National Guard pay delayed, denied
GAO report: 94 percent of those in six units had pay problems
In one Colorado unit, soldiers had their checks docked, to pay off $48,000 each in debt they did not owe. “They were mad, and they still are,” insists Sgt. Blair Donaldson of the Colorado Air National Guard, “and justifiably so.”
Wednesday night the Pentagon said only that it’s aware of the problem, agrees with the report, and is working to fix the system.
As a computer consultant and programmer I find this beyond bizarre. This is not some little glitch in the payroll system, this is a monumental screw-up. The first rule of computer programming for businesses or governments is, every other computer program can malfunction, but the payroll program must always work perfectly. Always always always.
Because you will have furious employees if you don’t. As the Pentagon is learning.