Dead Drop: August 2

THE SICK (SPY) MAN OF EUROPE:  Here is an odd one.  The Times newspaper from the UK reports that the German intelligence service, BND, is having a hard time fulfilling its mission because of a whole lot of empty seats. It’s apparently not just jobs that BND has been unable to hire people for (the BND like other government agencies around the world can have recruiting challenges) but in their case, BND officers miss work (claiming sickness) at more than twice the German national average. The Times cites the German paper Bild as their source. Low pay may be an explanation for why people are not signing up in the first place – but calling in sick?  Maybe they are moonlighting as Uber drivers.  According to the report, more than 1,000 of the 7,200 BND personnel took “over 30 days off due to illness last year.”

SICK REENLISTMENT BONUSES:  One outfit that reportedly is not having personnel shortfalls is the U.S. Space Force. The fledgling military service is still pretty small in size and, as far as we know, Guardians are not flooding their bosses in boxes with notes from their doctors.  One explanation of what Space Force personnel may be over the moon about is the size of reenlistment bonuses being offered. According to Military.com, Space Force Guardians in seven career fields are eligible for selective retention bonuses “potentially up to $180,000 with a career cap of $360,000 in total.”  Sign us up!

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