If you were the SMA, how would you effectively change our organization for the better? Why?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 12:04:37 -0500

I can honestly say that there is a lot of power and knowledge that comes with being in that position. There are plenty of soldiers out there that complain and say they could do it better if they were in charge. But could they? Being in the position of the SMA requires lots of education and training, not to mention intestinal fortitude! Tell me what you would do to improve our organization and how!

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 5 at 2016 12:16 PM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 12:16:22 -0500

No longer require CSMs to deploy. It is a win-win for everyone. CSMs get to stay home and Soldiers don't have to wear reflector belts while in combat.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 5 at 2016 12:17 PM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 12:17:55 -0500

When the administration or it's surrogates attempt to mess with the troops with social engineering experiments, I'd point to the US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, paragraph 14, "To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;"

Only the congress has the power to make rules and regulate the US Military. Executive orders are not legislated law.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 5 at 2016 12:57 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 12:57:42 -0500

The men and or women would be treated equal, and if there was any problems with higher up, let them know in a gentle, but pointed way. Treat your men like you like to treated and they'll go to the ends of the earth for you.

Response by SGM Steve Wettstein made Mar 5 at 2016 1:09 PM

SGM Steve Wettstein — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 13:09:32 -0500

There is a ton of useless shit we do (at least before I retired). To many BS powerpoint "classes" that no one gets anything from. Deploying used to be a break from garrison BS but the last couple of times I deployed, it was like they were trying to make it stateside garrison while deployed. WTF are we wearing PT belts in ACUs while deployed? Some of my fellow CSMs/SGMs like to pick and choose what they wanted to enforce. I didn't know, that in the Regs it is written that you could do that.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 5 at 2016 2:20 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 14:20:17 -0500

A. One damn uniform style and stick with it. Get rid of Velcro.
B. Bring back SQT for all NCO grades. SGT's will be tested on skill level 1 and 2. SSG''s skill level 1,2, and 3. SFC's skills levels 1-4. MSG's and SGM/CSM all skill levels. Mandatory remarks on NCOER over proficiency. 90% pass tested twice a year.
C. Bring back SGT's time training, and enforce it. When I was in Germany we had Iron Time training every Thursday (1st AD hence Iron) all day. Duty day started at 0500-0600 straight into training. We also had Iron Family Time. Released a couple of hrs early 1-2 times a month (usually Friday's mission dictates).
D. Anything I missed just see what SMA Dailey is doing and continue.
E. Ensure that continuity exists when doing CoR for new SMA's. Seem like they all want to "re-invent" their own brand.
F. Get rid of the Combat Sashes of Protection aka pt belt except for PT.
G. Re institute the "Right Arm/Left Arm" events for Leadership.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Mar 5 at 2016 4:51 PM

SSG Warren Swan — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 16:51:24 -0500

1. Stop with the damn fashion show uniform changes
2. Stop with the backstabbing "keeping the best and brightest" BS. All this turned out to be is make a lot of "cliques", so if you're cool with some, you're ok. If not, you might want to start looking at other career options.
3. If a rater does not counsel the ratee, the ratee's NCOER defaults to 2/2 and the raters NCOER defaults to 3/2 or 3/3. If you cannot take the time to counsel those underneath you, then why should they suffer?
4. Stop this BS with TRADOC being the end all be all in regards to the APFT and H/W. TRADOC is used to scapegoat something when someone doesn't want to deal with it. The regs regarding PT, the APFT itself, and H/W CLEARLY need to be rewritten but having TRADOC be the ones to do it is like asking your local VA to tell you how long it'll take to do your claim.
5. Train to standard NOT to time. If the task is completed in 30 seconds, why hold everyone in the Co area until 1800? The line of "If I have to be here, so do you needs to end".
6. If ANY leader demeans the importance of mental health, or makes an environment where a Soldier is afraid of getting help, they should be investigated, and if warranted, removed and put out. No Soldier should be afraid to seek help due to some HOOAH HOOAH unit bullshit. This needs to come from the Top Down. There are "leaders" who look down upon those needing help.
7. Revamp the SNCO boards. Take out the picture, the SSN, the name, and ANYTHING that would ID the Soldier to the board. So much is placed on the NCOER, let the damn things do the talking then. You don't need anything else to say he or she is good or not. Publish ACTUAL findings. Stop with the repetitive "we found this"....you say the same things EVERY year. Tell the NCO's what the REAL problems are.
8. Joint time. Officers are expected to serve in a joint unit to get time in that type of environment. NCO's should too. It's truly an eye opener when you tell an Airman to push and they tell you no. Been there, tried it. Doesn't work. NCO's need to broaden their horizons beyond the confines of the Army. What does their Marine counterpart do? What are their TTP's? Can using them make us better or vice versa?
9. Mandatory training needs to be revamped. The death by powerpoint is OLD. Before PowerPoint, there were videos that folks watched to get it in. Bring them back. You have folks who's job is to make videos, let them make the training and the units add to in order to enhance, but do not take away.
10. Leaders Book. I know when I was a JE and SGT, I had a leaders book. It went everywhere I went, and was an inspectable item. It was NOT uncommon for 1SG to ask for it, and it better be current. It was lost as I moved around, and now we have all that on a computer. Bring the books back. Make NCO's do health and welfare checks on troops....who live in housing and off post. We used to do it, why not bring it back? It's not treating your Soldiers as kids, but a way to gauge how they are living and maintaining themselves when you're not around.
11. Bring back NCO calls. I noticed those were slipping away as I got farther into my career.

Response by CPT Mark Gonzalez made Mar 5 at 2016 5:25 PM

CPT Mark Gonzalez — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 17:25:16 -0500

Eliminate online training or 90% of it and instead have NCOs deliver the training directly without slides. I feel the online medium or slides puts Soldiers to sleep and the intent is not being delivered as you rob NCOs of contact time with their troops.

Response by SSG Mike Angelo made Mar 8 at 2016 8:05 AM

SSG Mike Angelo — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 08:05:41 -0500

I would be spending more physical time with the field units overseas in than at DA assessing basic and advance soldiers. Developing NCOs and future NCOs.The farther am away from higher headquarters the better. To be a change agent is to do something for all NCOs. In these times of political uncertainty, NCOs need to be protected from these SecDef and Congressional disparities. Officers can come and go, however enlisted personnel remain longer in units due to labor intense tasks, technical skill sets, and other logistical factors. There are other challenges like rallying the troops, being a positive workforce multiplier, and getting stuff done.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2016 9:12 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 09:12:30 -0500

Eliminate political correctness and replace it with smoke sessions. If anyone says they are offended by something, they get smoked until they aren't offended anymore. Sheltered baby soldiers don't win wars, warriors do. Take the lawyers and politicians out of the chain of command, including their influence on matters like the budget. Reduce the interaction between officer and junior enlisted. Be a military again instead of a glorified summer camp.

Response by SFC Joseph Dunphy made Mar 8 at 2016 9:26 AM

SFC Joseph Dunphy — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 09:26:02 -0500

One program that IMO has been extremely effective is the Family Readiness Groups. It is my understanding that there have been cutbacks to the program, which IMO is not good for morale. With the increasing reliance on the Reserve and National Guard units, it seems to me that this needs to be strengthened all across the board. FRG brings all the families of the unit members together, and, once deployed, the unit has some reassurance that someone at home is looking after their family.

Response by 1SG Michael Hargis made Mar 8 at 2016 9:42 AM

1SG Michael Hargis — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 09:42:55 -0500

First and foremost any suggestions made to the SMA should be substantial (I'm really not happy that someone thought their best question to the SMA was if we could wear black socks with PT's). That being said the top three things I would always keep foremost in my mind if I was the SMA is what can I do to enhance "Shoot, Move, and Communication". I can articulate how family readiness, SHARP, PT, facilities, etc. all enhance those three, but that would take about a gig to explain; I can also articulate how on line trng., lack of Be/Know/Do, and legal bias (only certain religions being allowed to wear beards) degrades from morale ultimately affecting "Shoot, Move, and Communication".

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2016 12:25 PM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 12:25:38 -0500

Medical staff is too liberal at issuing profiles to Soldiers. No tolerance for APFT failures. Two failures and your out. Stricter policy on completing NCOES/OES/PME. If the Soldier does not complete their perspective SSD within 12 months, they are taking off the promotion list. If the Soldier fails to attend their perspective NCOES/OES within a prescribed time period, they are automatically reduced to their previous rank and not allowed to compete for promotion again.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2016 2:27 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 14:27:40 -0500

Well, the height and weight and taping needs to be fixed. Too many people who have huge necks are getting past tape with a huge gut in front of them and losing way too many good physically fit soldiers. We have much more accurate, and correct, ways to get body fat percentage.
APFT needs to be fixed, too. We are using 1950's, or earlier, exercise ideas in 2016. This is a problem. Why is there a two mile run? We run two miles in a desert you are just going to be in a desert still and if you have to run two miles in general in combat, you have a lot bigger problems than your cardiovascular endurance. I don't think we should take away cadio tests completely, but we have better ways to test it. All this is a mute point because they already redid the pt test and is should be coming out in the summer. I like the new part in it where your pt score helps determine what MOS you can have.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2016 6:05 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 18:05:01 -0500

At AIT teach to the top 5% and force the others to keep up...those that can't make say thank you for trying...here's your honorable discharge...call it investing in the force.

Response by SPC Byron Skinner made Mar 9 at 2016 12:17 AM

SPC Byron Skinner — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 00:17:56 -0500

Sp4 Byron Skinner. The US Army is a dynamic organization and is in constant flux. Every time a piece of equipment is added or changes the organization of something has to be changed. We don't do the same thing todays that we did 50 years ago. BCT no longer used the M-14, boots are not black and you don't wear white name tags or sleep in 50 man open bay barracks that have no interior walls, at Ft. Dix in January.

Response by SSG Lenzie Bailey made Mar 9 at 2016 10:29 AM

SSG Lenzie Bailey — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 10:29:56 -0500

I have read a lot of the comments and the issues or ideas I had the majority of them have been touched on. But there are a few things that I would like to mention like. Bringing back SQT testing is one of the best ideas that I have heard in years. The revamping of the HW regulations. You can still be Army Strong but not have to look like young Arnold to do so. And change that mission first motto to SOLDIERS FIRST. Without the soldiers you will never complete the mission! Go bacc to black leather boots while in Garrassion. Let's see those soldiers that take pride in their uniform and shining their boots. And I know this really is a tall request but give the Black Beret back to the Rangers!