Conditional Promotions In The United States Army

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Fostering leaders, and how to guide the professional advancement of said leaders, has been a constant concern of every professional military since time immemorial. Organizations must temper the need to fill voids in leadership positions with what a professional Soldier needs to learn. The United States Army has progressed and evolved its NCO Corps since the Revolutionary War to meet the ever-changing face of warfare. The Army’s STEP concept is the next evolution of this reality. Enlisted promotions since 1980 have allowed one critical difference from the new system, conditional promotions. This paper will examine the failures of the old system, the potential benefits of the STEP concept, and the responsibilities that this new methodology …show more content…

Conditional promotions were a tool used with the best of intentions. Prior to the global war on terrorism, the frequency at which these promotions occurred was rather infrequent. The increase in the use of these promotions had two primary motivators during the last fifteen years. The first was the increased demand for Soldiers to be away from their home station. Increased deployments, an expansion of required schools, and Soldiers having family at younger ages at increasing rates have had the cumulative effect of placing an increased demand on Soldiers time. The desire not spend more time away from home corresponded with a desire not go away if it could be avoided, or at least postponed. The conditional promotion enabled Soldiers not have to choose between getting to spend time at their home station and being eligible for promotion, at least for a little while. They could have their cake and eat it too. The Soldiers chain of command provided the second motivator. Leaders were under little illusion that the protracted wars since the dawn of the twenty-first century had a negative effect on the lives and the morale of our Army’s Soldiers. Many leaders considered …show more content…

The STEP concept is a very concise method of developing the future leaders of the Army. Leaders will need to Select the Soldiers best qualified for advancement. This is more than just pushing forward a promotion packet for recommendation to a board. Leaders need to develop their subordinates by giving them leadership opportunities and ensure they maintain and enforce Army standards. These opportunities to succeed or fail give leaders the criteria that they will need to give honest assessments of a Soldier preparedness for advancement. The Train part of STEP demonstrates the Army’s desire to build tactically and technically proficient leaders. Leaders need to monitor and assess their Soldiers to determine their ability to do all of their jobs. The future leaders have a responsibility to get Soldiers out of their comfort zones and make certain that they are more than just good at their job. They need to be good at being a Soldier and that includes the warrior common tasks. Educate refers to the Army’s commitment to ensure Soldiers are given the tools needed to lead. Each proponent school is working to make seats available for those who are ready to advance (see appendix for the text of MILPER Message number 16-089 and HRC’s guidance on school availability). This requires leaders to stay on top of their subordinates careers and guide them towards their potential.

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