By Robert Johnson
Managing editor
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Downsize: It’s a dirty word that most of our service members haven’t ever heard in their military career — up until now. The rumors will run rampant with tales of wholesale drawdowns and forced departures, but don’t buy into those stories. Soldiers whose records reflect a quality performer are the force of the future.

With the combat actions in Afghanistan scheduled to scale down and Operation Iraqi Freedom now in the history books and a politically-charged national debt issue, you can quickly see that the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps are going to find themselves smaller in the near future. The Department of Defense plan will likely ask to remove a couple of deployable Combat Brigades, delay or scale back the purchase of some weapon systems, maintain fewer fighter aircraft, mothball some older ships and return the Marines to their traditional roles.

That’s the big picture of downsizing.

But at the individual level, it’s a whole other process. It may be new math to some folks, but the process is as old as the Army itself. If you have fewer brigades, you need fewer Soldiers; needing fewer Soldiers, the Army will need fewer basic training units and cycles; fewer basic training Soldiers means fewer uniforms, boots, meals … you get the picture. As the Army scales back, the impact has a trickle down effect on most of us supporting the fight.

Soldiers in uniform will likely see a decline in promotions, fewer reenlistment bonuses, higher promotion scores and tighter standards to get into military schools and retention.

Gloom and doom?

Yes, it’s lots of gloom and doom … for some folks, but it doesn’t have to be you.

Now is the time to check your records and get yourself “squared away.” If you haven’t been to a military school that you need to be competitive for promotion, work on getting into the school. If you haven’t held the jobs that make you branch qualified, talk to your supervisor about how you can prove yourself to the Army in those positions.

The good news is that with the scaling back of combat operations, there will be fewer deployments, which will give you the home station time to get your career in shape. If your current medical condition prevents you from deployment, now is the time to rehabilitate that injury and get yourself off temporary profiles.

The Army will be looking to keep its best and brightest, not necessarily the guy who deployed nine times. Having a deployment in your experiences is good, but having that experience coupled with a highly qualified record is better.

Soldiers with Article 15s and other disciplinary actions in their records, suffering from phyical fitness test failure, who are marginal performers or hovering on the overweight program will likely face the brunt of any forced downsize. Don’t be that guy. Get your act together today and always be the best you can be – in uniform and off duty.

Downsizing will occur, but you can take the gloom and doom and put it aside if you try.