The Army has announced that all junior enlisted soldiers will now need to become a corporal before getting promoted to sergeant.
The major promotion shift will begin on July 1. At that time, soldiers with the rank of specialist who have been recommended for advancement will be laterally promoted to corporal. The soldiers must have also completed the Basic Leader Course.
The new policy won’t take effect for Reservists until October 1.
In a statement the Army said the changes mean troops “will shoulder the responsibilities of noncommissioned officers earlier in their careers.”
Corporals and specialists are both under the E-4 paygrade; that means a corporal, despite being considered a junior NCO and having more responsibilities, makes the same pay as a specialist. It is unclear whether the corporal rank will come with time-in-grade requirements or if pinning on the stripes will effectively be a placeholder for the soldier to finish up their time as an E-4.
Because corporals and specialists earn the same pay, corporal is a relatively rare rank in the Army. Both ranks can hold junior leadership positions, typically as a team leader responsible for three to six soldiers. Previously, specialists were promoted straight to sergeant in most cases, skipping the corporal rank.
via Military.com
Beginning in June, 2022, the Army also announced that active-duty and full-time Guard and Reserve soldiers must get recommended by a promotion board before taking the Basic Leader Course. That change won’t go into effect until October, 2022, for part-time soldiers.
A promotion board is a process in which troops are analyzed and interviewed before they are able to be promoted to the next rank.
Soldiers who are already corporals are impacted by the new changes as well. In order to remain corporals, they will have to graduate from the Basic Leader Course and qualify for the promotion board. If they can not do that, then they will be assigned back to a specialist.
For the corporals who are transitioned back to specialists, they will not see a decrease in pay.
“This is a change in culture,” Sgt. Maj. Kenyatta Gaskins of the Army’s personnel management directorate said.. “This is not something we’re used to.”
The Army hopes the new policy will prevent “corrosives” to the force by developing leadership traits earlier on in military careers, Gaskins stated.
I thought the rating process in the U. S. Navy (from E-3 to E-7) is fairest of all the services. In order to be promoted: 1. Time in-grade requirement ( different in each grade)
2. Each grade course requirement completion (either class room or correspondence courses)
3. Leadership courses completion (class room or correspondence course)
4. Professional semi-annual rating from current station
5. Commanding Officer’s recommendation to participate in the semi-annual Navy wide rate (pay grade) advancement written test.
6. Participate in the semi-annual Navy wide rate(pay grade) advancement written test
7. The Navy grade the written test scores and promotion depends on the number of required promotions in the whole Navy for each pay grade, professional skill requirements. The promotion selection is set from the highest score to the cut off (the number of promotions required)
That is if the Navy needs to promote 100 for each professional (or skill), then the promotion selection then starts from the highest score to 100 contestant high scores. Then the promotion names are published Navy wide on the “NAVY TIMES” paper.
This is stupid. You can’t train a leader as many of us found out in Nam Second leu’s thought they were super smart and knew more then us that did multiple tours and would always just do as they were told even if the orders were outright stupid Strange how many died in friendly fire. You can’t teach someone how to be a leader they either have the mind set or they don’t. All I can say this is as dumb as going to war and worry about innocents. Why did this country allow so many of my brothers and sisters die n vain in Nam? Because of Walter Cronkite saying we couldn’t win the war after TET offensive? He had no clue that the North and VC lose over 120,oo0 soldier and had none to replace them until of that douche Cronkite saying that he showed the men and women they beat us With in a month he had 80,000 soldiers in the north and another 60,0000 VC The people who think thought this up should read and you will see he would have surrendered unconditionally 10 days after TET
Strange as a Spec 4 holding a Spec 5 slot while station in Korea 72-73 we were required to go through a basic leadership course when did the Army drop such a course. As a regular soldier such training should be welcomed
It’s not a news flash that E-4’s and 5’s participated in the vast majority of combat situations in Vietnam and Cambodia. I was an E-4 Specialist…11B rifleman. Destroy the enemy.
I was a Specialist E-5 as a Combat Engineer in Viet Nam. I was in charge of a 10 man Detachment with all the responsibilities of a Staff Sergeant. I was offered E-6 Staff Sergeant if I would extend my enlistment six months.
This means if a soldier is laterally promoted to corporal, That is considered a Jr. NCO.. This could hurt their chances becoming pay grade E-5 by holding E-4 pay much longer since already in a Jr. NCO status. Doing same job with same responsibility as an E5 only as an E4. Not promoting them to Sgt E-5 and kicking people out of service because of not reaching rank at E-5 at a rated time of service holding E-4 rank too long. Sounds like a new way for Joe to ruin careers like Clinton did in late 80’s and early .90’s. Only in lower ranks. Yea Right Joe!!!
This is a tempest in a tea pot. Promotions are still based upon time in grade and performance evaluations by superiors I assume? When I was in the Regular Army (1968 to 1972) Specialist 4 was the very common rank between PFC and SGT E-5.
Specialist 5, Specialist 6, and Specialist 7, while rare, were related to special MOS requiring technical expertise. When arriving at the E-7 pay grade, those specialists were not going to become First Sergeants and Sergeants Major. That is to say they were not going to be promoted into the E-8 or E-9 pay grades. Specialists were usually in fields like medical, electronics, food service and perhaps a few other things.
Going back to E-4 pay grade, Corporal does make sense in infantry and Military Police MOS’s in most other fields, not so much. How much “command” experience does a Chaplain’s Assistant or a truck driver need? Not much.
I also served six years in the SCSG with the rank of Platoon SGT.
Re: Comments of Frank Gonzalez above: Mr. Gonzalez, as an E-4 (Spec 4) I was responsible for maintenance of the Nike Air Defense System. I assure you, it was “special” job requiring two years of training.
This does not make sense. Specialists are like warrant officers. Their specific skill justifies advancement. During the Vietnam War, specialists went at least as high as E7 or E8. During WW2, they wore regular sergeants stripe with a T in the middle. Some soldiers do not want responsibility for other individuals. They are happy to continue advancing their performance of their special skills. Forcing them into leadership tracks will force them out
This does not make sense. Specialists are like warrant officers. Their specific skill justifies advancement. During the Vietnam War, specialists went at least as high as E7 or E8. During WW2, they wore regular sergeants stripe with a T in the middle. Some soldiers do not want responsibility for other individuals. They are happy to continue advancing their performance of their special skills. Forcing them into leadership tracks will force them out
The Army should eliminate the Specialist (E-4) from the rank structure. As an E-4 a soldier is a Specialist at nothing, an E-4 is just beginning to understand the role of leadership. According to this article an E-4 would have to go before a board to be recommended for BNCO. One other point why create a distinction between the active force the guard and reserve forces, there is only one army, all policies should be applied across the total force.