Officer Personnel Management Changing The Paradigms

The Army is not meeting its promotion obligations in the field grade ranks, and is not in compliance with the provisions of the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980 (DOPMA) and the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. Specifically, the Army lags behind the Navy, Air Force, and DOPMA in percentages of officers selected for field grade promotion and on pin on points. Additionally, the Army is failing to achieve minimum promotion floors for joint service officers to the rank of colonel. Although the current downsizing of the Army is a partial contributor to this situation, the problems existed before the downsizing started. Current Army personnel and selection board practices, and projected solutions to the field grade and joint officer promotion problems are incremental, and they will not solve these problems in the long term. The personnel management tools are available to correct the promotion problems, but this can only occur if the Army changes its paradigms on officer promotion, retention and assignments. This study proposes long term solutions utilizing additional personnel management tools and changes in the Army's personnel management and promotion paradigms. The purpose of the proposed changes are for the Army to achieve conformity with existing laws, and to maintain an officer corps that is trained and ready for land warfare into the 21st Century.