Army to Allow Temporary Promotions to NCOs waiting for Schooling

Army to Allow Temporary Promotions to NCOs waiting for Schooling

Army non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and specialists can now earn temporary promotions prior to completing mandatory courses. Army officials recently announced the service is experiencing a school capacity bottleneck due to a huge number of troops seeking to enroll.

In an effort to tackle this bottleneck, officials announced that NCOs and specialists would be exempt from attending mandatory training courses until they earn temporary promotions.

From Jan. 1, 2022, until the end of the calendar year, all enlisted members from the rank of a specialist to the rank of master sergeant may be promoted without attending mandatory schooling. Sergeants, for example, will not need to attend the Advanced Leader Course before becoming staff sergeants. After flipping its senior NCO policies, the Army has been in effect for less than a month.

According to Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston, promotion is all about talent management and promoting the best soldiers. The top reason enlisted soldiers aren't currently being promoted is that they haven't attended required schools because the schools can’t handle the large number of troops vying for the promotions, Grinston added.

These NCOs, however, must graduate within a year from their respective courses. If that requirement isn’t met by the deadline, the soldier will be demoted, and their pay will not be refunded.

As Pentagon officials factor in estimates regarding military size, school capacity is calculated four years in advance. Leaders underestimated the Army's size and the number of NCO schools. There are also some cases where troops deployed abroad cannot attend professional development schools.

This new policy would allow them to attend schools for advancement without waiting to return to the United States. It will enable them to advance if they have all the qualifications needed for promotion without attending a school, allowing them to further their careers.

Leaders will decide if the new policy should continue. The new policy will be evaluated throughout 2022. During this time, Army officials are considering adding instructors to schools and increasing class sizes. Before becoming promoted, those who attend a mandatory school still earn promotion points, giving them an edge over those who cannot participate.