Keeping the blogosphere posted on the goings on of the world of submarines since late 2004... and mocking and belittling general foolishness wherever it may be found. Idaho's first and foremost submarine blog. (If you don't like something on this blog, please E-mail me; don't call me at home.)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Officer Promotions To Be Delayed

“Great! What we really need are some more 0-5s around here…”
MAJ (EUCOM) on the release of the list of 0-5 promotables

--From the Staffer's Hard Sayings Log

It looks like the Navy has figured out a way to save some money -- hold off on paying people for promotions for as long as they can. From the PERS-42 website, you can download a story and a FAQ about the Navy mid-grade officer promotion phasing plan for FY11 and beyond. Excerpts from the story:
As part of the Navy’s multiple efforts to achieve fiscal balance, the Secretary of the Navy has approved a revised phasing plan for active duty officer promotions beginning in fiscal year 2011.
Under previous plans, five percent of officers selected for captain, commander and lieutenant commander were promoted in each of the first eight months of the year, with 15 percent per month during the remaining four months.
Effective Oct. 1, 2010, active duty officers selected for promotion to the grades of captain, commander and lieutenant commander will be promoted at a three percent per month rate for 11 months, with the remaining officers to be promoted in September 2011.
All officers selected for promotion during fiscal year 2011 will be promoted in that fiscal year. This phasing plan does not affect future selection board promotion rates.
While I'm always in favor of Sailors getting all the money that they've earned, I guess I'm not surprised that the Navy would look at this as "low-hanging fruit" to "save" a few million dollars. Hopefully, they'll return the saved money to taxpayers or augment the maintenance budget, rather than using it to fund something like an extra Senior Officer Conference in Phukett where they share lessons learned on how it's stupid to write yourself TAD orders to go visit your girlfriend.

I figure as long as the selected officers can still get frocked, it's not that big a deal. (Their wives might think otherwise, of course.) How do you feel about the concept of frocking?

10 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Frocking has its uses, as described in the page you linked, but to use it as money-saving mechanism really sucks. Not sure how new this is for O-Gangers but it was routine for the enlisted ranks while I was in (90's).

In fact, I was selected for E-6 in the fall cycle, but they frocked everyone for that cycle for 6 months, no phased in advancements based on promotion groups. I got out in Feb of the following year, but only as an E-5, as my 'frocking' period had not ended. Had to fight like hell to get 'Selected for advancement to E-6 cycle xxx on my DD-214, and was able to convince the reserves to let me keep it.

9/23/2010 11:15 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we stop frocking officers some time ago?

9/23/2010 12:41 PM

 
Anonymous 3383 said...

Pfft. Frocking is, and always has been, BS. I earned the promotion (competing vs STAR babies and the early promotion %), I'm doing the work, I should get paid for it. Has anyone ever heard of this happening in the "real world"? (NO, not the "I can give you a title, ut no money" comedy bit.)

9/23/2010 12:59 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Frocking is not allowed for O-gangers. You pin on when your promotion phase is within your lineal # seniority month, which is now September of the next year for most folks. Joel may be thinking of spot promote billets, which usually are worthy of the spot promote due to the tough jobs assigned. In the sub world ENG jobs (obviously) and for example nuke LDOs are spot promoted for Radcon officer billets. As to the delayed promotions, it does suck to be selected and have to wait a whole year to pin on and finally get paid.

9/23/2010 4:54 PM

 
Anonymous 3383 said...

Also, how many remember the 1986 or 87 trick of rolling one payday into the next fiscal year? Paydays were on the 15th and 30th, but the 30 Sep payday was moved to 1 Oct- first day of the next govt fiscal year.

A clever (not) trick that saved no actual money, postponed the real issue, and can't be used again. The originator probably went on to work for Enron or the State of California.

9/23/2010 5:42 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The originator probably went on to work for Enron or the State of California.

Or GM, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Chrysler, Barney Frank or Chris Dodd's Financial Advising Firm, Obozo's Treasury Dept., etc.

9/23/2010 7:24 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There are a ton of rules on frocking officers now... one of the only cases you can be frocked is if you are required to have the next higher grade for a job assignment, and then it's only within a couple of days of PCS'ing to that job/program.

It would be nice to just frock everyone on 01 Oct every year and get paid when you get paid.

9/24/2010 8:19 AM

 
Blogger Bubblehead said...

When did they get rid of frocking for officers? I got frocked to LT in '92, so it must have been after that. As Anonymous 1654 guessed, I was spot promoted to LCDR for being an Eng and started getting paid right away.

9/24/2010 9:09 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Frocking went away, as a a general practice, at least before 98.

Spot promotions still happen for ENG's, but there's very very few people who get frocked any longer.

9/24/2010 1:14 PM

 
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10/26/2011 5:00 AM

 

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