PART⚡TIME HITTER Newsletter

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Paying to Serve: The True Costs of Part-Time Service

There are plenty of obvious costs to serving part-time in the US military whether you’re in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard, such as:

· Time away from family and the missing of key milestone events

· Time away from one’s job resulting in career setbacks (sometimes outright overt employment discrimination)

· Risk to life, limb, and eyesight

Then there are the hidden costs of service. For the life of our team, we can’t figure out why nobody has addressed this issue before Friendly Forces.

1)  Loss of SUBSTANTIAL income when serving on orders.

Imagine being called up for a long training or deployment (stressful enough already for you and your family) and then realizing you are going to take home thousands of dollars less per month.

Meanwhile, your costs—mortgage, bills, etc. have not been waived just because you’re on military status. You are now effectively paying to serve your country because of the money you have agreed to give up for the military.

Friendly Forces was founded to shine a light on this exact issue. It’s a critical military readiness issue, particularly if we want highly skilled, experienced people in our military formations (we do).

This is why companies providing a generous military leave benefit to reservist employees is critically important, not just to the employee and their family, but to the security of our nation.

We’ve highlighted before that roughly 40% of the US military is comprised of Guard and Reserve service members. That’s a fuck ton.

Active Duty formations are already spread thin. If that 40% of our military comprised of the National Guard and Reserve diminishes because serving part-time is professionally, financially, and emotionally unsustainable, that becomes every American’s problem very quickly.

2)  Increased household costs

We almost didn’t include loss of income as a hidden cost of reserve service because, to serving reservists, it’s obvious. However, we’ve learned that most of the public and corporate America don’t understand this. We can’t fault them, they haven’t lived it—but that’s why Friendly Forces is so necessary.

Increased household costs because of the loss of a caretaker or breadwinner are a very real, unseen cost.

I recently attended a monthlong Army school that was required of me. Because we have two dogs and I get home before my wife, I am the de facto afternoon dog walker. Well, during my time away, neither of us was available to walk the dogs in the afternoon.

We had to hire a dog walker twice a day most days at $20 a pop for a month. If we had kids, this would also have necessitated the hiring of a babysitter. If my wife had to go out of town, we would need to board the dogs, etc.

Now, not only am I potentially losing a large chunk of my salary if my company does not provide paid military leave, I am also experiencing vastly increased household costs for being gone. There are a million little costs that add up when a primary caretaker leaves that we don’t think about.

We need large American companies and Congress to understand this.

Otherwise, they can go train for and fight the next war and we’ll stay home and post on LinkedIn thanking them for their service (or commenting “tHAt’s wAt you sIgnEd Up fOR!!”)

What We’re Running

Every week we will discuss a piece of kit, equipment, or “bling” that you can consider incorporating into your loadout. We select products we actually use and that provide real utility, or they’re just fuckin’ cool.

K9 Static Line Dog Leash

One of the coolest and most original products we’ve seen in a while. This company, K9StaticLine, makes high-quality dog leashes out of genuine Airborne static lines. And no they aren’t tactically acquired from the harness shed. They’re legit.

K9StaticLine is veteran owned small business founded by three Jumpmasters “whose genuine desire is to enable Paratroopers to proudly showcase their Airborne heritage while enjoying quality time with their most loyal companions—their dogs.”

Airborne swag and doggo accessories? What more could you want?

These things will make awesome gifts this holiday season for the current, former, or future paratrooper in your life (or cop one for yourself like I did).

We even have a coupon code for your ass. Use code FrattyGuard for 20% off here: K9StaticLine 

These are legitimately fucking cool. Buy one and support some veterans doing awesome things.

Give them a follow on Instagram at @k9staticline too.

PART ⚡TIME News

You know you want it… hand-curated news you need to be tracking to not look like a total CHUD.

• Happy 387th birthday, Army National Guard. December 13, 1636, marks the date the first militia regiments in North America were organized in Massachusetts (shoutout to our boys in the 181 IN). Because of you, we can brag about being the oldest and best component in the military while now enjoying Dunkin’ coffees on drill weekends spending time away from our high six-figure jobs.

• Pennsylvania State Senator Tacy Pennycuick proposed a bill to incentivize employers to hire Pennsylvania National Guard members. The bill introduced a $1,000 tax credit to employers who hire them. Senator Pennycuick’s move echoes much of what we promulgate, which is to shed late on the diverse backgrounds guardsmen and reservists bring to the table while rewarding employers who hire them. We hope to see this bill pass and for many other states to follow suit.

• US military bases in Iraq and Syria continue to be attacked, bringing the total to at least 90 since October 17th. From one-way drones to multi-rocket attacks, Iran-backed militant groups have claimed responsibility for most. We will continue to provide updates on this front weekly.

Intel Drop: Eye on China

People should know what’s going on with China, especially those in the military. In this section, we continue our collaboration with Vermillion China in which we examine the Chinese Communist Party.

Be sure to check out Vermillion’s website and Instagram page so you can stay updated on these incredibly important and relevant stories.

What is China’s Angle in Oman?

Within five years, expect China to act like the United States in the Middle East. 

The interests of the Chinese Communist Party have gone beyond energy security and are increasingly focused on expanding military presence and shaping regional security. Just this morning (7 Nov 2023) President Biden was briefed on China’s efforts to construct a military facility in Oman, something that would complement the existing PRC base in Djibouti and give the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) a greater presence in the Indian Ocean. 

These rumored developments make sense within the long history of Omani-PRC ties. In 1983, Oman became the first Arab nation to sell oil directly to China. Oddly enough, it was easier at times for the PRC to import Omani oil than to connect northern Chinese oil drillers (e.g. Daqing field in Heilongjiang) to Chinese oil refiners in the upper reaches of the Yangtze in cities such as Anqing and Wuhan.

Oman also had the temerity to support the expansion of the PRC’s oil industry throughout the Tarim Basin (Xinjiang). Oman has been at the leading edge of a wave which led to half of all Chinese oil imports coming from the Middle East as of 2023. 

This oil drenched brotherhood has an underlying geological basis. Oman only drills a very specific type of oil, unsurprisingly known as the Oman blend: a medium (API gravity of 32) sour (high sulfur– 1.33%) crude oil.

· Light crude oil has an API gravity higher than 31.1° API

· Medium oil has an API gravity between 22.3 and 31.1° 

· Heavy crude oil has an API gravity below 22.3°

· Extra heavy oil has an API gravity below 10.0° 

For production of gas and diesel, lighter crude (higher API) is generally cheaper to refine. Sweeter crude (less sulfur) is also cheaper, but Oman’s crude is relatively sour. A large portion (but not all) of the PRC’s oil industry operates on machinery designed to refine heavier, more sour crude. The Oman blend is a highly suitable match for the PRC’s existing oil refinery technology and industrial plant. Billions would be required to upgrade this portion of the Chinese industrial base.

The Quiet PRC Oil Revolution 

Ultimately, Oman can still only be a bit player in Beijing’s overarching strategy. It is highly likely that Beijing is quietly pursuing a plan to greatly increase oil production by the end of the 14th 5 year plan in 2025. 

By the end of the 15th 5 year plan in 2030, the PRC may secretly aim to become “energy independent” by massively expanding domestic oil drilling. 

This would have significant effects upon Washington’s comfort level in the US-PRC relationship and the US Navy’s confidence in the effectiveness of choking the PRC off from maritime trade in the event of war.

Life Pro Tips and Business Tradecraft

Free chicken for those looking for that extra edge in life and business.

Army Memo Writer

Ever had to write an official Army memo? It’s possibly the worst thing ever. What the fuck is our unit’s office symbol? How do I format this piece of shit? Why didn’t I learn to write above a 4th grade level?

This link will build out the memo for you. Absolutely clutch. I don’t know who made it, but god bless that troop. It is CAC enabled though.

American Corporate Partners

American Corporate Partners is an amazing resource for any service member or veteran looking for a job or just to network. It allows you to pick the specific industry and sometimes specific job and company you are targeting and then links you up with a mentor in that space. You can even request a mentor from a certain branch or component, or a man or a woman, etc.

The real value is that these mentors are legitimate executives at some of the biggest companies in the world, and you get to have one on one virtual or in-person (if close by) sessions with them monthly for a year. It can be a great way into a company you want to work at if you impress them.

It’s insane. I have used this program twice (normally you can only use it once), and I can’t recommend it enough. These are busy people though, so don’t waste their time. Have a plan and use it deliberately.

Chadette of the Week

Every week when we remember we like to highlight a P⚡T hitter that exudes the highest values of the National Guard and Reserve bois. We forget what those are at the moment, so here is a cool pic submission. Bonus points because she has an <NG> patch.

THE FRATTY GUARD CHRISTMAS SALE EXTRAVAGANZA

Pick up some merch! Almost everything has been discounted between 40 and 50%.

Plenty of awesome flags left, which have been a fan favorite. Cop one right fucking now.