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Legislative UPDATE
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Isn’t Uniform New bonuses and pay structures could mean a different military.
oD is leading a review of the military personnel system that could result in big changes to ca-
reer tracks and promotion opportunities for servicemembers.
The details of Defense Secretary Ash
Carter’s Force of the Future initiative were due to lawmakers in September. Expected in the report were big changes to pay tables, bonus systems, promotion tracks, and professional-development opportunities. Acting Undersecretary of Defense for
Personnel and Readiness Brad Carson said the intent is to create a system that is attractive for millennials and, as the Military Times puts it, “promotes talent rather than seniority.” For military officers, this could mean big changes to the up-or-out promotion system to which they are accustomed. One of the proposals the report is ex- pected to include is dual-track opportuni- ties, where troops can remain in specialized fields or take on more leadership roles. The study will recommend giving de- fense planners more flexibility in terms of promotions. Qualified candidates might become eligible for promotion ahead of time-in-grade requirements, while satisfactorily performing service- members might be given leeway to stay in their current assignments. “A more flexible compensation system is essential to 21st-century talent manage- ment,” Carson said. Any changes to personnel requirements
likely will require amending two important pieces of legislation: the Defense Officer
40 MILITARY OFFICER OCTOBER 2015
Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) and the Goldwater-Nichols Act. DOPMA helped establish uniform structure and require- ments across the services and set ceilings on the number of field-grade officers for each service. The Goldwater-Nichols Act requires military leaders to take joint-com- mand assignments to qualify for promotion. “There could be merit in some of
these proposals,” says Col. Mike Barron, USA (Ret), a MOAA deputy director of Government Relations. “But all of these recommendations will need to take unit cohesion into account.” The Force of the Future recommenda-
tions likely will be part of next year’s de- fense budget request. With the limited time DoD senior leadership has to review the proposals, coupled with what’s shaping up to be a contentious election year, the likelihood of any sweeping reforms remains to be seen. MOAA will continue to provide updates as this story develops.
Recruiting T
Challenge As the economy picks up, are the services in trouble?
he Army is having trouble reaching its recruiting goals for 2015, currently falling 14-percent
short. As the U.S. economy continues to strengthen and the unemployment rate dips down to 5.3 percent, the Army faces tough competition to sign new recruits. Although new recruits are necessary for combat and support units, the Army is required to reduce its size by 40,000 over the next several years. Unfortunate- ly, in addition to strong private-sector competition, potential recruits also are witnessing a severe drawdown that is