"Time in grade" or "best soldier for the job"?

1SG If the most competent soldier is also the soldier with the least amount of time in grade, how does that "appointment" affect the rating chain?

It would make an invalid rating scheme in the organization because the PSG would be unable to rate the other SSGs. The Platoon Leader would then have to rate the squad leaders, making the Company Commander the SR Rater and the Battalion Commander the reviewer.

Sir,

I am sure anyone can be a reviewer not necessarily the BN CDR. But I do see what your saying.

V/r

1SG Haro

Uhm, this is kinda of pointless, for this is one of the reasons why when you work your way up, you are likely to move companies to, so as to avoid issues like this. Yet, in the few cases, where the new PSG, was in the came company, and some of the SSG he jumped were in his/her Platoon, then yes it would make the workload for everyone above the Platoon Sergeant increase, just the more reason to move them to another unit quickly.

It is so.

SSG Burns,

NOT in FSC, 84th EN BN.

V/r
1SG Haro

Yes it is to a point. There have always been exception to this rule, at the very local level, and the Commanders who upheld them were always trusted in their decisions. Take Captain Winters when he was Acting XO and then Acting CO of the 2nd Bn of the 506th. There were plenty of Majors and Lt. Colonels milling about the in the 101st Airborne Division who would of love the job to lead an Infantry Battalion. It even documented that there were some Majors in the Regiment who could have asked for the either position if they had wanted it. None of these Officers in the Regiment would ask, because they knew Colonel Sink placed Captain Winters in those positions, and at Divisional HQ, they knew the same thing, and in many cases these men were more valuable where they already were at in the Division. Once Winters got promoted to Major, it wasn't that much of big deal anymore, but it was little weird seeing a Captain show up, to functions as the Battalion XO or CO wasn't easy, because he was always the junior Officer, which when he got promoted he was still 90% of the time anyways.

If the incoming NCO or Officer is a complete dud and on record of being so. There are so many creative ways for various Commanding Officers and Senior NCO's to find ways to circumvent things to keep SSG Highspeed as the Platoon Sergeant and in coming SFC far enough away, he would never know that there was platoon that was in dire needed of a SFC to fill the Platoon Sergeant slot. I mean, I have seen quite a few E-6s, E-7s, and E-8s while in the 82nd who weren't even able to be deployed any more due to this issue or that issue, but were kept around for rear detachment duty, this, and that, so they could either re-enlist for another MOS, or get 20 in to retire. It amazing considering that the at the time 82nd was suppose to be close to 100% capable of being deployed. Well as close as you can get with the injury rate with all those damn jumps.