… big problem is junior enlisted who find that the Navy life doesn’t match up well with the recruiting poster.
A surge in Navy deserters could be a sign of a bigger problem for the military
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/21/1100512920/navy-deserters-mor…
Also, the Navy is now having to compete with $22/hr at Bank of America.
intercst
But, hey. You can still join the Navy and see the world.
At Bank of America if you are lucky you can spend your life looking at a computer terminal.
Hello, the reason deserters used to be shot is that military service has always been tough, low-paid and – surprise! – potentially deadly, so some people try to bug out.
Anyone who joins the military in this day and age has plenty of information sources about the reality. For example, that reservists were called up for multiple involuntary tours of duty in Iraq. I don’t know if the Navy had similar abuses, but it’s never been a picnic.
If you want a job you can quit, don’t join the military.
By the way, I was surprised at how low the percentage of deserters is. In 2019, 63 sailors fled from their duty stations, and another 98 did so in 2020. In 2021, 157 sailors illegally fled the U.S. Navy and all but eight of them eventually returned to their units. Number of active duty Navy personnel in 2020: 341,996. Deserters in 2020: 0.03%. Conclusion: This isn’t a problem. A writer needed a story and blew it out of proportion.
Wendy
Number of active duty Navy personnel in 2020: 341,996. Deserters in 2020: 0.03%. Conclusion: This isn’t a problem. A writer needed a story and blew it out of proportion.
In a nation of 330 million people, I guess the 2,500 folks who ransacked the Capitol on Jan 6th are blown out of proportion, too. It’s about the same percentage, if that the METAR criteria.
intercst
The problem for the US navy is very large aircraft carriers with very large crews and nuclear power meaning they can stay at sea almost indefinitely with RAS (Replenishment At Sea) … without a port visit for many months at a time.
Young men (and women) find it somewhat unnatural to not have an opportunity to go ashore, hit the bars … try to pick up a date and maybe even go home together. Try that on a ship with ~ 5000 people and no privacy?
Tim <longest deployment without a port visit 6-8 weeks and that was on an AOR (fleet tanker) with a crew of ~ 300. Of course my only “job” was crew in the back of the helo but it precluded me standing watches and as a PO (Airforce Sgt) I didn’t do menial tasks.>
A couple of take-aways:
In 2021, 157 sailors illegally fled the U.S. Navy, more than double the number who deserted in 2019. Although all but eight of them eventually returned to their units, a military legal expert says the dramatic increase in desertions may be a sign of a bigger issue.
This was 2021. What is different between 2021 and 2019 (the time period in which the comparison was made)? Covid lockdowns. It doesn’t surprise me that those in the service might be climbing the walls to escape a little bit more than normal in light of the lockdowns we experienced in 2020 and 2021.
AWOL vs desertion. The article does not state - and journalists are notoriously sloppy on these points, but a soldier is deemed AWOL (absent without leave) for 30 days until they are deemed to have deserted - but people (both in and out of the military) often lump all unauthorized leave into the same bucket and call it desertion - even in cases where the soldier simply didn’t report for duty for two days (often due to a bad weekend binger)
We have likely all heard of the poor mental health kids have experienced during covid. It is fair to assume that our young military are not immune to the same experiences. The military has never been kind to those that have mental health issues.
My guess is that these numbers will normalize in 2023.
Hawkwin
Who wonders what the army/marine numbers look like.
We also hear reports of poor living conditions for the crews while their carrier is being refurbed.
We also hear reports of poor living conditions for the crews while their carrier is being refurbed.
Yes, three recent suicides were on that carrier. In spite of the ship being in drydock for a couple years, some of the crew is still on board, with constant noise from the yard workers, very poor sanitation facilities, probably very poor ventilation. iirc one of the suicides was a young woman who was constantly berated by her higher up over things she had no control over.
Beyond that, the Navy has been subjected to a very high operational tempo. Has been for several years. The WWII ships are all gone, and, with Billions wasted on boondoggles like the Zumwalts, the Ford, and the LCSes, there aren’t enough ships that can actually perform a mission.
On top of that, base living conditions have been terrible for years. The townhouses and apartments may look OK on the outside, but, in Shinyland fashion, someone decided base housing had to be privatized, so someone could make a profit off it, and the “JCs” are maximizing profit by not maintaining the housing.
26 Apr 2022
Military Housing Still Unsafe for Families Served by Company That Pleaded Guilty to Fraud, Congressional Investigation Alleges
Balfour Beatty was ordered in December to pay $65.4 million in fines and restitution after being found guilty of fraud, having manipulated maintenance records from 2013 to 2019 to obtain performance bonuses as a housing management contractor.
The Senate committee said the mistreatment of service members and families by the company continues, and according to the report, the behaviors uncovered after 2019 “bear striking similarities to the types of conduct which Balfour admitted to in its December 2021 guilty plea.”
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/04/26/military-hous…
Like JPMs repeated flouting of securities laws, base housing contractors apparently regard fines and penalties as nothing but “a cost of doing business” and continue their shiny behavior.
Steve