Retention and Recruitment Crisis

ThunderHorse said:
There are so many things to fix but you want to get rid of the band? The band has no issues recruiting anyone. The vast majority of the band have PhDs in music. The band is a recruiting tool. And the band works.
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Things I had not known. Many of the bands in DC, a lot don't go through basic/boot, it's a special program, most have a BM degree and a lot have masters and doctorates. My roommate in college tried out for The President's Own (Marine Corps) and Air Force Airmen of Note, that's when I learned about the high-level bands. The post bands, division bands, etc., they do go through boot/basic, a lot have degrees, too. Easy work if you can get it.
 
I don't think most people, I know I'm not, are arguing against the ceremonial bands, the traditional bands, the marching and orchestra bands if you will.

But the American Idol pop bullshit bands, wannabe country bands, "morale" bands, that kind of crap? The traveling freak shows of servicemembers who found a way to "serve" one step above a base Guitar Hero challenge at the MWR?

They gots to go. False flag a DUI on their asses with a BCD and fire them into the sun.
 
I don't have an issue with the military bands. If we were running up against a troop ceiling and need the slots for 11-series or, more importantly, 35-series ;) then yeah, let's scratch SGM Floutist and WO Drumbringer. But I think the band serves a legit inspirational and public relations/recruiting purpose. Plus, in wartime they are deployable. Doctrinally, the band (does? did?) secure the Division TOC, freeing up shooters to do shooter things.
 
ThunderHorse said:
Because shit pay, shit treatment from command, shit treatment from civilians, shit recruitment campaigns. The Army can't decide what Uniform it wants so it wants to change it every 5 years. We keep deploying this force at higher rates than the Surge and we wonder why families are breaking. But hey, let's keep the Pentagon staffed with people who don't care for the martial class. Which means that recruitment and retention is in the drink. Remember the CJCS was a liberal weirdo that was reading racist books like "White Rage" because he was plunging the DoD into a DEI freakathon.

Let's fix the op tempo, get rid of 70% of the civilian apparatus.

There are so many things to fix but you want to get rid of the band? The band has no issues recruiting anyone. The vast majority of the band have PhDs in music. The band is a recruiting tool. And the band works. But I'll tell you what didn't work, that ADA I have two moms ad. But those that spoke out about that go told they were bigots. Like there's so many things wrong and to fix and the band isn't one of them.

Just trying to channel some @Box although the first one may have been slightly box/rabbit fused.
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The band is a joke. They can go frolic right off the flight deck.
 
I will say, I talk a lot about how they do things in the British Army as they preserve tradition. Unlike our ceremonial bands, their regimental bands (think Division level I guess) are full combat units. Like the Irish Guards band are just a bunch of infantrymen that crush their instrument at home and Kill terry in Afghanistan.

But we have so many other issues, the bands are not one of them.
 
It doesn’t seem to be as big of a problem for other first world nations. Do you think the US will slowly lose military control / strength due to the declining amount of maturity and professionalism?

Completely separate from our politic leadership / decisions.
 
Spooky said:
It doesn’t seem to be as big of a problem for other first world nations. Do you think the US will slowly lose military control / strength due to the declining amount of maturity and professionalism?

Completely separate from our politic leadership / decisions.
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The ship can still be righted. Our military has gone through tough times before. After Vietnam, the Army was a drug infested, racially charged mess and had to change course. People like Colin Powell and Stormin' Norman recognized it, stayed the course and stepped up big time.
 
Spooky said:
It doesn’t seem to be as big of a problem for other first world nations. Do you think the US will slowly lose military control / strength due to the declining amount of maturity and professionalism?

Completely separate from our politic leadership / decisions.
Click to expand...

Que? UK, FRA, GER, AUS, many other first world nations are facing recruiting crises. And they just continue to cut budgets. The French are a bit like us in that they deploy the shit out of their Army, and it breaks. They also pay their enlisted a lot less, which is part of the problem. Officers are paid more than here, there is a clear divide between les officiers et simples soldats.
 
ThunderHorse said:
Que? UK, FRA, GER, AUS, many other first world nations are facing recruiting crises. And they just continue to cut budgets. The French are a bit like us in that they deploy the shit out of their Army, and it breaks. They also pay their enlisted a lot less, which is part of the problem. Officers are paid more than here, there is a clear divide between les officiers et simples soldats.
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No, I understand that. I was referring to them not having the same level of new generation bullshit that our military appears to be dealing with.

(Aka. the video linked above)

I don’t have the inside perspective, but from the outside our military is slowly looking more and more unprofessional every year. Comparing that to other first world nations they appear to be not dealing with that on the same scale we are, but I’m sure it exists on a smaller scale. Granted, I do have confirmation bias because I live in the US and consume US media, not to mention our military is a lot bigger so who knows.
 
Topkick said:
The ship can still be righted. Our military has gone through tough times before. After Vietnam, the Army was a drug infested, racially charged mess and had to change course. People like Colin Powell and Stormin' Norman recognized it, stayed the course and stepped up big time.
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I sure hope so. I’ll do my part as an individual where I can, but I’ll only be a very small droplet in a whole ocean. GWOT seemed to have helped steer us back on track, so maybe we just need another war. I hope not!
 
Spooky said:
No, I understand that. I was referring to them not having the same level of new generation bullshit that our military appears to be dealing with.

(Aka. the video linked above)

I don’t have the inside perspective, but from the outside our military is slowly looking more and more unprofessional every year. Comparing that to other first world nations they appear to be not dealing with that on the same scale we are, but I’m sure it exists on a smaller scale. Granted, I do have confirmation bias because I live in the US and consume US media, not to mention our military is a lot bigger so who knows.
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Oh copy. I think their militaries are uh, less woke. Can't exactly be woke when you jump into Mali. Anyone who's ever been to Paris knows that as liberal the French can be they're only their kind of liberal and not our kind of liberal.
 
Spooky said:
No, I understand that. I was referring to them not having the same level of new generation bullshit that our military appears to be dealing with.

(Aka. the video linked above)

I don’t have the inside perspective, but from the outside our military is slowly looking more and more unprofessional every year. Comparing that to other first world nations they appear to be not dealing with that on the same scale we are, but I’m sure it exists on a smaller scale. Granted, I do have confirmation bias because I live in the US and consume US media, not to mention our military is a lot bigger so who knows.
Click to expand...
The Canuckistani military is the perfect woke example of how far shit can go.
 
Spooky said:
I sure hope so. I’ll do my part as an individual where I can, but I’ll only be a very small droplet in a whole ocean. GWOT seemed to have helped steer us back on track, so maybe we just need another war. I hope not!
Click to expand...

It may take another catastrophic attack on American soil--similar to 9/11--to instill in more Americans a sense of duty and responsibility for their country's defense.

Or not.
 
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