Regs, Maniac, and so forth

Just to reply, I saw someone said that we are assuming that Maj. Todd Marshal is 50, but we know he is by simple addition, we know how old he is in 2654 then you add the years to get his current age.

And LOAF, I said Bearcat was in limited production based on the fact that if the excal/t-bolt are still inservice and ubiquidous in '81 then I would expect a newer fighter to be so. Second the next fighter in the evolution has already comeout (Tigershark, or as some think Panther). and Third, I remeber someone (Maybe EW) telling me so in an earlier thread.
 
Originally posted by Wedge009

I find it amusing that there's a rule that if someone has been in a rank for too long, he/she is fired.
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On the contrary, there's a very good reason for it.
Back in the 19th century, in fact before WWII, officers
who were not promoted simply stayed where they were until
they voluntarily left or died.

Now, there is a fixed number of officer billets, that
number set by law. There are, for example, only about
1000 Colonel billets in the entire USAF, with proportional
numbers in the other services. In order to promote a
person, a prospective officer had to wait until one of those slots opens up, either by promotion, death, dismissal, or retirement. This can
be a very long wait.

The upshot is that "excessive time in grade" becomes the
norm rather than the exception. ISTR that George C. Marshall expected, before WWII, to retire at about Major
or Lt-Col rank after 30 YEARS in service. In addition, this
tends to create an older, more cautious officer corps,
especially when the younger ones start leaving because there
is no future for them -- only years on desolate posts
with no prospects save waiting for some ugly guy
to die, for whose position all the younger ones will compete
and only one will receive the nod.

By contrast, the current system rapidly clears out the
deadwood and promotes younger people faster. This
produces a younger, bolder, more innovative corps which
is more likely to actually win wars. The retired officers
can usually find work in the outside world, especially if
they know what's in store and make efforts to prepare
for their retirement.

Just my .02. Save it up and you might be able to buy
something with it :).

Respectfully,

Brian P.
 
Pendel: While I understand what you are saying, I must say that experience in the officer's corps is probably a very good thing, then the younger officers can have lower ranks and have field commandes while leaving seasoned officers in ranks major and up.
 
Originally posted by Napoleon
Pendel: While I understand what you are saying, I must say that experience in the officer's corps is probably a very good thing, then the younger officers can have lower ranks and have field commanders while leaving seasoned officers in ranks major and up.
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Experience is a good thing -- but on average an officer
spends a couple of years in grade as is. I can't think
of anything an officer would learn in three years as
an (army) captain that an additional 10 years as an
army captain would add to that.


I believe (although I could be wrong) that the best
kind of officer is young, bold and ambitious. Look over
the list of world conquerors (Caeser, Alexander, Napolean)
and you would be surprised how many had not yet achieved
30 years of age at the peak of their career.

Ambitious people aren't going to stick around for 10 years
at the same grade level, especially on a junior officer's pay. The ones who will stay will be
the ones who can't make it anywhere else. A lot of times,
the older officers in those days were mere time-servers -- they wouldn't ever be promoted, and knew it, but they knew
that as long as they didn't screw up they had a job for
life.

Does that sound like someone you'd want to follow into
battle? I'll take the current method, which allows for
faster promotion and attracts a better caliber of officer.


Respectfully,

Brian P.
 
Agreed. "Up or out" encourages performance. If you are facing competition for higher pay with other officers, you are going to do your best to keep both yourself and your unit working at peak efficiency. If there is no such competition, it encourages laxity in the officer corps, and the service suffers as a result.
 
Well, at what point does this "up or out" rule stop? It'd be funny to have to chuck out an Admiral. :) Or does it stop at Colonel, or something?
 
Ah, so that's what Tolwyn's big grab for power was all about. It wasn't for mankind, it wasn't for fame, it wasn't for money, (it sure wasn't for entertainment :))... it was so he could be promoted to Space Marshal and stay in the Military! :D
 
Maybe Maniac was right! Maybe Tolwyn just wanted enough power so he could kick Maniac out of the Space Force! He did have it in for him! :)
 
I got news for you. Tolwyn had nothing to do with his lack of promotion. His flying style took care of that for him. Tolwyn doesn’t even know he's alive. ;)
 
You haven't heard? He couldn't stop talking about Maniac. Of course, that's classified. I mean, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
 
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