What impact do you think the latest update to AR 600-8-22 Military Awards will have on soldiers receiving the recognition they deserve?

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 23:26:13 -0400

It has always been the case for awards that as long as the recommender has first-hand knowledge of the actions that are the basis for the award, the recommender can be any rank and/or unit. However, the most recent update to the regulation states "The recommender must be senior in rank and associated with the recommended individual by virtue of their position within the chain of command. Additionally, the recommender must have knowledge of all actions or service cited. That is, the recommender must have either observed the actions or been provided information by an individual who observed the actions."

What are your thoughts on this change?
Do you agree with this change and why/why not?

Personally, I do not agree with this change. I think it will cause Soldiers not to receive the recognition they deserve due to the extra steps. Additionally, what is the point of "My Buddy PAR" in IPPS-A, if it still allows you recommend a Soldier who is senior in rank, despite the regulation now stating that is not authorized. I know it is a leader's job to ensure that deserving Soldiers are recognized when appropriate, however, this often doesn't happen and they have now made getting deserving Soldiers recognition harder.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 21 at 2025 1:46 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 01:46:18 -0400

Is this a Biden Era DEI thing?
I thought anybody could recommend an award but still the award has to go through channels and get approved or disapproved?
Here is an example where an Enemy Captain recommended the Victoria Cross to an Enemy Ship's Captain.

https://youtu.be/1Jy2im6hFMM?si=HGXaGztouFHlbQPC

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Response by COL Randall C. made Mar 21 at 2025 8:59 AM

COL Randall C. — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 08:59:03 -0400

The regulation was changed over a year ago, but I think you're reading too much into it because 'recommender' overlaps both "the person who is submitting a write-up" (i.e., recommending someone for an award) and "the individual officially submitting someone for the award" (i.e., the 'recommending official')

While it appears to be a change, in essence it's not and reflects the process in IPPS-A since it was rolled out. Regardless of an individual's rank, they can still use My Buddy PAR to submit another Soldier for an award in IPPS-A.

The only thing that changed would be the name in the 'recommending official' block on the DAF 638. SPC Snuffy can still put SGT Smith (who works for SSG Brown) in for an award through IPPS-A by creating a Buddy PAR. The PAR will be routed through SGT Smith's chain of command as it was before.

The only difference is that with the change last year, SPC Snuffy wouldn't be the recommending official, SSG Brown would be.
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* AR 600-8-22 (25 June 2015) - https://ec.militarytimes.com/static/pdfs/r600_8_22.pdf
* AR 600-8-22 (19 January 2024) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN30935-AR_600-8-22-000-WEB-1.pdf

r600_8_22.pdf

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 21 at 2025 9:25 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 09:25:52 -0400

There are several things I do like about the "new system."

1) You submit the award electronically in a system that literally tracks where the award recommendation is in the routing chain; gone are the days of the 638 getting "lost."
2) You no longer have to wonder/worry who the award needs to go to for review/approval.
3) Anyone can still write the award recommendation.

What I do not like about the new system:

1) Finding out what the Soldier's IPPS-A's number is. This can be easily fixed by searching thru their UIC or have them get you their number from their IPPS-A profile.

Now, as for the process itself, nothing has changed regarding where some Leaders will guard awards using rank as a basis. You will have some Leasers guarding awards based on quota. Both those mentalities are still against regs, but it's still used.

As long as the recommender has a sound knowledge of what warrants whatever award is given and has a strong ability to articulate the bullets, then there should be no problem. Should being the key word. For example, submitting someone for an MSM for getting the fastest ruck time in the CO/BN/BDE should absolutely NOT warrant an MSM. It's about how big a positive impact the SMs actions have on the unit, the BN, the BDE, hell the entire TOA.

PVT Snuffy, standing tall in the guard tower single handedly defending the position against insurmountable odds, stopping the enemy from breaching the wire....Does Snuffy deserve an MSM, an ARCOM, a coin?

PVT Snuffy ensured his assigned vehicle was always maintained properly IOT execute every mission given.....Does Snuffy deserve an MSM, an ARCOM, or a coin?

What would you recommend PVT Snuffy for with each example? How would you write it?

The biggest concerns that still remain are those of someone actually sitting down to write the recommendation...and writing it well, and those that review and approve the awards. It will still always fall to personal opinion of the Intermediate Authorities and that of the Approving Authority.

Response by LTC Trent Klug made Mar 21 at 2025 3:47 PM

LTC Trent Klug — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:47:42 -0400

It's a crap change. Anyone with knowledge of an act that is meritorious or valorious should be able to recommend an award, not just the chain of command.

Response by SGM Jeff Mccloud made Mar 22 at 2025 11:22 AM

SGM Jeff Mccloud — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 11:22:58 -0400

I don't see this change as positive or negative, no impact.
I have written awards at every job since I was a CPL, some because I was recommending them, some because a commander asked me to write them.
In every case my completed 638 was signed by a CO, BN CDR, BDE CDR or Director as the recommender, because that's who the intermediate or approver was going to contact if they had questions or edits.
This was a very common practice everywhere I worked.

In my own 30 years of active duty experience, every single time a commander did kick back an award recommendation coming from a peer, it was due to being a poorly-written and completely unusable draft, or over-inflated, such as an MSM for a Soldier leading a week of training for a platoon. And the kick backs were not denials, but rather a teaching moment about how to write awards and the level of award as it relates to the impact of the the achievements.
In short, no I don't think this change will cause Soldiers not to receive the recognition they deserve.

Response by SFC Marc W. made Mar 22 at 2025 8:16 PM

SFC Marc W. — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 20:16:29 -0400

Most of my experience with awards: it's based on rank not performance and too many gatekeepers floating around acting like awards cost them money.