Here's a loopy procurement that Defense Secretary Robert Gates should cancel immediately if he's serious about saving money: The General Officer Transition Course hatched last week by the Army Contracting Center of Excellence.
ACE wants to spend some taxpayer bucks to teach the about-to-retire generals such hard to learn stuff as proper civilian senior executive attire.
I'll make that easy (at no charge to ACE and the retiring generals): Take thyself to Brooks Brothers and ask a sale person to outfit you with a suit, matching shirt and tie, (or a fine dress and blouse for the women generals) and you will only need a small second mortgage to buy four complete rigs. Brooks even does underwear, which I find much more comfortable than military skivvies.
ACE also wants a contractor to teach generals how to write resumes, search for a job (including, I kid you not, how to look at job ads) and how to conduct a job interview. (My advice: Leave the Hooahs at home.)
How come there's no PFC Transition Course?
Bob Brewin
Bob Brewin joined Government Executive in April 2007, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience as a journalist focusing on defense issues and technology. Bob covers the world of defense and information technology for Nextgov, and is the author of the “What’s Brewin” blog.
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