a recruit that he suspects might be gay---then I have some sand and cactus to sell you.
PS: Get up off the floor---you look like an old fool laying there laughing your ass off .

[Ross]

I quit in the mid 70's half way to retirement because of the lack of balls in leadership.
They always seemed to get in the way when something needed to get done.

I told more of them overeducated, ignorant, mabypamby momma's boy's they called officers where to go.
They lacked respect for anything except kissing their superior's ass.
They lacked respect for the enlisted man that accomplished what needed to be accomplished, sothey did not deserve respect in return.

The last officer, I worked for was a Mustang LTCDR, nd after several head banging situations he learned some respect
There was sort of a rule in the Navy that a man would be smart not to tangle with a Mustang, but I just didn't pay attention.

He was a mean looking, short man. I mean his face was so wrinkled, it was so wrinkled, he was down right frightening to most sailors.

He threatened me on three different occassions, one was for Captains Mast. I simply said, go for it.
I ordered him out of my work space in the middle of an actual casualty because he was interfering.

He learned I was all business and decided to work with me rather then against me.
 
We ended up being respectful of each other and becaand me friends.mwalt started the down
Zumwalt in my opinion started the downfall of the Navy.

I loved the marines on board the aircraft carriers. They didn't care how high your rank was, screw up and taste the butt of their rifle. They also had the right to use deadly force. It was a pleasure to watch them in action, which wasn't often. Hauling ass through the passageway in skivies and their rifle, you knew they meant businesss. And occassionaly some dumbass Naval
officer would be tasting the deck.

Today the marine might have to ask permission to pass, after being told to get in uniform.

Afterall some female sailor might see something.

[srkruzich]

talking about our troops, rumor has it that Obamas nullifying 8 years of service towards retirement.  Not sure where you can find it.

[jarhead]

Ross,
I aint positive but I don't think there are "Sea Duty Marines" aboard the Navy ships anymore. I think the Navy has their own SP's attached. I have been told the only Marines aboard ships is if it is a troop carrier. I will try and find out for sure. Sorry to hear you ran into arse hole officers. I know the Corps has them too but ones I had the pleasure of serving under were top notch. My Skipper in Nam was a Mustang officer so he knew what it was like to be enlisted---and my platoon commander, Scar ?? Although I was scared to death of him in Nam, I loved that man and would have followed him into hell if had asked---oh wait---I think we went there a few times !!
I will be in Waynesville, NC in about 2 months drinking copious amounts of cold beer with Scar and I will tell the Lt. that there is an old " vile " squid in Elk County that needs his ears boxed .
Carry on Sailor.

[Ross]

Last I heard the Navy has a shipboard police force on aircraftcarriers because of gangs and drugs and a lack of diiscipline.

It would be interesting to know if the marines still guard the SAS spaces which are top secret, or use to be. It would also be interesting to know if they still run the Brigs on Air Craftcarriers.

I am still in touch with several of my old shipmates from the mid 60's and they have expressed they are sure glad not to be in today's Navy.

[jarhead]

Don't know Ross, but according to the White House I think all Marines are down in Columbia bedding whores---except the ones who are taking a whizz on some dead "enemy combatants"

[Ross]

Don't know Ross, but according to the White House I think all Marines are down in Columbia bedding whores---except the ones who are taking a whizz on some dead "enemy combatants"

You're bad.