P-385-63 US Army Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Guide Download
Page 23 of 65
DA PAM 600–25 • 11 December 2018 19 3–2. Concept The EPMS is an evolutionary system that balances the needs of the Army with the developmental requirements of the enlisted force. Modified by the external factors of the environment, as well as the dynamics of force structure and leader development principles, the EPMS remains inherently flexible and responds to a variety of proponents, commanders, and individual initiatives to meet emerging needs. This flexibility is embedded in interrelated subsystems that compose EPMS, including— a. Strength management. This involves accessing, promoting, distributing, retaining, and moving Soldiers through their transition, to meet force structure requirements. These activities are very dynamic, with Soldiers in all MOSs contin- ually moving through the personnel life cycle. Army force structure continues to fluctuate as the Army’s needs change, and the enlisted inventory requires active management to meet future force structure needs. b. Career development. This necessitates that personnel proponents determine the appropriate mix of institutional training, self-development, and operational assignments needed for sustained development by Soldiers at all grade levels in each MOS. c. Evaluations. These are necessary for developmental feedback and are important tools for selection boards to identify NCOs with the most promising potential. The Army enlisted structure is similar to a pyramid, where the top contains fewer NCOs in relation to the wider base. Advancement to more responsible positions is based on assessments of performance and potential. The tools used to evaluate the performance and potential of Soldiers are the DA Form 2166–9–1 (NCO Evaluation Report (SGT)), DA Form 2166–9–2 (NCO Evaluation Report (SSG–1SG/MSG)), DA Form 2166–9–3 (NCO Evaluation Report (CSM/SGM)), hereafter referred to collectively as DA Form 2166–9 series (noncommissioned officer evaluation report (NCOER) or NCOER, and the DA Form 1059 (Service School Academic Evaluation Report) hereafter referred to as DA Form 1059 or AER. Promotion, selection for school, retention in service, career development opportu- nities, and assignments are strongly influenced by the information contained in NCOERs and AERs. 3–3. Factors affecting the Enlisted Personnel Management System Many factors influence the environment in which EPMS operates. Changes in the environment necessitate continuous adjustments and changes in policies by the Deputy Chief of Staff, G–1; the CNGB; and the CAR. Some factors that influ- ence EPMS policy are— a. Policy is the purview of the Executive Branch, which acts through the Department of Defense (DOD) and the De- partment of the Army (DA). Policies are published in DOD directives and translated into Army regulations for implemen- tation. Policies are the guidelines used to access, train, professionally develop, promote, assign, and complete transitions in the enlisted force. b. The annual defense budget has a major impact on the career development of enlisted Soldiers. Funding limitations and allocations imposed by Congress affect the entire spectrum of enlisted personnel management, which includes the force structure allowance of the enlisted force, accessions, strength management, promotion rates, schooling, education programs, and permanent change of station (PCS) timing. The defense budget reflects the will of Congress to meet any perceived military threats as well as global and national economic challenges. c. Personnel proponents, generally school commandants, have designed a CMF based on Army requirements and su- pervise the development of the enlisted force within that CMF. Personnel proponents project future requirements for their CMFs and sustain or modify elements of force structure and inventory to meet future needs. Personnel proponents prescribe the requirements under the three pillars of leader development (for example, institutional training, operational assignments, and self-development) to attain qualification standards in each grade required by the enlisted force. These patterns of leader development are embodied in leader development templates, diagrams, or PDMs used by the assignment branches of EPMD, to execute the proponents’ career programs. d. The Army and EPMS must be responsive to the individual needs of Soldiers, as well as to the mission and require- ments of the force. This force represents a reflection of the society from which it comes and spans five decades of age groups. Career expectations, job satisfaction, discipline, leader abilities, educational abilities, importance of Family, and cultural values vary widely among enlisted Soldiers. e. In addition to the obvious advancements science and technology have made in the Army’s war fighting equipment, the quantum increase in information and decision-making demands of modern doctrine and warfare call for broader tech- nological competencies within most enlisted career fields. Complex and lethal weapons, Joint and combined organizations, and global political and economic connectivity require the utmost competence from the enlisted force. NCOs receive pro- gressive and sequential education, training, and experience through institutional training, operational assignments, and self-development to meet these requirements.