|
Home | Forums | Gallery | Register | Video Directory | FAQ | Members List | Calendar | Games | Today's Posts | Search | Chat Room |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
||||
|
||||
Army, needing sergeants, is putting 19,000 E-4s on fast track to promotion
Thursday, March 3, 2005
Army, needing sergeants, is putting 19,000 E-4s on fast track to promotion By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes European edition, Wednesday, March 2, 2005 ARLINGTON, Va. ? The Army has a shortage of active-duty sergeants and a plan to fix the problem. On Thursday, 19,000 qualified corporals and specialists will automatically be placed on the promotion list for sergeant, instead of having to wait for a commander to recommend them for advancement to that rank. Army leaders decided to change the way soldiers reach the noncommissioned officer ranks because of a chronic shortage, according to according to retired Sgt. Maj. Gerald Purcell, the Army?s personnel policy integrator for enlisted professional development. The Army currently needs about 1,500 more sergeants from 31 specialties [see list]. Purcell said the reasons for the sergeant shortage include an ?insatiable appetite? for E-5s due to the ongoing active-duty end- strength increase of 30,000 soldiers. At the same time, ?the number of eligible specialists who are on a promotion list have dwindled to the point where we can?t fill all the sergeant requirements,? Purcell said Tuesday. Advancement through the pay grades E-1 (private) through E-4 (corporal or specialist) is automatic, based on time in service and time in grade. The Army also has a minimum requirement for promotion to E-5, or sergeant, and entry into the ranks of noncommissioned officers or NCOs, who have leadership roles. That minimum is 48 months in service and 12 months in grade, and an absence of negatives in their personnel record. But until now, soldiers who hoped to move to the E-5 level also required a commander?s recommendation to go before a promotions board of senior NCOs. If the board approves the recommendation, soldiers are awarded points for a variety of skills and achievements. The minimum number of points a soldier needs to qualify for promotion to E-5 is 350, while the maximum score is 800. The higher the total score, the more likely an E-4 is to get one of the sergeant slots, whose number varies each month and by Military Occupational Specialty. But commanders are recommending only 10 percent of all eligible soldiers, Purcell said. The problem, he said, is that many unit commanders believe that soldiers should meet higher standards than the Army?s minimum before they are ready to assume leadership duties. ?The notion that you have to be fully ready to be a sergeant is a bad notion,? Purcell said. ?I?ll tell you, if that were true, I?d never have been promoted.? The new policy, which begins Thursday, ?is really is a forcing mechanism to get soldiers in a promotable status to satisfy requirements, but it keeps the chain of command fully involved in that entire process,? Purcell said. From now on, soldiers will automatically be placed on the E-5 promotion list, with a score of 350 points, as long as they meet the minimum requirements. That means 19,000 active-duty soldiers who otherwise would not have been eligible for sergeant?s stripes will go on the March list, Purcell said. But that does not mean those 19,000 troops will get promoted. Unit commanders will get a copy of the new list, and will have 15 days to strike any of their soldiers they believe should not be promoted, Purcell said. Even if they stay on the list, those soldiers who made it automatically are limited to 350 points, which in most MOSs is nowhere near enough to be competitive, Purcell said. But for MOSs with severe shortages, soldiers with 350 points could be promoted. Who?s eligible: These are the first Military Occupation Specialties (MOSs) affected by the Army?s change in promotion policy. The list is subject to change on a monthly basis (see below). 13F Fire support specialist 13W Field artillery meteorological crewmember 15Y AH-64D armament/ electrical/avionic systems repairer (Aviation) 19D Cavalry scout 21C Bridge crewmember 21D Diver 21F Crane operator 21R Interior electrician 21U Topographic analyst 21W Carpentry and masonry specialist 25B Information systems operator-analyst Military Police: 31E Internment/resettlement specialist 37F Psychological operations specialist 46Q Public affairs specialist 45G Fire control repairer 63A M1 Abrams tank system maintainer 63M Bradley fighting vehicle system maintainer 74D Chemical operations specialist 88K Watercraft operator 88M Motor transport operator 88N Transportation management coordinator 89D Explosive ordnance disposal specialist 92L Petroleum laboratory specialist 92W Water treatment specialist 96B Intelligence analyst 96D Imagery analyst 96U Unmanned aerial vehicle operator 97E Human intelligence collector 98H Communications Interceptor/Locator 98K Signal collection/identification specialist The most current list, as well as a list of current promotion cut-off scores by military occupational specialty, is available here. Source: U.S. Army Human Resources Command Home | Shopping | Archives | Stripes Lite Ombudsman | | About Us | Feedback | Contact Us Careers | Stocks | Press Releases ? 2003 Stars and Stripes. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer / Web Notice Site Design by LaserNet, LLC.
__________________
Godspeed and keep low! |
Sponsored Links |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
I didn't know they still had corporals. The only one I ever saw was in basic training in 1969.
Why did they let things get like this ? Piss poor planning. Larry
__________________
|
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
How would you hide track marks? | melody1181 | General Posts | 0 | 01-20-2005 08:50 PM |
Generals, Talk to Your Sergeants | thedrifter | Marines | 0 | 03-03-2004 04:42 AM |
air force sergeants association | MissleMonkey28 | Airforce | 1 | 01-31-2004 06:37 AM |
Three sergeants major retire after 30 years | thedrifter | Marines | 0 | 08-20-2003 02:26 PM |
Did you know that Marine Sergeants: | thedrifter | Marines | 1 | 06-30-2003 09:07 PM |
|