Defense Department Establishes Civilian Expeditionary Workforce

[SergeyDovlatov]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52840

Anyone heard about this one? Opinions?

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 – The Defense Department is forming a civilian expeditionary workforce that will be trained and equipped to deploy overseas in support of military missions worldwide, according to department officials.

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The directive emphasizes, however, that volunteers be sought first for any expeditionary requirements, before requiring anyone to serve involuntarily or on short notice. Overseas duty tours shall not exceed two years.

[bushmeister0]

1. This workforce is to be drawn from the DOD's civilian staff, right?

Does this mean Halliburton is out in the cold?

I like this part:

"All participants will undergo pre- and post-deployment medical testing, including physical and psychological exams."

Seems to me this is required by a law passed after the first Gulf war. Rummy ignored it, therefore there's no baseline to tell whether troops showing signs of PTSD were unstable before they left or became that way after deployment. Very convenient.

Another interesting thing about this:

"Participants who meet program requirements would be eligible to receive the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism."