Category: Big Pentagon

Well, it looks like all of your dreams are coming true – James Mattis, the 65 year-old retired Marine Corps general who most recently commanded United States Central Command (US Forces in the Middle East) in 2013, is mostly likely our next Secretary of Defense. From CNN;

Asked by reporters if he would choose Mattis to lead the Defense Department, Trump said, “All I can say is he is the real deal. He is the real deal.”

In Mattis, Trump has a candidate who was held in high regard throughout the ranks of the Marine Corps during his 44 years of service. A seasoned combat commander, he led a task force into southern Afghanistan in 2001 and a Marine division at the time of the Iraq invasion in 2003.

The retired four-star general, who was known as “Mad Dog,” was lauded for his leadership of Marines in the 2004 Battle of Falluja in Iraq — one of the bloodiest of the war.

But he attracted controversy in 2005 when he said “it’s fun to shoot some people” while addressing service members in San Diego.

According to Politico there are some hurdles involved with Mattis’ nomination however;

To get the job, he’ll need something highly unusual: a waiver. He’s technically ineligible to be Defense secretary because the law requires retired military officers to be out of uniform for seven years before they can become the civilian head of the armed forces — a requirement meant to ensure that civilian control of the military, a bedrock of the American democratic tradition, remains inviolate. Under the law, unless Congress grants an exception, “a person may not be appointed as secretary of Defense within seven years after relief from active duty as a commissioned officer of a regular component of an armed force.”

Well, if there’s a man alive who can jerk a knot in the collective ass of flag officers, it’s Mattis. Lord knows they need it. I’m sure that he can get the Pentagon’s eye back on the ball – the fact that there’s a war they could be fighting instead of trying to please the social justice warriors who are currently controlling the purse strings of the agency.

Fox News reports that the Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter has ordered the Pentagon to suspend it’s efforts to recover bonuses from soldiers who were paid the stipend a decade ago;

Carter said there was a process in place to assist soldiers who sought relief of such obligations, and in this case, “hundreds” of Guard members have already sought and have been granted relief.

“But that process has simply moved too slowly and in some cases imposed unreasonable burdens on service members,” Carter said. “That is unacceptable.”

He did not mention any timeframe for the suspension, but he insisted that it would be in place until he was “satisfied that our process is working effectively.”

Yeah, well, we’ll see. This administration is real good at creating issues then acting like they’re fixing the thing they created in the first place. This is just another distraction/public relations move.

The Pentagon has issued a handbook in order for transgendered soldiers to navigate the new policy and in order to cash in on your new benefits getting that which God gave you hacked off or enhanced, according to The Hill;

According to the 72-page handbook, a transition will start when a military medical provider diagnoses that a transition is medically necessary.

Transitioning troops then have to notify their commanders, and commanders have to 90 days to respond. Commanders will be able to take into consideration individual circumstances and military readiness, according to the handbook.

In order to change their gender in the Pentagon’s personnel system, troops will have to have a birth certificate, court order or U.S. passport that reflects their gender identity, according to the handbook.

Once the military medical provider determines transition is complete, the service member will have to meet all the standards of their gender identity.

The handbook emphasizes that there is no separate standard for transgendered troops, however;

…if troops find they have difficulty meeting the standards of their birth gender during transition, commanders will be able to make exceptions.

“Individuals undergoing cross-sex hormone therapy may experience changes to their body shape and physical strength, which may have a notable effect on their ability to maintain standards,” the guidebook says. “If that is the case, consult with the individual and the [military medical provider] as you would for any other service member with a medical condition affecting their ability to meet physical fitness standards.”

So, there is no separate standard, unless commanders don’t want to keep their jobs. Here, sort out the uniform and grooming standards, I can’t translate social justice warrior to English;

Military Personnel Uniform and Grooming Standards

Exceptions for uniform and grooming standards may be considered per your Service’s policy. You may consider current and preferred gender uniforms, form, fit and/or function, the Service member’s professional military image, as well as impact on unit cohesion and good order and discipline. If you have questions, refer to your SCCC.

Deployment questions?

Deployment

Service members will deploy if they are medically and otherwise qualified to do so. As with any Service member, exceptions may be considered by your Service and must be coordinated with the deployed commander, if unique medical needs exist. Individuals requiring close monitoring or ongoing care may not be available for deployment.

It’s beginning to look like every day in the military will revolve around how the transgendered people feel on a given day.

Bobo sends us a link to the story of Brigadier General Michael Bobeck in USAToday. It seems the good general not only has an extramarital playmate, he’s also in bed with defense contractors;

Brig. Gen. Michael Bobeck has been the focus of an internal investigation into an extramarital affair — a violation of military law — and misuse of government resources, according to Defense Department officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation. The probe remains open, and Bobeck has been reassigned pending its outcome.

Bobeck began his career as an infantry soldier then got a commission with ROTC and flew helicopters – he commanded a company of the 160th SOAR – special operations aviators.

Bobeck rejects any suggestion that he would have abused his military position to benefit himself or a defense contractor, said his Army lawyer, Lt. Col. Adam Kazin. Moreover, Bobeck was in no position to award or influence contracts, Kazin said.

“Any implication that there was any wrongdoing is very upsetting to him,” Kazin said. “Abusing his position to enrich himself is not in line with how he views himself.”

He was living rent-free in an apartment that an executive for Peduzzi Associates Ltd., an Alexandria, Va.-based consulting firm provided for him. You know, because the Army doesn’t pay flag officers enough to afford good housing for themselves after their wife tosses them out for extramarital monkey shines. If it walks like a duck…..

The Military Times reports that the armed forces is wrestling with obesity these days.

[Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Troxell, the senior enlisted adviser to Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford] said today’s force is combat ready, but he believes the obesity trends are troubling, and demand careful consideration from senior leaders. “I don’t think it’s a clear readiness concern right now. But I think it’s something that needs our attention. And we really have to look across our services at what we’re doing every morning or every day to prepare the men and women for what could be the worst day of their life,” Troxell said in a recent interview.

Well, one of the problems is the fact that the Pentagon has been making noise about changing the standards and allowing more people to be fatter – privates hear that differently that the brass intended it to be heard.

Military women are more likely to be designated overweight or fat compared to military men. In 2015, 10.3 percent of military woman were flagged as overweight, compared to 7.3 percent of men. But that gender gap is shrinking as the rates of overweight males has increased more rapidly. In 2001, about one in 77 men was deemed fat, compared to about one in 30 women. Now the comparison between males and females is far less dramatic as the latest data shows one in 14 men is overweight, compared to one in 10 women,

The article continues that even combat arms troops are gaining weight;

On average, those assigned to combat units are not as likely to be overweight as the force at large. In 2001, only about one in every 100 service members assigned to combat arms career fields was flagged for being overweight. Now, it’s about one in 15.

Yeah, well, social warriors don’t need to be as fit as combat warriors. The Pentagon has to make a choice which kind of warriors they want to fight their wars.