The Army is looking for a few warm bodies. The number of junior officers resigning their commissions is up, “many after multiple rotations to Iraq.” LATimes (01.30.06), via The Washington Monthly:
“Struggling to retain enough officers to lead its forces, the Army has begun to dramatically increase the number of soldiers it promotes, raising fears within the service that wartime strains are diluting the quality of the officer corps.
Last year, the Army promoted 97% of all eligible captains to the rank of major, Pentagon data show. That was up from a historical average of 70% to 80%.”
Used to be making major meant something. “Traditionally, the Army has used the step to major as a winnowing point to push lower-performing soldiers out of the military.” Not any more.
And it’s not just major. “The service also promoted 86% of eligible majors to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2005, up from the historical average of 65% to 75%.”
The Army insists that “only officers that meet rigorous standards are elevated through its ranks.”
On the other hand, “‘The problem here is that you’re not knocking off the bottom 20%,’ said a high-ranking Army officer at the Pentagon. ‘Basically, if you haven’t been court-martialed, you’re going to be promoted to major.'”
And by the way, our “officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss the issue.”
Nor was he inclined to end his career.
KNOBBOY 
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