REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- The officer in charge of developing manpower plans for the total Army shared realities and ideas of the future force Thursday with Soldiers and civilians at Army Materiel Command headquarters.
Armed with open dialogue rather than slides and charts, Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1 Lt. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg said he is challenged with rightsizing the employee base. "I've got to bring the civilian force structure in line with where the Army's got to be."
Bromberg said one method for reaching that goal would be to place the decision making power at the command level.
"We think this is a better approach to deciding the right size of the civilian workforce. We've got to give you a budget and the flexibility," Bromberg said. "This budget-based approach is a breakthrough. It's a proposal, it's not approved -- but these are the kinds of discussions we are having."
That concept of managing to budget is something leadership supports, said William Marriott, AMC's Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel.
Bromberg told civilians he appreciated them and acknowledged they were treated poorly during last year's furlough and government shutdown. "We've got to do different," he said, acknowledging the need for more progressive actions.
"This is the place to do that transformation," Bromberg said, noting AMC's vast and predominantly civilian workforce. "If you can make the change here, you can open the door."
Bromberg also spelled out the means to the military reduction that aims to reduce the force to 490,000 by fiscal year 2015. Five hundred colonels and 700 lieutenant colonels will be asked to retire. Additionally, 2,000 captains and majors will either be separated or offered an early option to retire. Incentives will be cut, and accessions will be reduced.
"It's not negative -- it's facts," Bromberg said as he talked about involuntary military retirements, reduced recruiting and a more competitive environment. "This is the reality we've been handed and there will still be opportunities for those who want to serve."
He called on Soldiers to lead the way through this in a way that's honest and upright and shows dignity and respect to those who are affected.
Questions from the audiences focused on concerns with cuts in training, benefits, internship programs and maintaining a diverse workforce.
"It's not doom and gloom," Bromberg said. "It's about the future of the Army."
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