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I have an idea from reading literature, AARs and from talking to Senior NCO.
My main concern is that in my MOS there are specialized positions within the SOF community that do not get the exposure that regular positions do.
Is the CSM sitting on the board truly an SME on those positions and do they take into account that these positions do not allow you to do the traditional schooling that seems to be what is getting senior NCOs promoted. Airborne, Ranger, HALO,SERE are all fine and dandy, but it seems other schools look "better".
I am far from being looked at for SFC, but it intrigues me when I see NCOs within my MOS who are average NCOs, but they are in units that allow them to get exposure for common tasks and schools. While I have worked with well above average NCOs in the SOF community who have been stuck at SSG and SFC for years because they Always Place The Mission First and receive no exposure due to the nature of our deployments/skill set.
I do not mean to discount any Army programs, I just believe that being SHARP,ASAP, UMO, UPL and so forth your whole career in a traditional unit does not make you a leader OVER OTHERS who do not have the opportunity, slot or time to attend these schools. Even if you were to go to SHARP or other schools and get the ASI you would almost never use it in garrison, since we deploy so much separate (2 man teams attached to an ODA) from the rest of the Group (rear D would be where most your SHARPs are) and downrange you are so busy you would never use it then unless you just lied and said your 10 minute class was longer or even happened at all.
My job specifically...
First, My unit is open to males only, due to all slots being V coded(Airborne Ranger) and the job is DIRECT support of ODAs, also closed to females. This means that in a mixed gender MOS being a non mixed gender unit further limits the already small number of qualified SFC and MSG who can hold a position in my DET.
I am an Assistant Team Leader, a SSG slot which is great for a SGT, but I am only in charge of 2 E5s since I am on a four man team. This does not decrease the importance of the position even though on paper a SGT in a traditional unit who holds a SSG position would be in charge of a squad of 10 or more soldiers and NCOs. If I train my whole DET (16 NCOS a MSG and a CPT)it is annotated on my NCOER as training 15 NCOs, If an E5 in a line company trains his whole platoon or company it is annotated as 35-200 soldiers. If the CSM on the board can not correctly convey this due to lack of knowledge of SOF units within his/her MOS how are we expected to get the recognition deserving of such a position.
Most support MOSs in SOF are still in charge of the same amount of personnel they would be in a regular Army unit or they are in staff positions equivalent to regular army slots, so it is a moot point for those MOSs. Very few, including my own, are QRF/small scale units and only have the time and opportunity to train 10-15 other NCOs within their respective detachments.
It concerns me that we are not Centrally promoting NCOs within those units instead we expect NCOs to integrate into these jobs to fill Senior slots with no prior experience(or official qualifications) and now you have SGT and SSG who have been in the unit for 5 years teaching a SFC or MSG the basics of the job instead of promoting these same SSG and SFC into the position since they are obviously more qualified at the time. ( I understand that slots in specific units is not how the SFC, MSG boards work, but should SOF be different?)
I would love to hear from a few CSM who have sat on boards.
Do you feel that the CSM you worked with accurately conveyed the importance/difference of SOF soldiers within their MOS?
Where they even aware of what these NCOs actually do and how they are MTOEd and deploy?
Do you think SOF NCOs in certain small unit jobs should be reviewed separately on boards according to positions that need to be filled within those units (making sure to have a CSM with prior experience in this job)?
Or should we continue to bring in NCOs who have never worked in this type unit and start over from scratch ever few years (keeping in mind you are deploying twice a year and have little time to learn your new job)??
***I am not saying that any NCO in my DET fits this bill at this time, It is just a problem that looms and has reared its head in the past***
In the end the mission is always first, even if that means being an 20 yr SFC. Career progression often takes a back seat to mission readiness, but its still nice to dream that one day I earn the rank of MSG or SGM.
Promotion Board
Deployment
Special Operations
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 5
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SGT Blackburn,
I am very familiar with this scenario. There are many programs/assignments out there that place NCO's in promotion predicaments. Many of the programs/assignments are application based and/or voluntary in nature. Most inform the Soldier upfront that they may not be afforded the same schools and/or leadership positions as their peers and it may affect their promotion potential.
Having said this there are some things you can do to give yourself the best potential for promotion.
1. Understand the way Centralized Promo boards work. It seems like you are trying to do this already. Understand how long a board member has to review a packet and how they do so. Board members often have 60-120 seconds to review a packet. There are "minders" at the board who approach board members if they are starting to "slow down".
**** Understand who sits on your board. This is VERY important. Many of the boards utilize CSM's/Officers from varying CMF's. IE. The MI board often has signal or MP's on their board. This means many of the board members will not be familiar with the terminology used in the MI Corps. (leading to my next point)
2. Ensure ratings are completed in a manner that is clear to anyone. This means converting MOS speak and language to big army language. If the reader of the rating has to question what is being said on a rating you are giving them a reason not to promote you. Due to the amount of time per packet and the sheer volume of Soldiers being reviewed at a board members are not looking for reasons to promote a person they are looking for reasons NOT to promote them. Do not give them that reason. Ensuring a rating is understandable to anyone is crucial.
3. Understand the difference between Senior NCO's and Junior NCO's. You can bet the board members understand this difference. If you do not you are hurting yourself. What I mean by this is that SGT/SSG are expected to impact those around them (basically the Company Level). If you are looking for promotion to Senior NCO (particularly MSG and SGM) the impact needs to be higher (BN, BDE, and higher levels). The implied task for this is showing the impact and the results of one’s actions and how they affect the pertinent level. I know many good NCO's who fail to make this connection and as importantly fail to ensure their raters make this connection and hurt their chance for promotion. This is often a verbiage issue. (IE. Team/Detachment NCOIC as opposed to Detachment Sergeant. The change in wording is small and means the same thing to the writer. The implication to the reader is huge as the second verbiage is a Platoon SGT/1SG equivalent).
4. Take a look at the career development path for your MOS. It will spell out the positions and schools the Army thinks you should have for each level. Try to get the schools at the next two higher levels. Try to get the positions of the next higher level. This will start a domino effect and prepare you for promotion throughout your career.
This is a huge topic and I cannot list all of the nuances. If you need more help message me or look me up on the global and I can help you more.
SFC L
I am very familiar with this scenario. There are many programs/assignments out there that place NCO's in promotion predicaments. Many of the programs/assignments are application based and/or voluntary in nature. Most inform the Soldier upfront that they may not be afforded the same schools and/or leadership positions as their peers and it may affect their promotion potential.
Having said this there are some things you can do to give yourself the best potential for promotion.
1. Understand the way Centralized Promo boards work. It seems like you are trying to do this already. Understand how long a board member has to review a packet and how they do so. Board members often have 60-120 seconds to review a packet. There are "minders" at the board who approach board members if they are starting to "slow down".
**** Understand who sits on your board. This is VERY important. Many of the boards utilize CSM's/Officers from varying CMF's. IE. The MI board often has signal or MP's on their board. This means many of the board members will not be familiar with the terminology used in the MI Corps. (leading to my next point)
2. Ensure ratings are completed in a manner that is clear to anyone. This means converting MOS speak and language to big army language. If the reader of the rating has to question what is being said on a rating you are giving them a reason not to promote you. Due to the amount of time per packet and the sheer volume of Soldiers being reviewed at a board members are not looking for reasons to promote a person they are looking for reasons NOT to promote them. Do not give them that reason. Ensuring a rating is understandable to anyone is crucial.
3. Understand the difference between Senior NCO's and Junior NCO's. You can bet the board members understand this difference. If you do not you are hurting yourself. What I mean by this is that SGT/SSG are expected to impact those around them (basically the Company Level). If you are looking for promotion to Senior NCO (particularly MSG and SGM) the impact needs to be higher (BN, BDE, and higher levels). The implied task for this is showing the impact and the results of one’s actions and how they affect the pertinent level. I know many good NCO's who fail to make this connection and as importantly fail to ensure their raters make this connection and hurt their chance for promotion. This is often a verbiage issue. (IE. Team/Detachment NCOIC as opposed to Detachment Sergeant. The change in wording is small and means the same thing to the writer. The implication to the reader is huge as the second verbiage is a Platoon SGT/1SG equivalent).
4. Take a look at the career development path for your MOS. It will spell out the positions and schools the Army thinks you should have for each level. Try to get the schools at the next two higher levels. Try to get the positions of the next higher level. This will start a domino effect and prepare you for promotion throughout your career.
This is a huge topic and I cannot list all of the nuances. If you need more help message me or look me up on the global and I can help you more.
SFC L
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