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Show .... , Aug. 27, 1992 Hilltop Times i, 7 rorce drawdown must preserve readiness bers who can speak certain languages. One way the services hope to avoid losing these people is by offering them incentives. training and An ongoing example of DOD's commitment to technical training, he said, is higher proficiency in foreign languages, especially Spanish. "As we step up our efforts to intercept drugs from Latin America, the number of military personnel studying Spanish is expected to rise to about 530 next year, a 25 percent increase from 1991," said Alexander. by U.S. Army MSgt. Linda Lee American Forces Information Service Draw down the military force by almost 25 percent and shape it to fit a new national strategy. During this process, be sure to balance the needs of the service members. If that sounds pretty difficult, well, it hasn't been easy, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert M. Alexander, the Department of Defense's top military personnel officer. "We face a real dilemma. There isn't an easy answer to it. It's almost impossible to balance being fair to people, yet reduce the force, maintain readiness and stay within budget constraints," said Alexander, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military manpower and personnel policy. "These objectives are not compatible, but we have to do it. "We can't mortgage the future to ease the pain today. We don't want to look back and say we did it on the cheap," he said. "We have to do it the best way that we can, to meet all the requirements." If the drawdown is done wrong, readiness may suffer. Alexander is concerned this could lead to a repeat of what happened to the military prior 66 We can't mortgage the future to ease the pain today. We don't want to look back and say we did it on the cheap. We have to do it the best way that we can, to meet all 99 Lt. Gen. Robert M. Alexander Deputy assistant secretary of defense for military manpower and personnel policy goes down, said Alexander. So far this year, the news is good. Few involuntary separations will be needed. However, he believes tough times could lie ahead. Alexander said within current budgetary constraints the voluntary program is generous, but it isn't as much as DOD would like to do if it weren't constrained by costs. The voluntary separation program doesn't clean the slate, but it's what the nation can afford, he said. The nation owes a great debt of gratitude to these men and women who have served, he approach" to the drawdown. With the threat of involuntary separations and boards, service DOD personnel officials such as Alexander feel one of the best ways to members have to think seriously about reduce the force is the voluntary sepa- their futures if an involuntary sepaservice ration seems to imminent, the volunration program. members those with six to 19 years tary program offers abetter choice.of in overstrength specia- benefits, said Alexander. of service lties and year groups may receive cash and other incentives to leave the mil- Other curtailment actions In addition to voluntary and initary. If enough people take the offer, the need for involuntary separations voluntary separations, DOD is taking reduction-in-forc- Mid-care- f the requirements. to the Korean War. U.S. service memadded. bers entered that war green and He realizes the voluntary separation More than 30,000 died and has its negative side, that af100,000 were wounded during the program fected personnel see "a sweet and sour three years of fighting. No shortcuts - e er SAVE $10.00 Consolidated training a consideration General Alexander other actions to reach the 1.6 million base force figure set for fiscal 1995. These include limiting the number of first-terreducing the number of recruits and increasing early retirements. Many question why the military continues to recruit, said Alexander. If you look at the overall picture, he said, it makes sense. The services still need to bring in about 200,000 people a year just to break even on their base force requirements. For example, of statistics indicate almost those who enlist leave the military within the first six years, Alexander m two-thir- ds said. f "We cannot reduce accessions too dramatically. This would result in an overly senior, though very experienced, force in the short term," he said. "But, we'd be building a deficit of experienced leaders for the future. In other words, too few recruits today would mean top few seasoned commissioned, noncommissioned and petty officers a decade from now." A problem facing DOD is shortages in specific jobs. Alexander said DOD needs service members in medical jobs and certain technical fields and mem As the force gets smaller, the next step is for the services to look at consolidating training where possible. This could result in cutting the number of schools and reducing the number of instructors. This will place more reliance on technology, such as computer-aided instruction and teleconferencing. DOD is already taking steps toward more "jointness" in training and assignments. Plans are under review for restructuring Phase II of the officers' joint professional military education program. Alexander said DOD also is developing a restructured joint officer assignment program to simplify joint officer management under the provisions of the 1986 Goldwater-Nichol- s DOD Reorganization Act. If DOD continues to keep its people in mind as it works the drawdown and its future plans, Alexander said, it will come out "with a force as vibrant and energetic, as robust, as it has now." "I think the force could be of even higher quality than that which we saw in Operation Desert Storm, but I'd be more than satisfied with the same quality individuals we have today," he said. "I've never been associated with better people." HS9K! 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