I know a few people that have been impacted by this government hiring freeze. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts:
Col. Joseph Holland, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, says the federal hiring freeze is having a big impact on military operations in South Korea, despite exemptions.
The Trump administration’s hiring freeze has left key jobs vacant and could jeopardize readiness at this U.S. base, the commander said Wednesday.
“The hiring freeze that we’re under right now … is having a big impact on us in Korea writ large,” Col. Joseph Holland, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, said in an interview in his office.
President Donald Trump ordered a government-wide hiring freeze on Jan. 23, just three days after taking office. He excluded the military and allowed the Office of Personnel Management to grant exemptions elsewhere. [Stars & Stripes]
Here is an example of some of the impacts the hiring freeze is having on Camp Humphreys:
For example, the air field, which is active around-the-clock, is relying on an acting manager because officials were unable to push through a final offer to fill the role on a permanent basis before the Feb. 22 cutoff date, Holland said.
“We have a final offer given to a gentleman coming from the United States, but he can’t come here because of the hiring freeze. He fell outside of the window,” he added.
Holland said other vacancies stranded by the hiring freeze included directors for the Army’s substance-abuse program and the community service program, as well as the garrison sexual-assault response coordinator and victim advocate.
“directors for the Army’s substance-abuse program and the community service program, as well as the garrison sexual-assault response coordinator and victim advocate. ”
OMG! The Army is going to go down faster than a juicy’s head on a payday Friday in a juicy bar on the Titanic!
Is there so much substance abuse there needs to be a full-time director? Are there so many sexual assaults that it is a full time job to keep up with them all?
If so, the problem lies farther up the chain.
This is the kind of cushy make-work job the hiring freeze was designed to eliminate.
Eliminate, consolidate, transfer and promote from within… trim the fat…
…because there is lots and lots of it.
Smokes
7 years ago
Hey ever wonder why there’s so many KGS in 8th Army? This, this is why. Give it some time, Holland will buckle as so many commanders in the past have and just reassign the position to KGS and then you’ll have the same Ajeoshi sitting in that position for the next 35 to 50 years. Unless it’s too hard to convert the position because, F doing actual supervisory work, there’s a BS exercise coming up and AFN’s going to be there with cameras, and my OER!! Ehh.. sorry, off-track.
Oh and Ajeoshi’s going to be doing it half-a55 because he doesn’t like the way Americans do ______ and is doing it in some quasi-Kor/Am way that has every person in that field say “Why the F are we doing it this way?!” when they PCS in but not enough for anyone to care to fix it. Don’t think that he’ll be fired or anything because “Pour the Formaldehyde down the drain Mr. Kim”.
It will take a monumental restructuring of the field in a regulatory way that results in tons of industry requirements that flies in the face of the Korean norm of slipping the hiring official some money and you’re set for life. Don’t believe me? Visit any of the Information Technology centers and look at their staff photos in the hall, wager good money as you go from 10-15 years ago to the present the photo’s get less and less Korean.
Think I’m making it up? Visit any critical business function of 8th Army and look at the % of KGS there. Long track record of commands just bailing out on the ping-pong game that is staffing in Korea and just go KGS so they can focus on important things like Sling-load training, “combat” exercises you’re guaranteed to win, and keeping the 8th Army Taxi service at 2-2AVN up and running. Ahh I digress…
But don’t worry about the Substance Abuse and Sexual-assault Response positions, a KGS couldn’t fill those because those jobs don’t exist in Korea on the whole so there’s no way to fill them.
Denny
7 years ago
Because of veteran hiring preferences, there are a disproportionate number of veterans in all areas of the federal government (not just Dept of Defense).
Ole Tanker
7 years ago
These would be greatastic jobs for those with ‘Spouse Preference”! I’m thinking Army wives who rotate every couple of years. Who’s with me? Who thinks this is realistic? 😎
“directors for the Army’s substance-abuse program and the community service program, as well as the garrison sexual-assault response coordinator and victim advocate. ”
OMG! The Army is going to go down faster than a juicy’s head on a payday Friday in a juicy bar on the Titanic!
Is there so much substance abuse there needs to be a full-time director? Are there so many sexual assaults that it is a full time job to keep up with them all?
If so, the problem lies farther up the chain.
This is the kind of cushy make-work job the hiring freeze was designed to eliminate.
Eliminate, consolidate, transfer and promote from within… trim the fat…
…because there is lots and lots of it.
Hey ever wonder why there’s so many KGS in 8th Army? This, this is why. Give it some time, Holland will buckle as so many commanders in the past have and just reassign the position to KGS and then you’ll have the same Ajeoshi sitting in that position for the next 35 to 50 years. Unless it’s too hard to convert the position because, F doing actual supervisory work, there’s a BS exercise coming up and AFN’s going to be there with cameras, and my OER!! Ehh.. sorry, off-track.
Oh and Ajeoshi’s going to be doing it half-a55 because he doesn’t like the way Americans do ______ and is doing it in some quasi-Kor/Am way that has every person in that field say “Why the F are we doing it this way?!” when they PCS in but not enough for anyone to care to fix it. Don’t think that he’ll be fired or anything because “Pour the Formaldehyde down the drain Mr. Kim”.
It will take a monumental restructuring of the field in a regulatory way that results in tons of industry requirements that flies in the face of the Korean norm of slipping the hiring official some money and you’re set for life. Don’t believe me? Visit any of the Information Technology centers and look at their staff photos in the hall, wager good money as you go from 10-15 years ago to the present the photo’s get less and less Korean.
Think I’m making it up? Visit any critical business function of 8th Army and look at the % of KGS there. Long track record of commands just bailing out on the ping-pong game that is staffing in Korea and just go KGS so they can focus on important things like Sling-load training, “combat” exercises you’re guaranteed to win, and keeping the 8th Army Taxi service at 2-2AVN up and running. Ahh I digress…
But don’t worry about the Substance Abuse and Sexual-assault Response positions, a KGS couldn’t fill those because those jobs don’t exist in Korea on the whole so there’s no way to fill them.
Because of veteran hiring preferences, there are a disproportionate number of veterans in all areas of the federal government (not just Dept of Defense).
These would be greatastic jobs for those with ‘Spouse Preference”! I’m thinking Army wives who rotate every couple of years. Who’s with me? Who thinks this is realistic? 😎