Posted on Jun 17, 2014
How to Get Promoted as an Officer. Anything to add?
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When I visit one of my Battalions, I always give an OPD. One of my most popular is how to get promoted. Here is my wisdom on the subject for your benefit:
Getting promoted consists of three things that boards examine:
1. Education
2. Assignments
3. Experience
Of the three, education is the most important because it is a hard requirement. You don't have ILE? You don't pass go! Know the number of Majors who had their educational requirements complete and were promoted to LTC? 100 percent! That's right, even those who got terrible OERs were promoted because there were only 500 (numbers are made up) educationally qualified and over 500 slots required by the Army. Those without ILE? None promoted even though they were the best officer.
Next are assignments. You need key assignments as commander, operations officer, etc. Note that temporary assignments help here too. Were you Mission Commander for an exercise? Make sure it says those words in your OER. Boards look for officers who took risk even if they only did OK. That is much better than the officer who floated in the background and was "just there".
Lastly, experience. Mainly this means deployments in today's context, but missions and exercises count too. I get a lot of junior officers stressing that they don't have a combat patch. Don't worry about it, 90% of Lieutenants don't have that either. It all is a matter of who you are competing against on the board. You're a LT?, no problem. You're a MAJ/ LTC without a deployment? Big problem.
There is so much that I could say on this subject that doesn't fit into this space, but let me know your questions and I will answer separately.
Getting promoted consists of three things that boards examine:
1. Education
2. Assignments
3. Experience
Of the three, education is the most important because it is a hard requirement. You don't have ILE? You don't pass go! Know the number of Majors who had their educational requirements complete and were promoted to LTC? 100 percent! That's right, even those who got terrible OERs were promoted because there were only 500 (numbers are made up) educationally qualified and over 500 slots required by the Army. Those without ILE? None promoted even though they were the best officer.
Next are assignments. You need key assignments as commander, operations officer, etc. Note that temporary assignments help here too. Were you Mission Commander for an exercise? Make sure it says those words in your OER. Boards look for officers who took risk even if they only did OK. That is much better than the officer who floated in the background and was "just there".
Lastly, experience. Mainly this means deployments in today's context, but missions and exercises count too. I get a lot of junior officers stressing that they don't have a combat patch. Don't worry about it, 90% of Lieutenants don't have that either. It all is a matter of who you are competing against on the board. You're a LT?, no problem. You're a MAJ/ LTC without a deployment? Big problem.
There is so much that I could say on this subject that doesn't fit into this space, but let me know your questions and I will answer separately.
Posted in these groups: 
Promotions
Officers
Promotions Officers
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 19
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Sir, in response to the education requirement. At what point in an Army Officer's career does possessing a Masters Degree become a "must have"? I'm sure the mentality of the earlier the better applies here but just wondering if it will become an unwritten/unspoken rule in future O-4 boards.
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BG (Join to see)
Honestly, O-4 is not that competitive although it will be tightening up as we transition to a peacetime Army. I wouldn't consider a Masters a must have until you are up for COL. LTC is competitive, but COL is where they really make it hard to get promoted.
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LTC Jason Mackay
I would not discount COL Goddard's assessment of the value of a Master's, but individual timelines may vary to create space in your career that facilitates a graduate degree. Early KD / branch qualification as a Captain could build a window. The O4-O5 window is tight to go to ILE, migrate to a KD experience, and deal with delays in slating etc. The BN command and SSC waiting game is fluid.
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CPT (Join to see)
1LT(P) (Join to see) regardless, push for your Master's Degree. I completed mine in two years during a deployment and GRF under the 82nd Airborne Division. The key is to pick the right school, to look at your schedule, and to truly devote time. I'm working on my DBA just because, but it would help both professionally and personally.
You know what's great? Army TA will pay for all or most of it. TA rules are getting tougher and would recommend utilizing it. Look at it this way, you receive a $4500 tax free pay raise.
You know what's great? Army TA will pay for all or most of it. TA rules are getting tougher and would recommend utilizing it. Look at it this way, you receive a $4500 tax free pay raise.
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LTC James McElreath
I personally found that if I were continually working on ones education that is was best to work toward the next promotion as soon as one is promoted. You never know when there is a hurdle and you need to take it a little slower. There is nothing more that I could add that would mean any more than what BG James Owens expressed in his entry.
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Concur with this great bit of advice. Unless you take the time to make sure you have the required military education it doesn't matter what jobs you hold or how many deployments / exercises you go on, you will not even get looked at for promotion - especially in the reserves.
Once you get the educational part taken care of, it's your assignments and how you did your job. Take the hard jobs. It's better to do a good job as the operations officer than as the special projects officer.
And make sure as part of your dialogue with your senior rater discuss your future. Not everyone is going to command a battalion or brigade, but you can still get promoted by doing a good job in a tough assignment.
Once you get the educational part taken care of, it's your assignments and how you did your job. Take the hard jobs. It's better to do a good job as the operations officer than as the special projects officer.
And make sure as part of your dialogue with your senior rater discuss your future. Not everyone is going to command a battalion or brigade, but you can still get promoted by doing a good job in a tough assignment.
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LTC Barry Kimmons
Sir
I concur fully. Officers need to take OPD seriously and listen. Furthermore, mentorship is important as well. Officers should ensure they have an excellent peer and senior mentor as part of the Officer development process. Finally, if you get selected for a residence course GO!!!!! The Officers you will meet have valuable experience to share and some become life-long friends.
I concur fully. Officers need to take OPD seriously and listen. Furthermore, mentorship is important as well. Officers should ensure they have an excellent peer and senior mentor as part of the Officer development process. Finally, if you get selected for a residence course GO!!!!! The Officers you will meet have valuable experience to share and some become life-long friends.
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In reading the comments on this thread, I notice that BG (Join to see) is addressed as COL in the earlier comments.
First, Congratulations on that, Sir. Very darn few soldiers actually ever get to wear those stars.
Second, (and this one is for anyone else reading) It looks like he knows what he's talking about when it comes to how to get promoted. I'd listen.
First, Congratulations on that, Sir. Very darn few soldiers actually ever get to wear those stars.
Second, (and this one is for anyone else reading) It looks like he knows what he's talking about when it comes to how to get promoted. I'd listen.
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