Big Pay Luring Military’s Elite to Private Jobs

Fears that US military Special Operations members will depart in droves for higher paying civilian security jobs have come to light. While the departures are minimal at this stage, the possibility that their pace will accelerate has caused Gen. Bryan D. Brown, head of Special Operations Command, to meet with senior Special Op's members to discuss ways to stem the exodus. To train a Green Beret often takes 18 months; it includes foreign language training, and is open for enrollment only after one has been in the military for a number years. As such, Special Op's members have a highly attractive skill set for private security companies that guard politicians and train foreign police. These companies traditionally offer twice to four times as much in pay as a soldier would receive in the military. The fear that more Special Operatives will leave comes at a time when Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld wants the Special Operations Command to plan and execute its own missions, bearing a further burden in the war against terror, and requiring an increase in numbers. While one official claims that soldiers are not leaving out of disloyalty, it is recognized that though the military can never compete in terms of pay, job satisfaction sustains interest. But with the possibility of more and more Special Op's being put in harm's way – the result of Rumsfeld's strategy – one wonders how long job satisfaction will continue to outweigh high pay. – YaleGlobal