Military worried that soldiers are getting bored without wars

[n2doc]

There’s an old saying that war is 99 percent boredom and 1 percent sheer terror.

Now that the war in Iraq is over, operations in Afghanistan are winding down and budget cuts are curtailing training missions, several Joint Chiefs told Congress on Monday they’re worried that their troops are “bored.”

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said he recently met a group of young pilots who are eligible for an incentive bonus to stay in the force. “Of that group, there were six to eight in the group, none of them had accepted the bonus to that point in time,” Welsh told the Senate Armed Services Committee, during a hearing on the impact of sequestration. “That doesn't necessarily mean they're planning to leave the Air Force, but it certainly means they're keeping their options open as a minimum.

“By the way, it's not just pilots. I was at another base where a couple of very young airmen told me that they love the Air Force but they were bored,” he said. “Their particular squadrons were not flying. They were sitting on the ramp because of the reductions last year. And they said at the end of their enlistment they planned to find work that they thought was a little more exciting. I haven't heard anybody in our military say they were bored in quite some time, so that got my attention.”

more

http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2013/11/after-war-budget-cuts-top-brass-worry-troops-are-bored/73478/

[niyad]

1. hmmm, wonder when they will find another excuse for a war--cannot have the soldiers bored, can we?

[msongs]

2. major drawback to the "professional" military instead of the citizen soldier nt

[gopiscrap]

3. fucking asshole warmongers

how about having them in natural disasters, bridge building etc? fuck war and fuck the military industrial complex.

[warrant46]

9. As a veteran the day before Veterans day

I can tell you all that the lifer military lives to Blow stuff up, witness parades and fly fast

[gopiscrap]

10. that's too bad

because I have seen them do so much more (stuff of value I mean)

[warrant46]

12. You didn't see what they did in Nam n/t

[gopiscrap]

14. no I know and BTW

my father's name is on the Wall

[warrant46]

16. So are 3 of my friends

[gopiscrap]

18. yikes

[TheDebbieDee]

13. There are lots of lifer military people that only dream of properly taking care of

the fighting soldiers' needs IF a war breaks out!

Our soldiers don't stand alone on that battlefield..............

[Uncle Joe]

4. To avert having the troops getting emotional bends, they could utilize many of them in giving aid

to nations stricken by natural disaster, ie: the Phillipines.

Thanks for the thread, n2doc.

[Dawson Leery]

5. The military budget needs to be cut.

[Initech]

6. Then why don't we put them to work rebuilding our infrastructure?

Which would pay for itself one hundred million times over - *AND* actually make our country more secure in the process. Just sayin'!

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

7. Elect Jeb Bush.

He'll start one for sure.

[TwilightGardener]

8. I believe that won't be a problem for long--not sure about the Air Force or Navy, but the Army

and Marines are going to have personnel cuts.

[NickB79]

11. Adreneline junkies. As bad as any drug addiction

You can get hooked on the rush of combat.

[bemildred]

15. Good. nt

[99Forever]

17. Too effen bad.

Then cut their budget by a few hundred billion a year and lay off 50% of their employees. Those "bored soldiers" will have plenty to keep the busy.

Problem solved.

[Buddha_of_Wisdom]

19. So fuck the war, and go help the needy. Like the Phillippines.

International relations would be a wonder if a bomb was not exploded there and all of Abu Sayyaf terrorists have passed away from the typhoon.

[2naSalit]

20. Well...

it's been a well known fact for some time...

[mwrguy]

21. So fire them

They can go be bored on someone else's dime.