The past 10 years of war assured many Soldiers an assignment or promotion with a high degree of certainty, said an official with the Promotions branch. That’s no longer necessarily the case.
“It has always been in the Soldier’s best interest to ensure his or her personnel file is up to date. But as history tends to repeat itself and the Army scales back its force structure, having an accurate, updated and complete service record is now more important than ever,” said Gerald Mayer, chief of DA Promotions Branch.
Soldiers need to know how to present themselves to the board in the most positive and professional manner, Mayer said.
All Soldiers need to be on top of their personnel file at any given time because not only is the file looked at for promotion boards, but it’s also looked at for assignments as well, he said.
“If it’s not kept current to where you feel that you’re being best represented, then you might fall short somewhere,” Mayer said.
The U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Department of the Army Secretariat convenes about 80 selection boards each year, for promotions, command assignments, professional development and schools for officers, warrant officers, and senior noncommissioned officers.
But if a Soldier doesn’t do his or her due diligence, “the assignment that you want could go to someone else or you could not get promoted,” Mayer said.
The Army will continue to promote its most qualified and experienced officers and noncommissioned officers based on potential and performance, he said. But he added this also means that boards will only select the best qualified out of the field of fully qualified Soldiers.
“The Army recommends that every Soldier, at a minimum, should maintain contact with their branch manager; check their DA photo, with emphasis on the proper wear and placement of the awards and to ensure that the data matches their officer records brief or enlisted records brief, and what’s filed in their Official Personnel Management File, or OPMF, which is their electronic record depository,” said Randy Gillespie, chief of the Officer Promotions Branch.
That is why a lot of military that are stationed at Ft. Meade are purchasing homes knowing they have good employment opportunities when they retire.
