Edmonds Military Wire: Active-duty faces cuts while Pentagon civilian force grows

Michael Schindler
Michael Schindler

As I shared in an earlier article, in mid-January 2015, the Army pulled together a consortium of business owners, politicians, and concerned citizens in the Lacey, Wash, area to solicit feedback on potential cuts that would impact close to 16,000 troops and contractors. The detrimental financial ripple effect on surrounding businesses and cities – even the state – has been projected at over one billion dollars (yes…Billion, with a “b”.)

There are certainly interested parties throughout the region and the state that are working to avert the cuts while preparing for a defense sector drawdown.

In addition to personnel drawdown, there are dozens of military-equipment and weapons programs that have been and will be canceled on a national level – sending a less than favorable impact on families and communities across the U.S.

Now for the record, I’m for efficiency in government, and not for bloated spending. I support smart and strategic spending and I tend to be fiscally conservative. This likely has to do with the layers of scar tissue I have from running my own company and having state agencies as one of my clients. One learns to make every dime count.

So while the military is adapting to leaner times, our allies are combating increased terrorism that is even touching families here in the states. Our military is learning to do more with less. Yet, since 2009 the Pentagon’s civilian workforce has grown by about 7 percent – this according to a March 2, 2015 Forbes article.

As one can imagine, this is causing a rub between military leadership and their civilian superiors. Military leadership is calling for more resources to strengthen combat operations, but if one recalls their poli-sci class, the military doesn’t call the shots – the President does – and he’s stepping up support services at the Pentagon for a declining active duty military.

Bottom line: This “rub” isn’t unusual – even if it seems backwards. After WWI hostilities ended, Britain’s navy was drastically downsized but the bureaucracy running the navy expanded. One could argue that the President is following a similar path and doesn’t view today’s global deterioration as a threat that requires increased troop strength. After all, no President, regardless of his (or her) politics, truly wants the world to fall apart on their watch.

By Michael Schindler

Michael Schindler, Navy veteran, and president of Edmonds-based Operation Military Family, is a guest writer for several national publications, author of the book “Operation Military Family” and “The Military Wire” blog. He is also a popular keynote and workshop speaker who reaches thousands of service members and their families every year through workshops and seminars that include “How to Battle-Ready Your Relationship” or “What Your Mother-in-Law Didn’t Tell You.” He received the 2010 Outstanding Patriotic Service Award from the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.

  1. Mike, I think you are absolutely correct in your comments. This is not a new phenomenon. With the troop drawdown known as the “Peace Dividend” jobs that had been done by uniformed service members were taken over by civilian government employees or contractors. Essential services to support national defense still need to be provided, that is why companies like Blackwater and Haliburton prospered during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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