Is RallyPoint supposed to replace the chain of command and NCO support channel?

I think there are several reasons why things are brought to RP instead of the chain of command.

In most cases it is just a convenience. In some it may be that the SM does not want to burden his superiors. Perhaps in some the SM feels his lack of knowledge would be looked upon as a deficiency.

In the cases of complaining about the chain of command I suspect some have found that is is not a good practice,

Some questions that I ask, as a lower-enlisted, have already been directed to my leadership, but never answered. Sadly, the NCO Corps has deteriorated. It is not what it used to be. You can disagree with me, if you choose, but I know more useless NCOs than genuine leaders. In the last three years, I have met 4 legitimate LEADERS that wore NCO stripes. Most others are Rank-WEARERS, and not Rank-BEARERS. Which is why about two months back, I posed the question to RallyPoint, asking for Mentorship and Guidance on how to be a better leader and future NCO. Because the "leaders" I have here, are far from it. They care more about lifting weights in the gym and getting trashed at home after work than taking the time to lead and mentor their Joes.

I see your point and partily agree. When I was a young Spc I would use the internet as a research tool. Many of the forums did not exsit. So this is a form of research. The question is did they use this as research and then go to the command. Many times I was told wroung informationand I think this is because many people get promoted to fast and have no idea what they are talking about. But they can recite the NCO Creed which i guess makes them amazing and competent NCOs.

What would be the point of RallyPoint if you were not able to ask people of different MOS's and experience, what would they do to formulate an opinion or plan/course of action? This is a discussion forum I thought?

I think you have to look at the generation of the people asking questions. For nearly all of the junior enlisted the Internet IS where you go for information. As a father of three with the youngest about to graduate from high school I can tell you it's what they are taught to do. EVERYTHING is done online now- homework, job applications, work schedules, social activity. It's not necessarily that the leadership isn't there or not doing its job, it's that for the current youngest service members (including new officers) this is the natural method of finding out what you want to know.

Before I retired, the Army was pushing a mentorship program. I personally think many of these Junior ( MSG (Join to see). They are Junior Enlisted, not "lower". They are not "lower" than you, they are junior in rank to you. If you do not get the distinction you might be part of the problem you are seeing.) Service Members are using a medium of research we, as an older generation, were not used to growing up. I would like to think that Rally Point is a good place for Junior Service Members to reach out to mentors that can help them with self development.

Gathering data from specialists in the field is research. I applaud junior enlisted for using this forum to begin their research.

While i would hope that Soldier would have someone in their chain they can talk to. The current generation is more used to Social Media and it truly is their community. Also in some cases Social Media may be the only way to bring a problem to light if it continues to be ignored or the SM is in a Unit with Toxic Leadership.
The Day You Stop Hearing SM Complain Is The Day You Need To Really Start Worrying!

It also depends on the leaderships effectiveness. Your right that soldiers should go through the proper channels when an issue comes up. With that said I've seen leadership that was actually toxic to unit moral and affectiveness. Sometimes it helps to get advice from other military personnel. Granted that advice shouldn't be intended to cause a service member harm.

Most responses I've seen are helpful and in courage soldiers to speak with their leadership.

I believe it's an issue with those personnel in "leadership" roles that are not doing their job and perhaps do not have the answers or simply don't know how to research themselves. Junior Soldiers have a right to ask questions and in today's age their form of initial research is asking through social meadia. That's why most senior leaders here respond with correct and doctrinal references and publications for those soldiers to read and start somewhere. But you are right junior soldiers need to be more involved and take some initiative and not wait for "hand me downs"

From what I've seen..I think much of it comes from lack of trust in their leadership and sometimes inability to fully understand the regulations.

The NCO support system and the chain of command is should always be the first route a soldier shouldtake and use but that system is only useful and good as it can be when the leadership and the chain want to make it open door policies are a great tool if your if the NCO's and the chain take care of its soldier's no matter situation. Rally point is a great tool it allows for all service members to learn from each other and other branches of the armed forces and helps to unify our services so we are a more cohesive military and very knowledgeable which is why we are the best in the world.

Maybe they're just being typical immature, self-absorbed millennials. They feel they can say or do anything they please. Nothing is good enough, and any reasonable standards of behavior violate their "constitutional rights." I guess if this is the only pool from which the military has to pull, I guess it's what we're stuck with.

Obviously a website can not replace leadership, but it was a good hook that made you all comment. Seriously though, I think when we get questions that should be answered by leadership it highlights all the posts about how standards have dropped and leadership sucks. If the new generation feels more comfortable turning to social media to answer questions then we have failed as leaders. Personally, I use RP as a last resort after I've done due diligence to find answers myself. As leaders we should be the first resource our men turn to.

So my questions to your question is this.

Why are lower enlisted coming on here for answers? What are they not getting from their CoC?

Why is senior leadership not addressing or knowing that there soldier has an issue? While I only lead a squad I knew if my soldiers had issues. If I could not handle an issue then it went to the Platoon SGT. If he did not handle it then I went to the 1SG. Mission First, Troops Always.

Why is a SFC asking why he is not in the support channel instead of asking how can I he better support his troops? You should know your troops better than your troops know you.

While I do not know you or your leadership, it does concern me that you think the problem lies with the soldier and not the leader.

The second paragraph of the NCO Creed should answer your question completely.

"Competence is my watchword. My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind - accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my Soldiers. I will strive to remain technically and tactically proficient. I am aware of my role as a Noncommissioned Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in that role. All Soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my Soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own. I will communicate consistently with my Soldiers and never leave them uninformed. I will be
fair and impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment"

Mentorship and leadership come in many different forms. Social media is just one of those forms in today's military. However, there are times when we need to point Soldiers to their chain of command or NCO support channel. But that is part of mentorship.

Another case in point is the recent question regarding the measurement of the 2 mile run in the APFT. I provided my usual Trademarked smart ass comments/observations. Many people quoted FM 21-20 Which by the way is a Manual NOT a Reg.

Any way, there is absolutely NO regulatory guidance on specifically how the route is to be measured or marked on streets/roads. Some people measure the shortest distance around corners while others measure following the middle of the road. Sure, it may not make a big difference in the overall scheme of things but when someone fails (or passes) by a matter of seconds, those extra few feet make a difference.

Until definitive Regulatory guidance is provided, we will see this question again and again. Since that guidance can NEVER cover every aspect of every situation, NCO's need to do the best they can given the situation. This is a Forum for much needed assistance in overcoming these types of situations.

I think there are a couple of reasons for this. 1. They may not trust their NCO support channel and COC. I know by the time I got out, I didn't trust any of them at all. Tends to happen when you get thrown under the bus one too many times. 2. They may not want to look dumb. Asking questions in here is more or less a safe place to ask. 3. This is the social media generation and they are more comfortable with platforms like this. I think it's great they ask and complain here. Everyone needs something outside of the workplace to ask questions and gripe.

I think people ask questions on this site because it allows them some anonymity. They do not want to ask their chain of command for fear of being labeled as stupid or a boot. Just my two cents. You could argue that is a failure of leadership on the part of NCO's being approachable, or maybe the NCO's don't know the answers to some common questions, and the junior has lost faith. It is hard to say for sure.

I don't think our juniors are lazy but I try to instill in my subordinates what my seniors instilled in me (as well as my parents) and that is to give just enough info to aid the learning process. My detachment sergeant is one of the finest NCOs to serve in the Army and he rarely gives away the answers to questions. Rather, he guides us to the regulation(s) that will help answer. He then asks that we come back to him when we found the answer. This puts the responsibility on the junior to learn and gives them a sense of pride when they find something out on their own. This is how we should lead, in my honest opinion.

All that being said, there are still leaders who don't know the answer or don't know how to tactfully provide the guidance that their juniors need. This can be perceived as the poor leadership that we often hear of in these forums. While poor leadership does exist, we need to continue to be available to our troops and also be willing to admit to not knowing the answer. We can all learn from each other and we need to show that to our next batch of leaders.