Checking joint blocks
There's a great debate going on in the comments on Abu Muqawama's post on General Petraeus's role in the next GO selection board (Instapundit, Blackfive, and SWJ also have their irons in the fire on this one).
One part of that discussion is the role of joint tour requirements for making 1-star (O-7). Traditionally under Goldwater-Nichols this has required 22 months service in a "joint designated" post. Joint posts require the interaction of 2 or more departments, so Navy-Marine cooperation doesn't count. Nor does working across different components of one service (like the Marine Air-Ground Task Forces). So most of these jobs are found in the Joint Staff, Office of the Secretary of Defense, or in the Combatant Commands (CFR, IISS, and other think tanks are also options).
Now Charlie has word that the joint requirements are being altered somewhat. To become a "Joint Qualified Officer," you can now either serve in a traditional purple billet or acquire points throughout your career for joint service. (Joint educational requirements (JPME) remain the same.)
The methodology used to account for this joint experience, education, and training is a points system. This points system provides an inherent advantage over the traditional time-based system in that it creates an opportunity to account for the intensity of each joint activity. This plan leverages this unique characteristic by giving added value to joint combat and non-combat contingencies. The points system also allows the level of involvement of the individual to be weighted. Individuals who lead or plan joint exercises are given an increased number of points over participants.But perhaps the best news for those junior officers doing some serious, mission-oriented joint service is that the point system is retro-active.
Additionally, all officers regardless of component will be able to self-nominate their joint activities for point recognition dating back to September 11, 2001. This will enable the capture of joint experience, education and training outside the traditional joint duty assignment positions.Baby steps, folks. Baby steps.
PS Check out SWJ's reprint of Ohio State's announcement of Col. Peter Mansoor's appointment as Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair of Military History. The Army's loss is the Academy's gain, as Ohio State has a literally world-class military history program. (NB, a number of the Army's PhD candidates make their way to Ohio State and go on to teach at West Point. Col. Mansoor's influence will continue for many more years).
7 comments:
Hey, A-M, read your comments - my comment on your post at November 17, 2007 5:06 PM scooped SWJ.
andrewdb
Yes, it did. Thanks for that, by the way.
[Sorry, I noticed a type-o and withdrew it to correct my mistake]
I didn’t mean to derail you from your original point, which was a good one. I think the bottom line here is that, no one should be turned down or excluded from promotion simply because they haven’t check some block along their carrier path. I think the point that you were trying to make is that there are some extremely competent leaders, who need to be the ones steering the boat, who are held back because of stupid bureaucratic rules, made by people who don’t really have any idea what they are doing.
About the “360 rating scheme:” I haven’t heard of this before so I really shouldn’t be commenting on it, but the idea leaves me with a little trepidation. While I have had leaders who I wouldn’t want put in charge of the drive through window at Burger King, I also don’t want my commander to have to hesitate when he wants to call me a soup-bone because he is worried about loosing popularity points.
From this discussion: easily digresses into a diatribe on what is/isn’t a leader and the philosophies of leadership. So, I will stop before I get out of hand.
Thanks for providing this place of discussion (for those of us who have given up on sleeping); seems to be a secret little niche of well informed people here.
Yours are good comments, Crimson Ghost. Keep 'em coming, and thanks for adding to the discussion.
Abu, VDH has some interesting comments (which you might not have seen since you probably don't read NRO) on the Max Boot article:
"We are at a critical juncture, one analogous to what George Marshall faced at the outset of World War II, when he did the right thing and (just in time) turned things upside down through a complete reappraisal of promotion.
No one wishes to interfere with a hallowed military process of examination, that, by needs, must be exempt from both political and public pressures. That said, the nation also has a great interest in the next 3 years in keeping about 40-50 brilliant colonels in Iraq, many with advanced degrees, past bravery in harrowing circumstances, and a proven record of initiative in exploring all sorts of novel strategies in combatting the insurgencies.
It is critical that we find a way to ensure they stay in the army and marines, especially after serial deployments to Iraq. The best answer is to promote the deserving to brigadier general, starting now.
It is often said that the military is worn out from the near continuous deployments to Iraq. Perhaps. But one way we can partially rectify that terrible burden, and gain advantage from that sacrifice, is to ensure over the next few years, that we promote to generals a cohort that proved itself repeatedly in battle in Iraq. We can ill afford to lose thousands of aggregate days of combat experience that may guide us in the future. That way the United States military for a generation will have sober, experienced, and savvy generals, who have served in the worst sorts of circumstances, to advise how and how not to approach any future conflicts. This is critical as we reach these do-or-die moments of juncture in dozens of careers between colonel and brigadier general." The US Army wants - needs - you back!!!!
Crimson--you didn't derail anyone, I just chimed in on some of the technical points of the joint requirements. And while the rules are irritating, they're not stupid (what was stupid was the Army not applying for a waiver for McMaster).
Ruemom--thx for the VDH quote. I would love to be able to hang on to 40-50 battle hardened GWOT colonels. Apparently someone at the top of DOD does too.
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