OSBs and ESERBs

There's been a "secret" Army email going around for the past couple days. Some 2,000 or so "quality officers" -- majors from year groups 1999 to 2003 and captains from 2006 to 2008 -- will be "transitioned" (fired/laid off) in 2014.

Officer Separation Boards and Enhanced Selective Early Retirement Boards will begin in March, with specific reduction targets "determined based on year group inventory and Army requirements."

The official line is that "we have a very high quality officer corps and unfortunately as we draw down we will have to transition some very high quality officers." However, my guess is that the "very high quality officers" will not have to transition at all.

With those year groups having promoted about 99% of candidates to their most recent ranks, I'm quite sure there's a good enough number of garbage officers floating around that the very high quality ones can stay.