Soldier 2020 Essay

NCO and Soldier 2020 is the future of the Army. While NCO 2020 is the development of leaders and requires a lot of attention from the NCO Leader; there is also requirements to meet to train and develop future leaders. There is multiple ways in which Leaders will have to adapt with the complexity of the today’s world. Soldier 2020 is a profound method of placing the correct Soldier to the right job in the Army. With high standards for Soldier 2020 and females being implanted into an all-male Military occupational specialties (MOS) more now than ever, it very important that standards stay at an all-time high. NCO 2020 and Soldier 2020 will make a better Army for today and set the high standards for tomorrow’s Army.

Keywords: Military

occupational specialties (MOS), Occupational Physical assessment tool (OPAT )

NCO/Soldier 2020
NCO 2020 is transformation, education, leader development, accountability, and building stronger NCOs.

This approach ensures the development and sustainability of the Noncommissioned officer corps and also ensures that they are fully prepared to fight and win our nations wars. NCO 2020 improves professional development models and learning curriculums for Soldiers and Leaders so they are able to assess their leader development progress, track all learning events, and also be able to create goals and be certified professionals. In the past there has been leaders that are unable to or willing to serve at an operational level. Being able to live, learn, and use their everyday experience will enable them to serve at an operational and strategic level and be sought out for by their subordinates, peers, and superiors to help the unit be fully mission capable and one hundred percent

successful.
The learning curve of today’s generation NCO and that of the past generation NCOs is at two different levels. The past NCO way of learning was through text book. They managed to read, study, and memorize the material as they went through grade school. The current generation of NCOs learned with computers while coming up in grade school, being able to process and save their work while retaining the information handed to them for studying and learning. Power Point presentations are a good method of briefing and teaching Soldiers of the requirements the Army as deemed necessary to be able to sustain the military and create a better work environment; as the generations moved on power points are becoming a thing of the past. It being that current generation NCOs are unable to maintain attention during the presentation via power point. They have become boring and less structured for the learning process of the current generation. As the future generation is currently learning via social media devices such as IPads, tablets etc., It is accurate that they will not be learning via power point slides. “At least we are hoping they will not be” (SPC Robinson 2014 US Army TRADOC). The past and current generations NCOs must and will adapt to the nonstop changing. Innovation will be a key element to being able to train and develop our younger generation of leaders in the matter that is very well unknown.
The complexity of the world has been at an all-time high and it is only getting even more complex. The requirements of the NCO to have clear and concise thoughts as well as to be clear with the words they say and use is very important. The world is changing at very fast pace making leaders adapt to it as fast as it changes. With deployments and rotations in and out of various countries it makes it difficult for our leaders to be able to attend their training and professional development courses. Approximately 14,000 Soldiers were back logged and delayed from attending their professional development schools for their career progression. That came to a stop from TRADOC; it being that a lot of very good Soldiers were ETSing due to a lack of being able to gain promotion. TRADOC implemented the STEP program (Select, Train, Educate, and Promote). In order to be able to gain promotion, leaders would be required to complete the Basic Leaders, Advance leaders Course, Senior Leaders course, Master Leader Course, and Sergeant Majors Academy.
NCO 2020 has developed a plan to use a program called the Army University, giving Leaders the opportunity to achieve a college degree while serving in our Nation’s Army. Achieving a higher level of education is a vital task and important to complete. Soldiers will be able to compete at a better rate with others in the civilian sector upon completion of their service whether they ETS or retire and face this very complex world that will continue to get more complex outside of the Military service.
Soldier 2020 strengthens the Army profession by applying scientific rigor, methodology, and by placing the right Soldier in the right MOS whether it be male or female.

For the past 16 years both male and female Soldiers have been fighting side by side in our nations wars. In many aspects due to being unable to keep up or have the strength to keep up with their jobs many Soldiers have fell short in being able to complete task required by the MOS they carry. This starts to implement shortage in the work force and not being as proficient in their military jobs. Issues like these weakened the Army at the unit level and possibly causing a chain reaction due to others picking up the slack and them becoming overwhelmed or possibly getting

injured.
Physical standards are validated for each MOS. In efforts to validate, the United States Army TRADOC has taken the lead in studying the physical demands of each MOS. They have started with the MOS that were currently closed to females. In validating these physical standards per MOS, it is crucial and important these standards are met by each individual Soldier due to all MOS being open to everyone. By matching the MOS to the Soldier it will make them more efficient and more effective with the end result of less injury and the making of a better and stronger Army.
“Soldier 2020 is about a standards based Army, “Upholding the standards of our profession, the Army profession” (CSM Daniel A. Dailey US Army TRADOC 2014). New recruits will required to complete the OPAT (Occupational physical assessment test) before entry to the United States Army. This will assess their physical and mental abilities. Upon completion of the task, new recruits will be able to see where they are in order to qualify for the MOS they have picked. Recruiters will be able to better determine what MOS best fits the recruit based off the OPAT score. The OPAT consists of lower body strength, upper and lower body power, and aerobic fitness. This assessment will make the Army stronger and more capable in the matter of it will make the future Army Soldier better physically and more effective; while also preventing injuries and enhancing the Army profession. With Soldier 2020 the Army’s capabilities will be met in the more complex world we live in.