[01:00:00;08 - 01:00:07;05]
 an underperforming captain with four years of experience receives the same pay

[01:00:07;05 - 01:00:22;12]
 the best captain in an infantry brigade with multiple deployments under his belt the military compensation system does not distinguish between high and low performer bureaucrat or warrior

[01:00:22;12 - 01:00:29;03]
 that is the institution telling its people that they are interchangeable and at restoration we're gonna change just that

[01:00:29;03 - 01:00:33;08]
 episode's topic is the elite warrior incentive program

[01:00:33;08 - 01:00:43;29]
 why an underperforming staff officer should not be treated the same by the bureaucracy as the highest performers in the most stressful jobs

[01:00:43;29 - 01:01:03;10]
 I always remembered you know when I was a lieutenant I talked to my buddies and you know some of us would have a ranger tab airborne wings and expert infantrymen badge others would be struggling to pass a PT test but we'd always say hey at the end of the day we get paid the same and you know

[01:01:05;21 - 01:07:14;21]
 I want to frame this conversation carefully because you join the military because you want to sacrifice and it's not about what you get paid it's not about you know that's not how we treat people everyone is treated with dignity and it's not as if you know service is worth any different but I think we can admit that there's a degree to which the military can recognize that financial incentives can help build performance can help solidify what still might be a retention crisis and ensure that the you know a career in the military is a great way to live a life raise a family and you know live the American dream if you try your best and perform with excellence yeah yeah and what we're talking about here is not about you know taking anybody down right it's about lifting up a certain group of folks exactly which you know you think about the sheer number I think a lot of people don't realize this but over the decades as we've gotten more technologically advanced and logistics and warfare have advanced we're in a place now we're probably talking about 10 to 15 percent of the military is who we're talking about in this episode this warrior class this warrior class the real you know trigger pullers that are going you know the line of departure is that place that once you're on the other side you know you're probably going to beat the enemy it's imminent and so you know I had the same experience you know I wasn't in combat but I was in between wars but you know you come back in from the field I have my ranger tab and I'm all dirty and nasty and there's some guy you know he's a he's a captain to his first lieutenant and he's you know he's sitting behind a desk and that's what he does and he's all starched and clean and everything and I don't have anything against the guy that I'm thinking to myself this is not equitable here because he's gonna keep that job and if there is combat I gotta go right and so then you know that that's what I think just you know down in the weeds on this I think sometimes the guys that end up deploying guys and gals but mostly guys you know for our last conversation they're thinking themselves you know if I'm really gonna invest in this as a career and you know how am I gonna take care of my family is it worth the sacrifice a lot of time away and then plus a much higher probability of being killed in combat yeah and that's the bottom line here it is so it's like so not only do you have to all these all these folks do all these crazy things to get ready for it but then they're the ones that go downrange and are looking the enemy in the eye and there's people back in the rear they make the same amount of money and I think most Americans I don't think that there's a real because you know you talk about hazard pay and different things like that I know we'll get into this a little bit but it's not that it's not that big of a distinction you know you can get a little more but it's not what we're talking about we're talking about a different level of folks you know well right and you mentioned hazard pay in many ways this exists this structure exists you get jump pay if you're in an airborne unit hazardous duty pay for being deployed and and those are all well and good but I'll give one example not not from my life but from you know the life of an old ranger buddy who served over two decades in an army special operations unit he received a quote-unquote promotion you know to to work at a at a higher command but what he realized is that that promotion would result in him taking a fifteen hundred dollar a month pay cut because he loses some of these incentives you know jump pay hazardous duty pay whatever it is and again there's there is some world where yes all right if he's not jumping out of airplanes every month maybe doesn't get jump pay but what do we say to the Rangers coming up the ranks behind him when you know so-called promotions you know candidly can drastically affect the financial readiness of your family and so I think that's why you know you and I Doug thought of this program to build a more cohesive enduring warrior system and in a warrior incentive program so that the choices you make to put yourself in harm's way to perform well and to do the most important jobs in the military are those that can reward you and stay with you for your entire career if you keep serving in the military that's right so it's a reward and an incentive going forward because we're talking about building in a more rigorous physical evaluation of these folks right you don't just like hey I'm gonna combat unit so pay me more okay well let's take a step back here you have to be up on a higher level so we're actually talking about those 10 or 15 percent that do go down range you have a lot of qualifications I mean will you know your Ranger Regiment guy and everything so you've seen all this crazy stuff but we also want to make sure that anybody else that does go down range like that that does get this pay they're on a higher level just in general whether or not they have tabs the existing tabs we're talking about one of the things that you know part of what we're talking about here is a is a uniform designation because you do all these other physical fitness testing and you have to keep it going so like your buddy you're talking about yeah he would move to a different unit for that window of time but he still have to be ready right and because he's in this new warrior class man maybe probably has a higher probability of like oh hey we're gonna move you suddenly from that unit to this unit because we gotta you know we gotta we gotta go down range with you with the guys that are really ready and so yeah it's not this is not freebies by any stretch because you you and I are not into no no it's a it's a it's a crucial designation some specifics it's it's this higher echelon of a fitness test you know we're not gonna take the leg tuck out of this fitness test but and it's a consistent like everyone does it's a revalidation you don't get to you know serve in an elite unit once and then book book your higher paycheck for life you've got to revalidate stay current

[01:07:15;18 - 01:07:33;08]
 be proficient and stay high performing. And so there's no notion that this, like you said, is this free lunch. This is a way to reward continuous excellence, continuous service, because that's, I think, really important to endow throughout the culture.

[01:07:34;20 - 01:08:12;18]
 You mentioned kind of this cultural argument. And the Army is unique, opposed to the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps, you got the U.S. Marines on your right side. On the right side of your chest, you got your last name on the left side of your chest. You don't have much else. Dress uniforms are a little different. But the Army, I think with some mixed results, you can have a Christmas tree on your chest, as we would say. And that is, it's kind of a mark of credibility. If you got your Ranger tab on your left shoulder, badges above your left chest, that says something.

[01:08:13;20 - 01:13:27;01]
 And this is, I think, our proposal for this warrior class, is to make sure that that is as healthy and well-earned as possible. That you don't get your CIBM one combat mission on your first deployment. That you earn something, and that you're current throughout your career. That's right. It's got to be a whole mindset, so that all these folks are looking at each other, they see each other. Oh, okay. You did it too. And that's a, you know, with the Ranger tab, that's like a universal thing. It's like, oh, that's not easy. So good for you. Same concept. And, you know, you want to have confidence too. So this is a building too, of a kind of a level standard of like, here's who we're going to combat with. And there's no doubt that everybody that's part of this group is ready to go do it. There's no like, well, that unit over there, those guys, they're PTs, not that great, and all that stuff, you know, because that does happen. It does. And people get, you know, you're in a great unit over here, and suddenly another unit gets attached to you, and you're like, I don't know if I like those guys, you know, what's their deal? This would be more of like, okay, we're all in this together, at least on this level. And then you have confidence in the folks that are going down with you. And that's huge. Because most of those markers of excellence and experience are just that, they're markers of past performance. I think what we're talking about is something that is representative of current proficiency and excellence. That's right. That's right. Keep it up. And, you know, I think this also relates to this unspoken crisis in VA disability claims. It's, you know, these, it's a massive portion of the budget. You and I don't talk too much about this. But, you know, I'm at least, you know, if we're going to have entitlement programs in America, I am more than happy for there to be entitlement programs for veterans who need it, and who have put the wear and tear on their bodies. On behalf of the nation to suffer. But I think what we're seeing is a pretty serious cause for inflation, where even those veterans who, you know, don't necessarily have the kind of military experience to then necessitate a permanent paycheck for the rest of their life and VA healthcare. We're right. And this would, I think, tie, we have a vision where this would tie with the Department of Veterans Affairs and build into the care that a veteran in this incentive program receives for the rest of his life. That's right. Because if you don't do something like this explicitly, what might be happening is what you're referring to. It's like a side door way to get people that do go into combat situations more money, but it's not anything that's like regulated the way it should be. Right. And then you end up with a situation too. And the other thing, you know, we've talked about too, is just the overall retention factor. Yes. You know, that's the other side of this is like, you do not want to like, you know, we both saw people that, oh man, I can't believe that guy's leaving, you know. And I was a terrible cadet at West Point when I was a pretty good officer. And my brigade commander, he was mad at me when I left and I get it, you know, I understand that happens, right? You probably, you know, why are you leaving, you know? And so everybody has their reasons, but you don't want to have a situation where people are saying, you know, all these other things we've been talking about in the podcast. And then you get to this where you're just like, gosh, I, you know, I worked so hard. I did all these things. I'm on the line way more than anybody else. And there's people out there that are just, they're making the same as me. And it's just like, so that guy or that gal leaves and then to replace them. It's just like any other retention problem, making corporate America in a sense, you know, you just, you, you get them built up to a certain place and then they disappear. And it's because of a system and a way it's structured that doesn't have to be that way. No, it doesn't. Right. Yeah, again, I'm thinking of my, my, my, my old friend. He has a lot left to give to the army, but we shouldn't, shouldn't force him into the position where it's such a, it's such a devastating pay cut because he is at that, that standard of excellence. And, you know, I think Congress is, is, they, they've addressed this issue. They've done special bonus pay. And I think there's, there is the chance that this, this kind of proposal has political support, you know, but as, as I think we tend to do at the Restoration America Foundation, we think pretty boldly and, and substantively about how to transform different aspects of the military for the good. Yeah, go home. Exactly. And, and, you know, we're, we're at a special moment in the second term of President Trump and majorities in both the House and the Senate. And so as far as I'm concerned, you know, this kind of deep cultural change is really important. And we have to, I think, I think our viewers should get to the point where they expect some moonshots from, from the representatives. That's right. And the, and the goal here, as we've always said, is to make sure that we have the military that will win our wars.

[01:13:28;05 - 01:15:48;03]
 And not just like, you know, we all want to have a situation where, you know, we win, but we, you know, everybody in the military, you want to win by a mile. Right. And we were talking the last episode about the potential grueling nature of warfare going forward, which is certainly on the horizon. But even given that you still want to make sure that the force you've got is the one that's going to win. Yeah. That's what this is all about. And so people, oh, wow, that's going to be a lot more money. I don't, I don't think so. I mean, you start, you know, the OMB is going to like, you know, oh, this guy's going to fall. It's like, no, it's not because, because even if we, when you add back in the retention side of this and just the concept of our elected officials explaining to their constituents, the stuff that we've been talking about and people at dawning on, you know, Americans that maybe didn't realize this disparity between folks that are heavy duty combat folks and those who are not. And then like I said, it's only 10 or 15 percent of the military now. So it just seems like it's the right time to do it. And if you, if you also factor in some potential cost savings from a just more scrutinized VA claims process, I think, I think there's a way where we come out, we come out ahead. You can't, I don't think you can put a price on the possibility of having these elite high performers spending 20 plus years in the military because that's that is truly going to pay dividends. And we can't delude ourselves to that. There's this element of like, oh, the technology, the technology, the technology. It's like, no, no, we still need the right people to go execute on this stuff. We don't want everyone to get in a situation where you're not prepared to, you know, oh, boots on the ground. I guess I'm tired of hearing that phrase all the time. Well, hey, you know, it's going to happen some point. Right. And we want to make sure they're the high, high quality boots on the ground. Otherwise, you know, we're back to square one of just, you know, we don't want to get get our butt kicked. And then we're just saying, oh, man, what do we do here? You know, I have a Korean conflict moment where let's rearrange everything. Well, let's rearrange it now. Yes. Right. To make sure this is all good. Now we can't rest on the laurels. We can't assume that ground combat won't happen again. That's right.

[01:15:48;03 - 01:15:52;24]
 In the military, low and high performers receive

[01:15:52;24 - 01:16:28;17]