What are your thoughts about the ability to pick your own assignments?

2016-12-25T15:44:53-05:00

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 25 at 2016 4:15 PM

2016-12-25T16:15:30-05:00

It's a very nice thing to have but not very practical in the long process. You could very well have way too many people picking certain locations while other locations aren't getting any picks. At some point, DA is going to have to take those picks and throw some of them out the window and shuffle people where they need them..........like they already do.

Response by SFC Pete Kain made Dec 25 at 2016 4:23 PM

2016-12-25T16:23:36-05:00

You can pick....getting them on the other hand...

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 25 at 2016 6:01 PM

2016-12-25T18:01:08-05:00

I think you should be able to pick them after certain assignments. Assignments like being a drill sergeant, AIT instructor, and Korea. Other than that you risk saturating certain assignments if folks could do that.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Dec 25 at 2016 6:09 PM

2016-12-25T18:09:16-05:00

If your leadership is worth their salt, they will know what you're capable of more than you. So input is fine, but I've seen way too many otherwise good people who'd settle for less vs. more. So when we're sitting at promotion or detailing boards, we look at what we expect the member can do. That said, there's the bell curve with the other end never failing to live down to low expectations. In those cases, the goal is to limit the blast perimeter. If your leadership stinks, then pushing more for your next challenge sure beats treading water. So it can be good or bad depending. Focus first on the job and where it fits in the career path, then the location. I will admit I had a good choice of billets following three deployments to Antarctica. So off to do two tours with the Marines!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 25 at 2016 8:01 PM

2016-12-25T20:01:15-05:00

You should have some control over where you go the military should try to put people where they want to be, but the military is what has the final say where you go. I do think that letting people be at one place longer is a good idea. Move people when people need or want to be moved not every 2-3 years because they have been there that long.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Dec 25 at 2016 8:13 PM

2016-12-25T20:13:25-05:00

Input to an assignment is great, bu the needs of the Service should always be the leading factor. Not every soldier know where their MOS is needed.

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Dec 25 at 2016 9:38 PM

2016-12-25T21:38:13-05:00

This is a great way to empower our Soldiers! Soldiers can pick from a menu of available assignments that are aligned with career progression. On the flip side, the Amy's not going to allow Soldiers to harm their careers or take advantage of a system...not all assignments will be available to all Soldiers.

Response by MCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 26 at 2016 6:38 PM

2016-12-26T18:38:30-05:00

The Coast Guard does this. Each year when assignment season rolls around (01OCT), a computer list of all billets to be open for the next year is released. You log in and can download EVERY job open for your paygrade and quals - then take the list home to your spouse/kids and/or a beer or 14, and go through what you feel is good/acceptable/or HELL NO. It lists the requisite quals and you can see if you are legitimately qualified for the job. You rank your choices and submit your e-dream-sheet.

Now, you CAN get generic. You can put, "East Coast" or "Europe" and odds are you'll get it. If you put down nothing but three billets in Base XX, odds are you'll be whining that you got "screwed." If you have rating/AFSC/MOS XXX and they want XXY, hey, odds are that you won't get it, but at least you know that up front.

With this system, the last numbers I saw was that over 97% got one of their top three picks, with another 2.5% getting one of their top five. Also, if you have that XXX career field and nobody else put in for that XXY job, you just might get it!!

Of course, the Army has 12+ times the personnel, so I'm not so sure it will work for that many folks. We also have "assignment priority" codes for jobs, based on alleged hardship - sand peeps (garrison troops) are low priority, while isolated duty (like Attu, Alaska - 15 people there for a year at a time) have highest priority.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Dec 27 at 2016 8:46 AM

2016-12-27T08:46:11-05:00

It's both good and bad, but I primarily voted good. The biggest problem is you'd have an influx in certain areas and dwindling numbers in others. Using the Marine Corps as an example, no one wants to get stationed at Cherry Point because "there's nothing to do". The majority of the Marines are young bodies who want the big city excitement. Cherry Point is more preferential to families. But that's why I like the idea of putting down your top 3 requests down. This way, not everyone might get their first choice, but maybe your 2nd and 3rd choice help keep you happy as well as dispersing our bodies in even numbers.

Response by SFC Dennis A. made Dec 27 at 2016 5:04 PM

2016-12-27T17:04:19-05:00

For the individual it would be great, for the military I think not so much. All of the so called cushy assignments would be over staffed and locations that aren't that fun would be understaffed.