What do you think about promotions to Sergeant (E-5) without going to a board?

The fact is our peomotion system is busted. We have for decades struggled to find an efficient way to promote "Leaders". Paper boards don't work any better than a live appearance board. Too little is left up to the soldiers first line leader and unit leadership. You know the folks who know the soldier best. Too much is left up to the soldiers record. I don't want leaders working under me that aren't ready. Let me as a senior NCO select my junior NCOs and judge my leadership on the performance of my Detachment.

All E-4s should attend the promotion board because it not only measures general military knowledge, it measures your level of confidence. When you lead Soldiers and give those tasks, instructions, or directives, you have to be confident. You have to be able to speak to higher ranking personnel, clearly and concisely. If you are nervous and second guess your answers during the board whether it is correct or not, what will the Soldiers think when you lead them and you second guess your decisions.

Let me go first then I was promoted after I was boarded in the MP world.. As an high-speed E-4 I had a lot of confidence and strong leaders that trained me well and allowed me to exercise my leadership on my own, and was placed with much responsibilities as a specialist. through my assignments I saw E-4 get their strips without boards. Pro ; good for them, welcome to the ranks, and finally!!!,many E-4 battle hard enough to get some respect especially veterans E-4 and team leaders with none on their shoulders. Cons; some didn't receive proper leadership skill to develop a fully functional NCO such as proper paperwork filling , trouble shooting weapons, staff meetings, on and off duty post regulation awareness, your every day issues, enhancement training ,career progression. Etc the list could go on... So my solution is when ever I see that on a NCO I square that away and show them the ropes like I was shown back then and not harp on how they got promoted with boarding. I do hope it can be in implemented to weed out the weak ones by potential and leadership skill experience.

I do not remember the use of local boards in the USN. We competed against all of the USN, not just the locals. Not sure the way the US Army promotes using local boards has been working

Boards may or may not know whether a person is ready for a leadership position but automatic promotion DAMN SURE DOESN'T know. At least someone in a leadership position has to put you up for it. I exited after the board, which pissed my NCOIC off, but he had to recommend me or I would not have been promoted had I stayed. Yes, someone who has a buddy in the right place can get through when he/she maybe shouldn't have but, again, automatic promotion guarantees that there will be leaders who should not be.

I have experience two sides of the promotion board being questioned and questioning. Much of the board is how you answer questions, conduct, uniform, and answers to questions,. Now you might guess I am pro for Promotion boards for lower ranks, Anything can be asked on a Promotion board. My first board I was asked questions from MOS up through Leadership. the one question asked was what is the 5th general order(all soldiers going to the board were ask) 10 of us went to the board 3 failed on that question alone.

Now what I really am saying is that some Soldiers when they don't have an answer get confused or disoriented and have no answer some just make something up to sound good some take some time to answer and are incorrect and some Say I am not exactly sure but I will look it up after the board convenes.

My Company 1SGT. always told the Platoon SGT's and above who was going to the board so they could all drill you with questions up to the day of the board. That helped a lot because you got questions about almost anything.

I am old school and still believe NO board NO promotion. I have read and typed on RP for a couple of years now and it does not take long to figure out those who have walked the walk and the ones that just try to talk the talk. MTC

Because no E5 or above has lost their cool at some point.... people have emotions, and this is part of the reason we have so many suicides in the Military, because were expected to bottle our emotions up and basically turn into robots. Especially once someone picks up NCO they are expected to completely keep their emotions bottled up. Its human nature, and healthy to have emotions. He got pissed off and threw his helmet across the parking lot.... ok.... what led up to that? What is going on in his personal life? Maybe his plate is full? Maybe he needs someone to vent too? But because he showed anger about something doesn't mean he isn't ready to be a NCO....

Automatic promotion is a risky situation. Promotion boards, if they do the job correctly, are usually a better choice. A promotion board should never be looking for someone who can claverly regurgitate information. They ate supposed to be looking at the recommendations that got the soldier in front of them, and combining that with the soldiers demeanor, knowledge, and appearance, ie; ability to wear the specified ubiform correctly and well.

I dont think makes sense.

They become the problem. To them self. To the U.S. Army. To the core of the Sergeant Rank, he is not a leader.