Navy to Slash More Medical Billets

The Navy plans to eliminate more than 3,000 corpsman slots and some 600 billets for physicians, dentists, nurses and other medical officers by 2012. This move follows a cut of 1,400 corpsman and 700 medical officer slots already underway to remove Navy medical providers from positions in naval hospitals used to treat dependents and retirees. The combined cuts will amount to a reduction of some 20 percent of corpsman billets and a dramatic loss of medical officer positions. The Navy plans to fill most of the eliminated uniformed slots with civil service employees and contractors. However, with a planned drawdown of Navy strength from 347,000 to 340,700 by the end of 2007, some billets may remain unfilled due to lack of need, say officials. Personnel planners expect the new drawdown to take place through attrition and transfers to operational medical billets.