Posted on Jun 18, 2021
For promotion to LTC and COL, is it mainly political and who you know that gets you promoted?
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Is it mainly political and who you know that gets you promoted since, it's very selective?
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 13
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1. Work on getting commissioned and learning your job.
2. Understand now that ROTC and BOLC won't teach you how to be a PL, at most it provides you the necessary tools to learn the job as you are doing the job. The Army is a learning institution, if you aren't learning every week, you're doing it wrong.
If you are doing it right, you will learn more through a handful of mentors and your own experience than every school you attend.
3. LTC is selective, COL is very selective, the separators are how well you did in commands and schools, and how accurately your record reflects that.
4. How well you do in command and schools is entirely up to you.
5. How well your record accurately reflects anything is entirely up to you.
6. it is not political or "who you know" because the DA Board members do not know you or anyone else they are boarding.
2. Understand now that ROTC and BOLC won't teach you how to be a PL, at most it provides you the necessary tools to learn the job as you are doing the job. The Army is a learning institution, if you aren't learning every week, you're doing it wrong.
If you are doing it right, you will learn more through a handful of mentors and your own experience than every school you attend.
3. LTC is selective, COL is very selective, the separators are how well you did in commands and schools, and how accurately your record reflects that.
4. How well you do in command and schools is entirely up to you.
5. How well your record accurately reflects anything is entirely up to you.
6. it is not political or "who you know" because the DA Board members do not know you or anyone else they are boarding.
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CPT (Join to see)
#5 cannot be emphasized enough.
If it’s not on your record brief, and a selection board is looking at it to decide up or down, then it didn’t happen.
If it’s not on your record brief, and a selection board is looking at it to decide up or down, then it didn’t happen.
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The promotion board isn't specifically political but getting the Top Blocks from your senior raters you need to be selected by that board are much more likely to be.
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LTC Ken Connolly
It always helps to get the top block from your CG, who rates a select few officers, other than those normally in his/her rating chain, the CG wants promoted. Of course the CG can't top block all.
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SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM
It also helps if they are General Officers in Command positions!
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MAJ Ken Landgren
SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM - I knew an Armor Brigade Commander who got all the tough jobs and excelled, but he was not picked up for BG. His brigade did quite well in Iraq and he lost a handful of soldiers, but mostly due to accidents. Then he became Chief of Staff at Ft Knox. I think he should have gotten promoted, and he did as well. I think his greatest impediment was the politics of generals picking the next BGs.
Now that I think of it. Anytime an organization has the characteristics of positive actions due to "friendship", it will never be a fair and honest system. For example a higher level manager at a corporation has to downsize the work force. There is a good possibility he is "friends" with the lower level managers and will try to shape the conditions where they are safe. Things like this happen. I never wanted to go into corporate America because I would be certain to get pissed off about the prevailing values.
Now that I think of it. Anytime an organization has the characteristics of positive actions due to "friendship", it will never be a fair and honest system. For example a higher level manager at a corporation has to downsize the work force. There is a good possibility he is "friends" with the lower level managers and will try to shape the conditions where they are safe. Things like this happen. I never wanted to go into corporate America because I would be certain to get pissed off about the prevailing values.
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CPT (Join to see) gave a good reply, and he's right about the first line.
Worry about making LT first Cadet. It's going to be a long road to get your oak leaf let alone a full bird, if you get there. Worry about developing your skills and leadership style, take tips from your high speed enlisted, NCO's and fellow officers, they'll all have experience worth absorbing.
Worry about making LT first Cadet. It's going to be a long road to get your oak leaf let alone a full bird, if you get there. Worry about developing your skills and leadership style, take tips from your high speed enlisted, NCO's and fellow officers, they'll all have experience worth absorbing.
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