Rate your leaders: Dempsey wants you to expose bad bosses The Pentagon’s top brass has agreed to adopt widespread use of “360-degree” reviews for officers across all military services in the most far-reaching effort yet to root out “toxic leaders” before they reach senior ranks. Exactly how each service will institutionalize the controversial evaluation tool remains to be seen. Each is studying the issue and will draft its own plan to draw evaluations not only from superiors in the chain of command but also from peers and subordinates. The aim: to provide a complete picture of an individual’s strengths and…
Browsing: drawdown
Unfit or nondeployable targeted for separation — over 25,000 this year The Army is cutting its ranks more quickly than expected as it works toward its eventual goal of 490,000 active-duty soldiers. In addition to natural attrition, most of the reductions the Army will make this year will come from two places: Officials project as many as 15,000 soldiers could be booted for misconduct or not meeting the required standards, such as physical fitness and weight control. The Army also estimates it will separate as many as 11,000 active-duty soldiers who have been backlogged in the military’s disability evaluation system.…
Be an Army hacker: This top secret unit wants you Army Cyber Command is looking for computer-savvy troops to turn into crack cyberwarriors. Rapid, substantial growth inside and outside of the command is coming as demand for cyberwarfare skills — both offensive and defensive — become a greater focus of the nation’s security strategy. For soldiers, that means opportunity. One projection has 3,000 uniform and civilian positions dedicated to Army cyber over the next four to five years, according to an Army official close to the effort. Precise numbers are unavailable, in part because the size of some of…
Let us out: Some hope ‘all-volunteer’ works both ways, but Army makes the call Soldiers say they are willing to raise their hands and volunteer to get out of the Army as part of the massive drawdown. If the Army would only let them. “Just show me where to sign,” one told Army Times. “[The Army] should let the ones that are willing to leave early — leave, instead of forcing those out who want to and need to stay in,” said another. Some say the Army should agree to an amicable separation. “I can understand Army leadership’s hesitance…