Return to the "POINTER VIEW"August 31, 2001
Return to the "POINTER VIEW"
August 31, 2001
WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service) -- The Defense Department’s senior personnel official said last week that modifying current "up-or-out" retention rules and establishing longer tours of duty might better serve members and their families.
David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told reporters Aug. 8 at the Pentagon that defense is looking at personnel rules that impel service members to move frequently to secure promotions and possibly leave jobs they enjoy and are good at, or leave the force.
Critics of current military personnel practices "would say we’ve driven the ‘up-or-out’ principle, both in the officer and enlisted force, a little bit too far," Chu said.
He added that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld "is deeply skeptical about the pattern in which people spend so short a time in each post." The Secretary, Chu said, has lately asked about the practicality of having troops, especially commanders, serving in billets for two years or less.
Lengthening tours of duty, Chu said, would enable service members to "stay in a post longer, become more proficient at what they do and give more value back."
Longer tours could also help reduce the frequent moves that disrupt service members’ families, Chu noted.
"You hear stories of senior officers who have moved 50 times in 35 years," he said.
Senior pentagon civilian and military officials have been studying defense operations, to include personnel, as part of the Quadrennial Defense Review, which is due to Congress Sept. 30. Chu said this is one of the issues the review will address.
"We need to see if we are providing the kind of environment an American family finds attractive, or if we are turning talented people away from specific assignments or the service in general," he said.