It will take something more than just money ... today's Officer Corps and enlisted ranks ranks are MUCH BETTER PAID ... proportionately .... than when I got off active duty in the late '70's. Very few Officers and no enlisted folks drove the 70's equivalent of an Escalade back-in-the-day -- unless they were independently wealthy.
UNCLE will have to come up with some creative alternatives to the long sea deployments (although I was gone @ 1/2 of every month, every year with the airlines ...
), the long hours (although a typical Trans-Pac day would average 16-18 hours "on your feet"/on duty ... ), and the egregious ass-kissing "politicians" in uniform who populate the ranks at every step of the way (although the same breed is present, front and center in the airlines if you chose to "work in the office" ... it's where "careers" (?) are made in some airline pilots eyes) ....Heck ... based on the above, maybe I should have stayed in (?) .... and I would have if we'd had Starbuck's and McDonald's at the NEX.
But: if you want Aviators to "stay in" ... in peacetime .... you need to cut the bureaucratic crap and quit trying to make them a "complete individual" or a "well-rounded" officer. Many don't care about "advanced educations" and "joint operations" and the Pentagon.
Aviators want to "aviate" ... so let 'em ... for at least 20 years. Make it a guaranteed O-4 if you keep your nose clean --- you'd have more guys staying "in" than UNCLE would ever need ... unless the Chicoms come over the horizon ....
