The call of private enterprise

In the last decades of the last century, it was common for many of the best Air Force pilots to move to the private sector with the enormous development of airline companies around the world. What was once an anecdote has now spread to the other two armies and even to the National Police, the Guardia Civil and members of the National Intelligence Centre.

In total, in recent years, up to 35 officers from the three armies who are working as middle managers, due to the delay in promotions, have moved to the private sector, and to these we must add another half dozen who have been recruited by international organisations. This is also the case in other neighbouring countries, such as France, where, every year, more than 15,000 soldiers move from the armed forces to the business sector in all kinds of sectors: armaments, engineering, logistics and transport. 

If there is one company that stands out when it comes to securing the services of some of the best members of the Spanish Armed Forces, it is Amazon. The logistics multinational, following the example of other US companies that already implemented it decades ago with great success (such as Lockheed Martin), has implemented an ambitious programme to recruit military talent in our country. 

According to Jeff Bezos himself, his company has been the first to develop the 'Military Hiring' programme, focused on hiring military personnel, since 2017: "We actively seek leaders who can invent, think big, have a bias for action and deliver results on behalf of our customers. 

These principles are very familiar to the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces, and we find their experience in leading people invaluable in our fast-paced work environment.

The potential of this logistics giant's project is due to a number of strengths, among others, which lead some of the leading officers of our Armed Forces to interrupt their military career: 

- Greater family stability (in principle there are no transfers).

- The possibility of projection at the time of transition from operational to bureaucratic postings and with only two promotions foreseen in the next 20 years.

- The enormous increase in salary to be received (with the subsequent promotions).

- The challenge of new goals and the development of new tasks.

- Avoiding uncertainty in the face of changes in criteria for: assignment of command, foreign assignments, promotion, career profiles, etc.

To these ideas it is necessary to include the profound sociological change that has taken place in the new generations of officers: they are people with greater prior academic training, greater job competitiveness and the need to meet other personal and professional expectations different from their predecessors, so that in the long term this trend is expected to continue and increase.  

This problem of talent retention is not only found in the officer ranks, but also in the NCO and troop ranks. It is in the latter where, probably due to the vertical element of rank, the exceptional human and technical qualities of our soldiers may go unnoticed.

According to Air Force Corporal Silvia Sierra Jarra, some of these characteristics to bear in mind are the following: they are highly qualified personnel who are regularly qualified for their work, as they undergo physical tests, anti-drug tests and receive continuous training to deal with any type of emergency.

For Corporal Sierra, the value of troop personnel over 45 years of age is not taken into account, as there are no adequate employment plans (Sapromil and Rumbo Empleo are not useful) and the specialisations offered by Defence to Troops and Seamen are not approved by the Ministry of Education, but those of NCOs and Officers are. And, in their opinion, the existing human resources are not effectively managed towards other compatible bodies and posts in the Administration: Adif, fire brigade, Post Office, Guardia Civil, prisons, Renfe...

In the General State Budget for 2022, the Senate defeated up to three amendments to raise military salaries by 160 euros per month, promoted by three parliamentary groups (Ciudadanos, Compromís and the PP). The proposals were equally aimed at all members of the military, regardless of their category and employment.

Three of the main professional associations of the Armed Forces (Aspasfro, ATME and AUME) requested by letter to all the parliamentary groups in the Spanish Parliament that, in the General State Budget for 2022, various improvements in remuneration be introduced, including an increase of 160 euros per month in the specific allowance paid to all military personnel, the same for all ranks and jobs.

In the process of retaining talent in the armed forces, a central element to be taken into account is the improvement of working conditions, not only financially but also in terms of personal development, the culture of the organisation and the career plan (both vertical and horizontal). For all these reasons, it is also necessary to avoid

A) The departure of senior members of any of the 3 armies of our armed forces to the private sector, especially in cases of dissatisfaction or lack of an attractive and satisfactory career plan.
B) Revolving doors; as has happened in some cases, especially in senior positions in the ranks (and those responsible for large contracts end up in the awarding company). It is essential to comply with the regulations and provide the Conflict of Interest Office of the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration with the means to do so.
C) The loss of enthusiasm for military life; this new phenomenon could mean that one of the most committed professions is no longer attractive in terms of prestige or way of life.  

In the last year, the men and women who make up the Armed Forces have demonstrated their human and professional qualities in numerous adversities suffered by our country: the evacuation of Afghanistan, the Filomena snowfall, the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma, etc., which has consolidated their role as an essential resource for the State and citizens in the worst of times. 

For all these reasons, as a society, we cannot allow some of its most outstanding members (such as María Jesús Peláez, who holds the milestone of being the first woman to fly an A-400M transport aircraft, or Alfonso Álvarez Planelles, colonel of the Spanish Army and head of the rescue operation in Afghanistan), to abandon their service to society because they do not have adequate professional conditions in the Armed Forces of one of the main countries in the West.

José Ramón Corrochano Ponte
Collaborator in the area of National Defence Sec2crime

Bibliography

1. Galán, C. 17-05-21. “Amazon contrata a 50 militares en España con salarios de hasta 200.000 euros netos al año”. Business Insider. Extraído de: https://www.businessinsider.es/amazon-contrata-50-militares-salarios-200000-euros-ano-866775 

2. Ruiz, A. 07-12-21. “Oficiales de la Armada explican por qué se marchan a Amazon: mejor sueldo y mayor estabilidad familiar”. El Confidencial. Extraído de:  https://www.elconfidencialdigital.com/articulo/defensa/oficiales-armada-explican-que-marchan-amazon-mejor-sueldo-mayor-estabilidad-familiar/20211203131155316252.html&utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_button 

3. A.R. 29-12-2021. “El Senado tumbó hasta tres enmiendas para subir el sueldo de los militares en 160 euros al mes”. El Confidencial Digital. Extraído de: https://www.elconfidencialdigital.com/articulo/defensa/senado-tumbo-enmiendas-subir-sueldo-militares-160-euros-mes/20211228193501326847.html 

4. Arias, J. 28-12-2021. “De Filomena a Afganistán o La Palma: las Fuerzas Armadas se consolidan como un recurso esencial del Estado”. Extraído de: https://www.libertaddigital.com/espana/2021-12-28/de-filomena-a-afganistan-o-la-palma-las-fuerzas-armadas-se-consolidan-como-un-recurso-esencial-del-estado-6850739/