Since the military is turning into a more education based Army what are we as leaders doing to ensure that our soldiers are relevant

Education (both military and civilian) are important components to professional development. I used to recognize (not necessarily reward) efforts to gain education in either capacity (military or civilian). However, not at the cost of doing one's primary job. We should encourage troops to further their education but not punish them if they are unable to for various reasons (deployment, children, responsibilities outside of the military, etc.).

I think someone mentioned this before, since the draw down and down-sizing of the Army, the Army regularly goes into more "education", "professionalism" build-up while there is "down time" to actually focus on these things. If we get into another major conflict, like say with Iran or back to Iraq and this sequester ends and the Army can hire more soldiers, then we will see a ramp-up of promotions as they build up Brigades and Divisions to fight those battles.

So, its kind of circular thing, but more education and professional development is never a bad thing, I can think of a new E6, E7 and E8s who were probably rushed through and did no serious professional development but are now in leadership positions. How can they be effective leaders if they are essentially just filling a slot? That is why those NCO requirements have changed and we are seeing a push for more education and training.

The first thing I do is make sure that the Soldiers know their benefits. Last Christmas party I briefed on different benefits and how to learn more (phone numbers, websites, etc). This was good for the families as well as the Soldiers as they may be entitled to some as well, or in other cases may need to utilize the resources to help their Soldier, and in causes of death what benefits they will receive. If a Soldier does not know what they qualify for or do not qualify for and why they cannot make a fully informed decision of if they should go to school or not, where, and what focus. I know I was glad to learn about tuition assistance at my first drill after getting commissioned. It helped me learn how to utilize it to help pay for my masters and then I learned about the Post 9/11 GI Bill that I am utilizing now in my PhD program. Knowledge is the first step.