How to succeed in the Army without really trying....

.... is this year's counterpart to that stage play of yesterday, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'!

On June 23rd, (as in last week, Pilgrims) after months of study, the Office of Management and Budget refused an Army request for five additional general officer positions! Here is how the news item read;

"White House denies Army's pitch for more brass

Jun 23, 2008

WASHINGTON — The Army's march to overhaul its tarnished contracting system has been slowed by an unlikely foe: the White House.
The Office of Management and Budget, President Bush's administrative arm, has shot down a service plan to add five active-duty generals who would oversee purchasing and monitor contractor performance.
The boost in brass was a key recommendation from a blue-ribbon panel that last fall criticized the Army for contracting failures that undermined the war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, wasted U.S. tax dollars, and sparked dozens of procurement fraud investigations.
As the Army's contracting budget ballooned — from $46 billion in 2002 to $112 billion in 2007 — it had too few experienced people negotiating and buying equipment and supplies, according to the panel. Worse still, there wasn't a single Army general in a job with contracting responsibilities. That meant the profession had little clout at a critical time.
Senior officers are needed to make sure past mistakes are not repeated, said the panel, chaired by former Pentagon acquisition chief Jacques Gansler.
"If a contracting person has to say to a general that they have to follow the rules, it's easier if you have your own general who will back you up," says David Berteau, a panel member and a former Defense Department official.
Having generals in contracting jobs also will build the talent pool by showing junior soldiers that contracting is a promising career path."

So, this (Army selected and charged) Blue Ribbon panel recommended five new general slots to help clean up it's own incompetence and OMB shot it down. The Army appealed the decision, and in less than one week - the OMB decision was reversed. Today's (July 3) headline reads:

"Army gets OK to add five generals.

They'll oversee purchasing, contractors in wake of procurement fraud scandals."

A new contracting command created with a two star commander, a new two star liaison position authorized in the pentagon, and three one star staffers, all with staff of course.

Now y'all have to wonder, if the Army have no officers with the necessary experience to fill the positions, where are these five new generals going to come from? And how will they gain the twenty years experience they'll need overnight? Oh, and one other question;

Anybody out there surprised when you read that the 'Blue Ribbon Panel' was headed by Jacques Gansler, the 'former Pentagon acquisition Chief' ? You can almost hear the back scratching all the way down here in Texas. Just thinking of the number of civilian and military staff positions this will create boggles the mind. Not to mention the promotions as military and civilians alike move up the Army's corporate ladder!