Originally Posted by retmil46

As far as the forced retirement part, especially when it comes to particular state/federal government jobs, forced retirement is often the only way to get rid of the deadwood and deadbeats, so you can get some fresh blood into the mix, and give them a decent chance for advancement in their field.

Even the Navy had to go this route in the early 90's - you had to show enough initiative on your part to advance to a particular pay grade after X number of years, or you weren't allowed to reenlist, much less stay in 20 or 30 years for a retirement check. If you didn't make the paygrade/time in service "gates", you walked.

Prior to that, it wasn't uncommon in some fields to see E-3's (essentially a buck private) with 10, 15, or more years of service. They were content to essentially get free room and board, go out and blow their miniscule paycheck on whatever type of fun floated their boat, and have little or no responsibilities to contend with due to their low rank.

And then you had those in higher ranks who stayed in for so long they literally dropped dead from age/health issues while still on active duty - filling up space in the hierarchy and limiting the advancement opportunities of younger capable personnel.