How do you feel about the changes?

Starting Jan. 1, soldiers must meet new education requirements to get promoted to sergeant and staff sergeant.

These troops will also have to contend with a revised promotion point chart — one that favors soldiers with more education and better PT, marksmanship and foreign language skills.

Under the revised chart “combat experience” will no longer earn you extra points.

The changes are the first phase in a three-phase strategy to expand STEP among the NCO ranks. STEP stands for “select, train, educate and promote.”

Later in 2016, education requirements will also become mandatory to make sergeant first class. STEP extends to master sergeant promotions in 2017.

“This is not just a specialist to sergeant requirement,” said Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey. “Every NCO will have to follow STEP, so that’s a major change.”

Check out this article from Army Times:

Changes for NCOs: New requirements and promotion points

http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/careers/army/enlisted/2015/08/17/changes-ncos-new-requirements-and-promotion-points/31410931/