Panetta announces plan for defense cuts that would shrink ground forces, retire some planes

[MADem]

38. Here's how I consider it a bloodbath. When you sit across the desk from a young Sailor or Marine

with a spouse and kids, and have to tell him or her that his or her ass is out the door, it's a bloodbath. There's nothing token about firing even three percent of your workforce if they don't want to go--and many don't. They want a career, not a kiss on the cheek and a kick in the ass. Their disappointment can be gut-wrenching and adversely impact morale across units.

I have no role in managing this present effort, I'm happily out of it, so I don't know if your reserve numbers are integrated into the total end strength or if the ebb and flow of activated/de-activated reserve assets are factored separately from A/D ES. In any event, you have to continue to train your reserve assets, otherwise they are worthless. The whole paradigm of reserve forces is so very different in this century than it has been in past conflicts--reservists are much better prepared and supported than they were in times past.

You can't slow down recruiting entirely but you can slow it down to some extent if you are presently in high optempo mode for accessions. If you've already cut your accession numbers, you can't shut the tap off entirely. You always need to keep the pipeline moving, with assets going in and exiting, in order to keep the promotion flow going. The minute you have stagnation issues with promotions, you have serious morale problems and it makes it difficult to manage other personnel decisions, like training and PCS moves.