You're in Charge, 3 Changes to the Army or Military in General, GO!

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 07:54:32 -0500

My three:<br><br>Retirement: Begin Retirement pay at the 10 year mark, someone gives up a decade of their life for their country 25% of their base pay isn't that much to ask in return. <br><br>Uniforms: Goodbye combat uniforms in garrison. Exceptions being of course Field training and Motor Pool Ops. This would also fix some weight issues in the Army, Make everyone wear their Class B ASU's there will be more people in the gym next week.<br><br>Standards: We need to cut the force, Easy fix Every Company in the Army holds a formation on January 6th. A PT Test Follows, and a hight and weight after that.<br>If you fail either of those events you go on the track to a new career according to regulations. Within 1 year you would see a leaner more fit fighting force.<br>

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 8:29 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 08:29:57 -0500

<p>PRT: basically its a joke.  Crossfit needs to be indoctrinated into the Army as the Physical Fitness Program to include the diet, either Paleo or Gluten free food.  This will give the fastest and best results.  Soldiers on profiles and older Soldiers could participate in all exercises and build on their weakness.  Take the Soldiers to the gym during the duty day, this will get them out of their rooms or the lockers in the company because they have nothing to do most of the time.</p><p> </p><p>Sleep:  Some Senior enlisted members and current/prior Drill Sergeants preach the 4 hours a day and doesn't have to be consecutive.  Little to no sleep leads to poor performance, stress, bad health/overweight, etc.  Sure were "up in the morning before day", but simply pushing that back to later in the day allows Soldiers to sleep more.  </p><p> </p><p>Leadership:  "I'm just old Army, you NEW Army NCO's are soft and fluffy".  It's not just older senior leaders that act this way.  We need to revamp the NCO Corp and Officer Corp all together.  Since when are we better than our Soldiers?  Motivation is hard to find these days.  If a JR NCO asks a Senior NCO for advice, often the advice never comes.  And since when is a Soldier asking a question a bad thing.  Soldiers ask so they can learn and develop their own techniques, that is how we got to where we are as leaders; the concept of check down not up is as dumb as do as I say and not as I do.</p><p> </p><p>2LT Hooser, good discussion.  Retirement at 10 might be pushing it but perhaps putting that in place for a year or two might help with pushing Soldiers out of the Army.  I agree and disagree with the uniforms, Some MOS's we simply can't wear ASU during duty hours.  Perhaps one day a week like the Air Force for individuals whose duties are more office related.  Standards are probably on everyone's mind in some way.  Not sure if you were prior enlisted or not, a couple of years ago several units were conducting something similar to this.  Big Army came down about downsizing and kicking below standard Soldiers.  APFT in my battalion was conducted the following week, failures were given time to correct themselves and the ones that couldn't started separation.  Good discussion Sir.</p>

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Nov 19 at 2013 8:37 AM

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 08:37:44 -0500

This is tough to answer because there's so much info we don't know re: Big Military planning.  Anyway, here are 3 areas I would focus on:  (1) More emphasis on professional military education and academic degree programs for personnel while in uniform; (2) More opportunities for joint training and collaboration across service branches and specialties; and (3) New opportunities for personnel to take sabbaticals and train/work alongside professionals in non-military industries that are relevant to their military specialty.  I think the USAF does this last one, but I'm not sure.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 8:54 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 08:54:55 -0500

If I could change 3 things about the Army right now.

1) Get rid of all the online check the block training. If it was giving Soldiers training that they really retained you wouldn't have to have 5 different online classes that cover the same thing annually. If you actually gave me time to spend with my Soldiers instead of sitting them in front of a computer I could teach them the stuff they need to know. But even that is to much because Everyone has to be certified in classes to talk to their Soldiers about right and wrong and resiliency. What do you pay me for?

2) Come up with a better system for assignments. I believe in the technologically advanced world we live in we can come up with something so much better than emailing some guy behind a desk that could care less if you get even close to what you want for an assignment. Possibly start some sort of a job board that is linked to your ERB or other records that populates upcoming assignments. You pick one you want and then your assignment gets added to the board because you need a replacement. I just don't think it is being handled properly. My first PCS I emailed branch said I want Fort Belvoir; he said nope your only option is Fort Huachuca. I emailed back and said what about Fort Lewis; he said yep I can do that. What?

I only got 2; I am sure given more time I could come up with another. But everything I can think of are things that I don't have to wait till I am the big man to fix. I can make those changes now. Never to early to start making things better.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 9:05 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 09:05:23 -0500

1. All enlisted rank is given based on a board. This eliminates favoritism, and gives people with demonstrated leadership potential the opportunity for advancement. The key to this system: the board to choose who advances to Sergeant Major is comprised of three Sergeants, three Staff Sergeant, and a single Sergeant First Class who moderates and votes in the case of a tie.

2. Uniform Changes: Rolling sleeves and pressed uniforms. All Support and Service Support MOSs in garrison wear the Class B uniform, as well as Combat soldiers on Fridays in garrison.

3. Army Acquisitions staffed by junior enlisted and officers, NOT ONE SINGLE GENERAL OFFICER is allowed anywhere near the decision making in terms of what new technology the Army can buy. There's too much corruption and funneling that goes on with many Flag Officers going on to work as "Consultants" for those same companies after their service is up.

Response by MAJ Samuel Weber made Nov 19 at 2013 9:30 AM

MAJ Samuel Weber — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 09:30:53 -0500

Great question! This is hard but here is my 2 cents:

1) Uniforms: Back to ironing/pressing the uniform. Sew-on would remain an
option. If you work in an office (all the time) like at the Pentagon,
Recruiting, Division HQ, Garrison, or a Brigade HQ then you should wear Class
B's and A's. Anyone who must conduct daily business that requires labor or
field duty should wear ACUs (Ranges, Motorpool, Warehouse, DFAC, etc).

2) Retirement: Keep the 20 year 50% retirement, but until you hit 15 years
the Army could use a point system. Deployments are worth extra points and
hardship tours as well. At the end of your service (regardless of years) you
would be compensated at the age of 55 with whatever your points were. I don’t
feel that we need to provide retirement at 38-42 like we are currently doing.
European Countries don't pay until 55-65. Since most of us are healthy enough
to work at 40 years of age.

3) Discipline: Crack down on Soldier discipline. Officers and Enlisted. We
have lost pride in our uniform and how we conduct ourselves. Parade Rest and
sharp salutes go a long way to show a Soldier's pride in himself/herself and
the Army. Nothing like a weak "Yes Sergeant" or limp Salute to show
you how much a Soldier doesn't care.....

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 9:43 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 09:43:08 -0500

I agree with the PT component, especially in the Air Force. I was always fit and always involved in sports and doing a lot of aerobics.

Would also want better transitional assistance and classes to adjust to the civilian world.

I would go back to single station forecasting with forecasters at the Base Weather Facility.

Response by LCDR Mike Milliken made Nov 19 at 2013 12:48 PM

LCDR Mike Milliken — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 12:48:54 -0500

My Three:

Training Centralization: As an IP Officer, my biggest complaint and that of my leadership is we have not done a good enough job holistically putting together a common network architecture that allows universal sharing of data. Too many websites, portals, etc to track and remember. We could narrow down this list quite easily and ensure we are adhering to the Joint requirement as set forth years ago. This also lends itself to better CND.

Family-Education: I agree with the education comments but lets ensure as part of that we take care of our families. We have been asking more and more and quite frankly we are breaking the very support we swore to protect. Too many divorces, and unintended consequences for our over-extension of the forces. We talk a good game about families and education but we are not doing it enough as a force.

Deployment-Mission Creep: We do not have the force of the cold war and yet we seem to be able to try and cover all of those requirements. It needs to stop and ask ourselves do we need to do all of this? Our Allies have to start pulling more weight and truly allow the multi-national approach to flourish.

Summary: All 3 of these are interconnected and benefit each other or hinder/hurt when not.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 1:02 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 13:02:49 -0500

1- Get all Soldiers out of the barracks and allow them to spend their money as they wish. At least, don't let their unclaimed Meal Deductions fund TDY and other garbage that doesn't directly improve the quality of life for those exploited Soldiers.

2- Simplify and streamline everything. I spend my life dealing with needless manufactured emergencies.

3- Renegotiate housing contracts. Privatization is good but it is hard for me to believe that an Austrailian Corp. (Lend Lease Corp) has our best interests in mind. (FT Hood)

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 1:05 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 13:05:37 -0500

Provide Soldiers the option to adequately defend themselves in garrison.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 1:15 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 13:15:08 -0500

No free leave for homo type sexuals. Or, free leave for everyone.

Response by SGT Christopher Highe made Nov 19 at 2013 1:25 PM

SGT Christopher Highe — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 13:25:32 -0500

· Promotions: No more what you can memorize promotion boards. Move to a skills based evaluation for individual MOS' similar to the Navy and Air Force. Leaders should be proficient in not just general military skills but their MOS as well. Quoting regulations all day doesn't meet both goals.

· Training: Before I got out of the service it had gotten to "Train to Time" instead of "Train to Standard". Understandable that you have limitations, but if the standard is not met, the soldier or soldiers that failed to meet the standard need to retrain and qualify on the training at hand. Checking the block just leads to a degradation in the quality of soldiers. From IET to Active Duty.

· Time Management on Weapons Maintenance: In the time that I spent as a Unit Armorer, this was one of the biggest that I saw company commands fail on. They would often only input a Day Zero for weapons maintenance and then leave it on the wayside for their armorer to handle all the maintenance especially when quarterly maintenance came due. Proper weapons maintenance requires a follow up by the Operator to identify any faults for the unit armorer, it shouldn't fall to the armorer to discover 10-level faults during a 20-level inspection.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 2:40 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 14:40:22 -0500

Sir, While I concur that we need to remove some individuals from our ranks
failing the height and weight is/and should not be grounds for separation. I
believe you me body fat percentage.

Second 10 year retirement pay would be awesome, but realistically it would
only make things worse. Standards were lowered due to the war. Today’s Army is
dealing with this and trying to find way to remove substandard individuals.
Major corporations do something similar all of the time. They hire season employees around holidays and then let them go unless they performed exceptionally well.
We are in the lay off stage.

Can you imagine they type of people we would get
if they knew they only had to do 10 years. No one would really want to be in,
they would just want to knock out 10 and get the retirement. It will water down
the true meaning of serving our country. Also don’t forget the financial drain
it would cause paying everyone after only 10 years. Oh and there will not be
much continuity in regard to knowledge and experience.

Response by CPT Mike M. made Nov 19 at 2013 3:17 PM

CPT Mike M. — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 15:17:49 -0500

1. Physical fitness and appearance - Come up with a more comprehensive physical fitness test and come up with another means of calculating body fat. Anything will do. Our system for body fat determination is horrible and is second from the bottom only above one person looking at another and saying "you look fat, you're flagged."

2. Get rid of a lot of the Brigade and higher level staff positions that were created after 9/11 mainly for field grade officers. Our Army across the board has become WAY too rank top-heavy. Fewer positions means fewer individuals to fill those, which means fewer field grades and higher which means money saved for the government.

3. Enforce equal opportunity and SHARP while finding a balance between enforcing the standard and being a PC Nazi. We've become WAY too sensitive, WAY too thin skinned, and that's hurting our force in more ways than one. With everyone (or at least many) tiptoeing around those they work with for fear of saying something that gets taken out of context and ends their career, they're not comfortable in their workplace and perform poorly. Not to mention we're here to support and defend the Constitution, to defend America, and often times that means using lethal force to violently end the lives of those who oppose us. This is not a job for the faint of heart. There's no room for racism or sexism in our military, but we've got to be a little more able to let some out of place comments bounce off our skin.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 7:46 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 19:46:55 -0500

Alright SGT Darryl Dixon, down voting a topic without any remark?? Fair enough...

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 9:28 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 21:28:06 -0500

1.) No more DOD Civilians or contractors doing jobs we train Soldiers for. The comment that stands out to me was from a former Colonel who now holds a high position in the civilian corp stating DOD civilians "are now THE continuity in the Army".

2.) If we're going to have QMP/QSP boards lets see movement on it. I just haven't seen it.

3.) Stop having branch post meaningless advice on being "well rounded" and at the same time keep soldiers in the same unit for 7 & 8 years.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 9:32 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 21:32:25 -0500

1 - get rid of civilians, 2 - change the prior service to active duty regs 3 - improve PT and uniforms.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 9:35 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 21:35:23 -0500

The tattoo bullshit. I agree no neck and no hands but seriously...arms and legs is too much

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 9:40 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 21:40:15 -0500

Oh yeah...forgot...VELCO MUST GO!!

Response by Cpl Ray Fernandez made Nov 19 at 2013 10:28 PM

Cpl Ray Fernandez — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 22:28:23 -0500

Realign our force projection and bases through out the world to better meet our current threats. If we're going to be forced to be a leaner military, let's not cut muscle and make our ability to respond to threats smarter and more effective than planning for the big wars of the past.

Change standards use one standard for all genders, I want the best person in each MOS, and if we are going to downsize better keep the best people than to get rid of people based on their MOS. I do know some women that can out PT many men as well.

Change how we appropriate equipment, many times there are off the shelf items that work as well if not better than what we pay a lot more to contractors to deliver, and usually the items can be delivered faster.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 10:57 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 22:57:23 -0500

1. PRT. As this has already been discussed heaviliy, I will say that a program like P90X can produce great results, with little to no injury if performed correctly. Personally, I am a P90X success story, I went from a 197 lbs with a 213 PT score to 158 lbs with a 283 in 90 days. It was hard, and required a lot more than the Army could provide me with during the duty day, such as protion control, but it was a far better program than any other PT program I had done.

2. SQT should come back. I have served in technical fields since I joined the Army. My knowledge of my MOS has no bearing on my ability to get promoted. In fact, the two are almost contradictary to each other. By bringing back a test to ensure proficiency in the assigned MOS, we can promote quality leaders that know both their job, as well as how to lead soliders.

3. Personally, I would love to see the multi-tiered SPC system come back, maybe not across the board, but for certain fields. Some people are not leaders, and even they know it. They best serve the Army by acting as technical SMEs and have no desire to lead. They can contribute to shop functionality and mission success. Others are leaders, they excel at leadership, and may not be as proficient as others at their MOS. Let them lead, they want to. Not everyone is a leader, some people are followers, and vice versa. Acknowledge the difference and do not punish those that know they are not leaders.

Response by SPC David Wyckoff made Nov 20 at 2013 9:21 AM

SPC David Wyckoff — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 09:21:09 -0500

Just a lower enlisted thought;
1. I always thought that the PT test should more accurately reflect actual physical fitness. Maybe instead of pushups, situps, and a run, a more comprehensive test should be compiled. Maybe use a swim, running an obstacle course and a dummy drag up flights of stairs like firefighters. For example you would swim so many laps in a certain amount of time (low impact, high cardio to test endurance), run an obstacle course (ability to move over, under and through a battlefield situation) and a dummy drag (simulates carrying your buddy, as well as measuring lifting capacity for support units).

2. Increase retirement benefits back to where they were, say 20 years ago or more. I was a one hitch wonder, but I have friends that are retired and every few years it seems that their benefits are shaved down. I know the retirement part of the military budget can be a lot, but the government made a promise. It needs to keep that promise. Spending 20 years in the military is not the same as working for Boeing for 20 years. Return the medical care to being free for retirees, give back the medical care for spouses of retirees.
and finally

3. I think I would replace a lot of contractors with military personnel. A lot of the civilians that work for DoD are redundant or they can be replaced at a lower overall cost for doing the same job.

Response by SGT Ryan Siefert made Nov 20 at 2013 9:51 AM

SGT Ryan Siefert — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 09:51:38 -0500

1. PT: Revamp the program based off of Crossfit or Insanity. Have leaders actually conduct it as TRAINING instead of a "by the numbers" thing they have to do in the morning (in cadence, exercise = BORING). Tests should be more robust instead of the PU/SU/2-mile run. Add or replace with burpees, sprints, fireman carries/drags, etc. Institute a better and more accurate way to measure bodyfat percentage.

2. Multicams. I think they're the best uniform in the past 20 years. Yes, they are better than the BDUs no matter how nostalgic you are for the smell of Kiwi and spray starch.

3. NCOs should be allowed to hurt feelings again. No more of this crying about "hazing" or "bullying" nonsense. Soldiers need to develop thick skin and be pushed to do their absolute best.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2013 2:26 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 14:26:59 -0500

So many to chose from, so many issues need fixed. The ones that are always on my mind are:

1) Stop double BAH to joint Military members. Waste of money. It may also cut down on the atrocious divorce rate in the Army. (as a lot, not ALL, do marry for this reason alone) You're married now, your one, act like it.

2) Go back to the BDU's and black boots. I'm not a fan of Class Bs everyday, nor is it practical outside an office job. BDU's left plenty to judge a Soldiers attitude and commitment. I at least enjoyed getting Fridays off early because of my uniform.

3) Set a grace period where Service Members who have served the last 10 years have a chance for a separate one time sale of their built up leave. I just lost 30 days, how many thousands of dollars was that? Yeah, I could have taken that 30 days, but my commitment to where I work currently was worth more. I should have had the option to sell it off before they reached in my pocket.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2013 2:37 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 14:37:10 -0500

I have always thought that Soldiers, especially young ones, are babied too much. I feel this leads to irresponsible, inmature mid-level leaders. Therefore, my three changes would deal with cultivating a more mature, professional enlisted force. Failures in these areas would result in being dismissed from the Army and sent on their way, much like what would happen in the civilian sector. The compensation and opportunities offered by military service should be treated as what they are. If you don't do your job, you're fired. Period.

1) I would do away with the barracks. Soldiers have no sense of ownership and resposibility when it comes to their living quarters. Besides, if there is a 30 year old single Specialist living in the barracks, he/she is subject to all the antiquated rules and regulations involved such as random "health and welfare" checks, cleaning rosters and moving on the whim of the chain of command. At the same time, a married 19 year old PVT has the opportunity to live in a home, with a garage and a yard. No checks, no rosters. Common sense does not prevail here. Solution: give each Soldier housing allowance and empower them to take charge of their lives. Turn Barracks into studio apartments and privatize them for renting. Remove the chain of command from the picture.

2) PT. Ahhhh. I know I will hear it for this, but here goes: End organized PT. Come up with a more comprehensive APFT and tighten the standard when it comes to Height/Weight/BF%, and then allow Soldiers to take charge of their own fitness. If they fail an APFT or HT/WT, a program could be managed to help instruct them on the proper ways to get and remain fit, but ultimately, it's on them. We already hear "PT is an individual responsibility". I say make it so! Many would use the one-plus hour being wasted right now to actually better themselves.

3) Sick days should be treated much like they are in the civilian sector. Sick-call and profile riders would be penalized through leave days lost after an established number of sick days were used per fiscal year.

I understand there are unfeasable, and many will disagree with my stance, but think about all the time, energy and money spent on dealing with dysfunction in the Army. Now think about what could be accomplished if those resources could be used to advance knowledge and increase benefits?

Response by SPC Christopher Duncan made Nov 20 at 2013 4:11 PM

SPC Christopher Duncan — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:11:37 -0500

I agree with your 1st and 3rd points, but I don't agree with the 2nd. I think that would just add more stress onto the dog and pony show that the military has become lately. The one thing I would definitely change is bringing back the technical ranking system. Some people aren't necessarily fit to be NCOs in charge of people but are fantastic at their specialties. Let those people gain rank and focus on their jobs while those that are excellent troop leaders become excellent troop leaders. The military has become a more diverse place skill-wise and we need more technically savvy people in position to control that aspect of things, as opposed to hiring more contractors.

Response by Cpl Benjamin Long made Nov 20 at 2013 4:15 PM

Cpl Benjamin Long — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:15:36 -0500

Good Afternoon, I reviewed many of the responses here and they seem to be focused on the individual moreso than the group as a whole. LT Travis suggested that retirement start at ten years rather than the standard rate. This would achieve the fact that people would get retirement faster and for a longer time. In a limited money pool this could cause a run on the fiscal budget with people getting money earlier and faster. Of course with limited funds there would be obligations to pay the retirement agendas and financial adminstrators would have to choose to pay for repairing a multi million dollar weapon system or paying a retirement entitlement when there is a shortage in funds. Money does not magically appear and even in the DOD it may seem unlimited but it is not.

As far as uniforms go, is there a purpose to wearing a uniform in garrison? The rationalization is to aide with weight control? How exactly is this facilitated? This is a prime example of a post hoc fallacy where the assumption is that wearing a uniform causes weight loss... Where is the correlation that makes this possible? Making people wear a particular uniform has no correlation to say they will go to the gym.

Standards... the assertion that LT Travis maintains is that PFT is held annually on the 6th of January. So I am to assume that he means the test alone is enough to motivate people to stay in shape in lieu of small unit PT to help pass the test. An alternative to chopping people who do not make the PFT mark is to directly order them to perform small unit exercise, such as 10 to fifteen mile runs every morning, PT seesions on a regular basis. If you don't invest in your assets they will deteriorate.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2013 5:16 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 17:16:01 -0500

There are a million things I would fix (some I all ready
am). 1) I would kick out all the lazy, clock punishing, PT failing, Weapon
failing, Welfare collecting SM. 2). I would adjust the pay for NCO and
Officers, as a Platoon Sergeant with 10 Years, I make Less than my Platoon
Leader with 2 years. We both have Degrees why is the pay so much different. 3).
There has to be a checks an balance when it comes to finances W/ the army. A contracture
just got an job paying 23,500 dollars to paint our office and Tile over the
carpet, 4 days work. I could have painted the office with my soldiers all the
army had to do was supply the paint. The checks and balance would save the
Military Billions of dollars.

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2013 5:26 PM

PO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 17:26:21 -0500

OK, I've only been in four about 4.5 years, but this is what I see.

#1) This "hazing" and "bullying" nonsense needs to stop. I don't need to go much further into that, because I think we could all agree. "Grievance reports on the guys who are here to teach you success? What kind of sh*t is that?" (Actual quote from one of my E-6s)

#2) For god's sakes, could someone PLEASE make the whole "access and update my own personal files on my own time" system a LITTLE easier to understand... and simplify it? I feel like the websites are being operated by 12-year-olds who can't understand more than about eight words of the entire English language. Anyone who doesn't work in any sort of INTEL rating/MOS knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about here.

#3) No more of this favoritism. You should not allowed to give the office-jockey (who just so happens to "be cool" with you) a top-notch evaluation over the guy who sweats and bleeds for 18 hours a day in that Middle East heat. Paper qualifications and test scores hold ABSOLUTELY ZERO weight if you can't perform the task when it comes down to the wire.

And that's three that I have... possibly not my TOP three, but they're the ideas I'm thinking of right now.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2013 5:26 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 17:26:25 -0500

There are a million things I would fix (some I all ready am). 1) I would kick out all the lazy, clock punishing, PT failing, Weapon failing, Welfare collecting SM. 2). I would adjust the pay for NCO and Officers, as a Platoon Sergeant with 10 Years, I make Less than my Platoon Leader with 2 years. We both have Degrees why is the pay so much different. 3). There has to be a checks an balance when it comes to finances W/ the army. A contracture just got an job paying 23,500 dollars to paint our office and Tile over the carpet, 4 days work. I could have painted the office with my soldiers all the army had to do was supply the paint. The checks and balance would save the Military Billions of dollars.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2013 6:14 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 18:14:51 -0500

Caveat: I am not anything remotely close to a strategic thinker. As such, I have no idea what is truly on the plate of GOs, and fully recognize that I may be speaking out of my derriere. Having said that:

1) Create better strategic thinkers. We are an amazing tactical military. No one on the battlefield can stand toe-to-toe to us. Unfortunately, a rag-tag bunch of mountain men whom, AKs and RPGs taken away, Alexander the Great would have recognized have been able to repel us. I think this is because our strategic thinking is stagnant and our strategic leaders either aren't properly culled or our leaders aren't properly trained. The Surge is an example of a new and innovative strategy which worked. However, it took two years in a middle-eastern abattoir for our strategy to meet the needs of the field. We should have gone into the field with a coherent and winning strategy created by strategic leaders.

2) Invigorate the personnel system. I don't hate how it is now, but I think we can utilize best practices as they are understood in the private sector to better cull talent. I'm not calling for a complete overhaul; just a retooling and/or reunderstanding. As I mentioned elsewhere on RP, the bios of an IN LTC/CSM BN team will read nearly exactly the same as every other IN BN team. Let's look at accelerated promotion for our studs or extended stays in broadening assignments. Often times a great CPT doesn't make a great MAJ, and just perhaps he/she doesn't want to be a MAJ.

3) That's all I go.

Response by SSG Genaro Negrete made Nov 21 at 2013 1:21 AM

SSG Genaro Negrete — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 01:21:49 -0500

1) Get rid of the SPC rank. it is a waste of money and completely pointless. a junior soldier would continue automatic progression through the ranks up to PFC. after that, the soldier should be expected to move into the NCO corps as either CPL or SGT. Correct me if i'm wrong, but we are the only branch that starts it's NCO Corps at E-5, not E-4. The army seems to have just stopped caring at all about the E-4 pay grade. SPC's are often disregarded as lazy. God forbid you find a competent one because he will be worked into the ground without any formal documentation to show for it. CPL's are marginalized as "pretend" NCOs. The entire pay grade seems like a place holder for a soldier's career (or lack there of). If we are to keep this pay grade, let it be the proving ground for a young NCO. This will allow newly minted SGT's to have a solid background in leading and training soldiers. I have seen too many soldiers pin on three stripes and still not know the first thing about counseling forms (just to name one thing).

2) In regards to downsizing; let anyone that doesn't want to be here leave tomorrow. Similar to a DCSS ('deck' statement), the SM would leave as is. if the SM hasn't completed the initial enlistment, they forfeit GI bill rights and pay back any bonus money. We are up in arms about giving the boot to drug addicts, fat bodies, sex offenders, and any other malcontents that we forget those that just don't want to serve. As a volunteer force, an unwilling soldier seems just as useless as any of the aforementioned soldiers. the main stipulation for this would be that there would be zero incentive to do this. The details would require A LOT of discussion, but the end state is the same: only those that care to be here should remain here.

3) End the "discussion based" teaching model at the NCO academies. After completing WLC and ALC, these discussion based moments more often than not degrade into general pissing contests about how things are done at one unit versus another. This does not teach anything. It is supposed to be an academy, not a glorified facebook wall for the students to spout opinions and hearsay. give the course material some actual content. WLC should certify new NCO's on how to develop an actual physical fitness plan for a soldier. ALC should explain the doctrinal intent of that godforsaken 2166-8-1 NCO counseling support form. WLC should teach the basics of rifle shooting, zeroing your weapon, setting up a range card, and concepts like interlocking fields of fire and the difference between grazing fire and enfilading fire. ALC should give the NCO a certificaiton on the use of Microsoft Office. I know this sounds extremely POG of me, but a solid understanding of these organizational tools can vastly streamline any training room and prepare an E-6 for managing a platoon of soldiers.

Response by SSG Christopher Freeman made Nov 21 at 2013 7:06 AM

SSG Christopher Freeman — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 07:06:20 -0500

1. PT. Physical fitness should be our first focus. Actually enforce flagging and separation procedures IAW appropriate ARs. This would help to thin the force out to an extent. Included with that would be a comprehensive review of the profile system.

2. NCOES. This is a two part change to the NCOES. First, make it more challenging from WLC to USAMA. These courses should not be just a gentleman's course. You could use the increased difficulty to weed out those that are not top performers, only putting your best at the top. Second, allow some NCOES schools to have MTTs. For some, ALC is well over a year wait. In some over strength jobs, having an MTT would open some slots so we do not lose really good-performing NCOs.

3. Uniforms. For the Army, go to Multicam period. All this money that is being used to research could be used to cut the overall cost to the Soldier. Second, allow Soldiers to DX their Class A's for ASUs. You can still charge for it, but at a heavily discounted rate.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 21 at 2013 6:27 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 18:27:09 -0500

Uniforms: Instead of everyone having different patterns of uniforms to 'stand-out' among other branchs, simplify down to one or two versions of the same uniform, only changing the military branch tape and rank, to correspond. The military all together has spent well over $30 million dollars in the last ten years going back and forth on which uniform to wear. That's plenty of fraud, waste, and abuse.

Standard-Enforcement: I'm not the most 'in-shape' NCO, but I pass my PT Test. Rather than drag SNCOs and CGOs along so they can finish their career, enforce the standards they are supposed to uphold. If your combat uniform is screaming at the buttons, either solve the problem yourself or find another line of work. I'm sick of seeing personnel NCOs waddling around their office pointing out 'dirty' uniforms or unkept hair when they can't see their feet.

I can't really think of a third one at this moment, my brain is kind of fried from the weather (rainy and dismal)

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 21 at 2013 6:51 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 18:51:04 -0500

I figured out my third change...dismantling all specialized units, i.e, ThunderBirds, Blue Angels, Golden Knights. These are great for air shows to promote the services they are apart of; however, the amount of resources they burn/waste for non-mission essential operations is RIDICULOUS!Additionally, what are the commercials they show on television, the websites they maintain on the internet, and the recruiting stations being manned daily...? When the T-Birds were grounded, I wouldn't be surprised if the AF saved thousands of gallons of jet fuel.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 21 at 2013 6:52 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 18:52:35 -0500

1. BAH: I think BAH w/dependents should be reserved for those that actually have dependents. A wife or husband choosing not to work should not equate to being a dependent.

More specifically, what is the difference in living expenses for a single soldier and a married soldier without children? The soldier is going to live in the same apartment and use relatively similar amounts of utilities. The only added expenses are in the form of food, clothing, cellphones, etc. None of which the military is offering to pay.

The choice to get married should not mean that the military pays more unless an actual difference in living situation is required such as children. Only once children or an invalid dependent is added to the equation is a larger apartment needed. This change alone would stop marriages of convenience and save the military a great deal of money. Maybe then the military could actually bring back schools on base.

2. Medical: I think we should be paying a copay for dependent care. An annual deductible of $250 or so per dependent would help reduce unnecessary health care access and make people focus on whether their sniffle could be better treated with some Nyquil. I would make preventative services such as health care checkups and immunizations exempt from the deductible, but otherwise expect people to pay a minimal fee in order to use the military's very generous medical benefits.

3. Rank Progression: I would like to see automatic promotion from PVT to SPC slowed down. Currently progression from PVT to SPC in 24 months is creating a situation where PVT's are rarely even seen due to long AITs. I would also get rid of the option to enlist at a rank higher than PVT except for people holding degrees. PVT - PV2 should take at least 6 months, PV2 - PFC should take a year, and PFC - SPC should take two years. Early promotions based on performance would allow a much faster progression.

All of my suggestions are based on saving the tax payer and the military money. I would hope that the savings were pored back into the military to help us where we need it most.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 25 at 2013 8:47 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 20:47:16 -0500

"Retirement: Begin Retirement pay at the 10 year mark, someone gives up a decade of their life for their country 25% of their base pay isn't that much to ask in return."

AGREED

Uniforms is a problem for me because in the 12N field we can never truly plan motor pool ops somedays you find yourself under a dozer when you had planned the whole day in the office or in some other non-grease filled manner.

DISAGREED

Standards this is a tough one for me because I broke my foot the first week in Afghanistan last deployment (16 months ago) and the Doctors mis diagnosed me and now 16 months later it is still broke and I am unable to PT and as a result have gone over the weight limit however I am still an asset to the military. Simply being in shape does not make you a good soldier I have seen many 300+ PTers that could not fill out a simple form or read a DD214 let alone know which is the business end of a SAW. While I agree that standards need tightened I do not agree that a leaner more fit force equals a better force.

AGREE and DISAGREE

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 25 at 2013 10:52 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 22:52:58 -0500

My 3;

Upgraded, durable material, uniforms.

No more DL crap before schools it is a waste of time and money. The last DL course I did included multiple questions that did not have the correct answers as a choice and required me contacting the administrators and demonstrating to them what the correct answers were. i passed but why on earth should I be teaching the teachers? I have also heard this from several others.

Stop punishing all for a few bad apples. We have all had some restrictions placed on us either by big army or unit commanders because some idiot went and did something stupid. Stop confining me to base because some other soldier cannot behave properly, stop telling me I cannot do such and such because some other fool went beyond social norms and bad things happened. Punish the idiots and punish them hard for being idiots and make it public and make it loud. Other will see and hear and will think twice. Stop punishing the good guys because of the bad guys.

Response by PO3 Brenton Holbrook made Nov 26 at 2013 4:08 PM

PO3 Brenton Holbrook — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 16:08:59 -0500

Sir, I agree with your 10 yr @ 25% Base Pay idea. Some would be willing to get out at that point and move on, which would create a smaller force. And you are definitely right, a voluntary 10 years away from "Normal civilian life" I think is worth 25%. I can't elaborate on Uniforms, however Standards need to be completely overhauled DoD wide. The system used is completely bogus and unfair. However, with that said I do have to say there are too many "big people" in the Military. I'm not trying to point fingers, but Army, you guys are notorious for this. Again, I'm not throwing people under the bus, and I know every branch has their "certain few," but hands down I have seen more Army out of regulations than any other that I have come into contact with.

Response by SPC John Arias made Nov 26 at 2013 4:40 PM

SPC John Arias — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 16:40:51 -0500

1) POLITICAL CORRECTNESS/STANDARDS! It has sickened me of the depleting of our Military Soldiers training, disciplinary actions, required-quality of life, integration of women into Infantry, non-usage of fowl language.......... 2) ELITE DIVISIONS/PHYSICAL TRAINING! Special Forces, Rangers, 101st Airborne and the 82nd Airborne all need to revert to what they had been. Infantry depleted and no such thing as "Hard Core" due to having a college dorm demeanor. I don't want to degrade some of the few left, for how long they shall last......... 3) MILITARY PAY! The pay has always been astonishingly low for E-1 to E-4, especially with families. Give them a little boost.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 8 at 2013 8:48 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 20:48:13 -0500

Ok...here are my three.

1. We need a return to enforcing standards, which includes Soldiers having integrity again. I am tired of the senior officers that commit ethics violations, travel FRAUD, etc. and are allowed to retire with their current rank. These things would get me sent to Leavenworth. This needs to happen to Senior officers and NCO's that run afoul of the law.

2. Fix the camo uniform once and for all. Let's decide on a pattern that protects Soldiers lives. In concert with this lose the black beret once and for all!

3. We need a better and more robust military education system. Once that awards degrees and really challenges Soldiers. No more of the standard classes that bore the heck out of Soldiers and does not challenge them. We should have NCO's and officers that really are students of the military, including tactics, history, etc.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 8 at 2013 9:00 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 21:00:21 -0500

1- Education (Accreditation for all schools, specifically basic and advanced courses.)

2- Physical Fitness Standards (Someone mentioned CrossFit... great idea.)

3- Promotion Testing/Skill-level testing (keep the best, toss the rest)

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Dec 8 at 2013 9:58 PM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 21:58:15 -0500

I'm invoking my right to initiative and going beyond 3 suggestions.

1) Redesign the NCOER to completely eliminate subjectivity (A rubric will have to be designed, I imagine).

2) Add 2 years to the minimum TIS for all ranks, no waivers authorized.

3)NCOES must be completed BEFORE becoming eligible for the next rank, no waiver's authorized.

4) SP4-9 are coming back. We don't need a thousand chiefs and three workers, and not everyone is cut out to be a leader. All personnel upon making E-4 are entered into the SPC ranks, and NCO ranks will be frocked as necessary, only while that person holds an authorized leadership position on the MTOE/TDA. Upon leaving that position, they revert back to their corresponding SPC rank until they occupy another leadership position.

5) AR 670-1's section on grooming will be massively simplified in terms of haircuts. Males and females will each have five hairstyles they can choose from, no others are authorized.

6) MOS testing is back, no waivers, and no, I don't care if you've been working outside of your MOS. TM's, FM's, and distance learning are there for a reason, and if you can't be bothered to stay current in your MOS, then no promotions for you, because I promise you, someone else IS willing.

7) Commissioned Officers will be an alternate career path, much like Warrant Officers already are, both of which will be drawn only from the NCO Corps. Basically the NCO Corps will be the "feeder" for all Officer types. (We can set some form of "minimum time served as an NCO" for all the SP5-9's who are interested). Basically, our leaders will only be drawn from those personnel who have already demonstrated competency at leadership.

8) Alcohol involvement mandates that all punishments from Article 15's and Courts Martial be set at MAXIMUM. Any subsequent actions for alcohol related offenses are a mandatory BCD.

9) The rank and name will be left off of all award submissions (S-1 can assign a code or something). Awards will be accomplishment based, not rank.

10) The mandatory NCO and Officer swords are coming back, the use of which (drill, not combat, don't get TOO excited) will be taught at NCOES/OES.

I can seriously keep going... and going.... and going, but won't for the sake of brevity.

Response by TSgt Phillip L. made Dec 12 at 2013 9:12 PM

TSgt Phillip L. — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 21:12:06 -0500

Good ideas. I actually support them all. On your PT Test idea though, the AF just completed a modified version of that over a couple of years, and has pretty much decimated their experience. It turns out someone who has been a mechanic for 15-20 years abusing their body to get the mission done, can't still do push-ups, sit-ups or run as fast as a 20 year old. Impractical PT standards have been used many times in military history to slim down the force however.

I don't have all the answers, but fitness standards perhaps don't make sense as a cut & dry one size fits all, cookie cutter standard. Not my problem anymore. I don't have to get steroid injections to pass a run test anymore. I regret having done that to make it to the end of my enlistment though, all it did was allow me to further trash my knees for the sake of the mission. Errr, wait, running time wasn't the mission.....was it? I'm in hugely in favor of SOME retirement benefits at the 10 and 15 year marks.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 17 at 2013 11:47 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 11:47:34 -0500

I agree with your Retirement idea. As for the uniforms and Standards...I know these are just your opinions and everyone is entitled to have their own, but it does give me pause to hear such tunnel visions views on how to fix the Army coming from our future leaders. There is no "easy" fix to standards and you might be suprised to see exactly who is affected by your PT and height/weight on 6 Jan. As an AG NCO, I can relay some mighty interesting metrics when it comes to applying the standard EQUALLY acrosss the force. Some would be suprised at how many leaders would be caught up in failing versus our junior Soldiers. I graded an APFT just this morning and it was a leader that failed...I wonder if his FLAG will ever make it the BN S1 or will this mysteriously become a "diagnostic" APFT just for the one person? How many of the leaders showed up for the APFT but didn't make it to the height/weight event? Oh, that's right, they will get theirs down later (in private, not in front of the other Soldiers like everyone else did). Sorry, I don't mean to sound bitter, but what you said struck a chord. And yes, I have voiced my concerns to the senior leadership of the unit. What they do remains to be seen...

Response by SFC Randy Purham made Dec 18 at 2013 3:18 AM

SFC Randy Purham — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 03:18:18 -0500

1. Comprehensive Leadership & MOS Proficency test requirement for promotion; scrap centralized promotions. Its been broke for decades.

2. Evaluations (NCOERS/OERS) done through surveys and rated by Soldiers in the Unit.

3. Physical Fitness - Scrap it! Make it an individual responsibility to stay in shape. Set the guidelines and let the individual manage it. Allow the window of opportunity to accommodate it i.e. PT Hours. Not everyone needs to PT everyday and pass a PT Test.

4. Education = Promotion (NCOs/Officers) Tired of seeing illiterate seniors who can't construct sentences - let alone read aloud.

I know 3, but I could go all day.

Response by SFC James Baber made Jan 11 at 2014 10:21 PM

SFC James Baber — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 22:21:11 -0500

I think this is a good thread for those we are trying to get to join can see the substance of some things we discuss between us as current and former military, soft spoken as well as informational and mentoring types of postings.

We also have fun at times while remaining professional.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 14 at 2014 12:17 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 12:17:02 -0500

TOP 3:

STEP 1: Get everyone who is eligible to go to NCOES or Officer Training enrolled and completed ASAP... To many lingerers in the Army... If they cannot pass a HT/WT or APFT then they have no business leading.

STEP 2: HOLD EVERYONE ACCOUNTABLE.... If a 4 Star General or E1 PVT commits a crime; a crime is a crime and all should be subjected equally to UCMJ. No Pay no Forced retirements.... Do not pass go; go directly to jail if found guilty just like monopoly (thank you parker brothers) We say no tolerance in sexual harassment and assault but wha tmessage are we sending subordinates that its okay if yuor a Senior JCS leader or above?

STEP 3: If the Soldier fails his/her PT test at first duty staiton after the 30day opportunity to acclimate then they should be removed from the military. Also no more profiles in BCT or AIT too many Soldiers are reporting to first duty staitons ineligible for all three events or are on Permanent Profile before they graduate their CMF...

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 14 at 2014 12:45 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 12:45:37 -0500

The three things I would change is:

1. The NCOER...the way it is written with the predisposed bullets is garbage. Write it in a narrative format. A few people in the unit have your entire career in their hands they can make or break you.

2. The USR...my personal opinion is the USR takes too long and does not paint an accurate picture. The unit commanders know their unit communicate with them.

3. The ACU...the hook and loop fastener wears out on the sleeves and in the coat zipper area but I like it for the patches and rank. Except for when they first came out I've never seen the mandarin collar being used so get rid of that. Sew on name tapes and US Army that never changes. I'm a fan of the old pressed BDUs and shining boots.

Response by SPC Stephen Bobchin made Jan 14 at 2014 2:14 PM

SPC Stephen Bobchin — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 14:14:11 -0500

Eliminate Mass Punishment
Pay single soldiers the same as married soldiers

Require ALL medics in the military to have Paramedic certification.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 14 at 2014 3:33 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 15:33:10 -0500

My personal three;

1. Standard Uniform for all three branches. Keeping the dress uniforms for each of course.

2. One standard for the service. I.e. AR 670-1 is standard throughout the army, no more "commanders can add to" because then different posts and units have different uniform policies.

3. Change the promotion system. I wanna make Staff Sergeant Pretty bad. However, I am currently working on my degree and it will take a few years to get my college credits to make the 798 Cutt off. Perhaps making the promotion system more localized and based on ability rather that how much paperwork you've managed to accumulate.

Side note, great post. It is interesting to what is important to everyone.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 18 at 2014 7:40 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 07:40:33 -0500

1) Revamp all NCOES courses to become MOS immaterial and at home station. In my opinion there's not a lot that an NCOES course teaches us about our MOS that we don't already know by the time we attend or that we couldn't learn at home station. I would also make each level of NCOES just like USASMA with select, train, and promote. This would save us thousands of dollars in TDY and fix the problem of SGTs/SSGs dodging NCOES.

2) Combine the Assignment Satisfaction Key (ASK) with the Army Career Tracker (ACT) and update each MOS' professional development model to reflect current assignments available. Example in my map it says 1SG, I click on that and it brings me up a list of every 1SG position open, duty station, and report date. Same with Generating Force assignments for example IG, it lists every IG position open and report dates. The only requirement to see the Generating Force assignments would be to have served two years in an Operating Force assignment, some call this branch qualifications. If your branch doesn't have branch qualification great no problem make it all open then if it fits your career path.

3) Create more stateside JTFs/units. Over the last decade we have all walked away with a better understanding of what our sister services do and gained an immense amount of knowledge and experiences I feel will be lost by not creating more units/assignments that are in a Joint environment.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 18 at 2014 10:59 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 22:59:47 -0500

1. Offer a Retirement Buyout... for example, someone retires with 25 years of Active Federal Service, retires at 45 years old, would collect upwards of $30,000 per year for more than 30 years totaling more than $900,000 and that doesn't include medical benefits and cost of living adjustments etc... give that retiree the option to take a tax free lump sum payment of $500,000 and the understanding that the only benefits he will get are the GI Bill and Home loan program. and in this one move, you will have saved the DOD Hundreds of Millions in pension/medical/benefits costs!

2. ZERO TOLERANCE for alcohol/drug offenses regardless of rank! This would need to be enforced with the same ferocity as SHARP is today!

3. reinvigorate General Reimer's goal of a digital force, not a paper one. We waste so much time/effort/energy/money with printed copies of leave/pass forms POV inspection sheets and countless other documents! Stop the insanity!

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2014 3:33 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 03:33:26 -0500

With reading other responses my three are as follows.

1. Stop the silly OER/NCOER word play language. End inflation and crazy board discriminators like one vanilla rating in your file ends your career. Replace it with actually enforcing the standard.

2. Solve the downsizing problem by requiring EVERYONE to take a PT test administered by an external third party. When we discover that many previous scores have been faked hold their chains of command accountable for false reporting. It happens! It would be easy to find more than enough people to remove. Everyone takes the test to ensure all ranks meet the standard. High APFTs are great but mean nothing if many are not meeting the standard of passing. When a student shows up to Captain's Career Course and he or she can't even pass the APFT, what does that say about their previous unit. This does happen often enough.

3. Push repeals to the UCMJ so separating repeat offenders is not an extreme challenge. Stop redundant retraining of the entire population on things adults should already know.

4. Extra credit: Bring back Spec 5 & 6 not everyone is a great leader and sometimes it is just great to have a go to Soldier who is just good at his or her job.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2014 11:35 AM

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:35:14 -0500

1. Cut the staff, when we have more Admirals than ships something is wrong.
2. Eliminate useless ancillary training CBT's
3. Decide on one utility/field uniform. If services want a distinctive, unique uniform they can wear class A B C's in garrison

Response by 1SG Michael Minton made Jan 21 at 2014 12:01 PM

1SG Michael Minton — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 12:01:37 -0500

If I ran the military? (1) i would end "Nation Building" during war. Every war since WWII (Except Gulf War). we have stayed too long trying to nation build. which cost alot of money, service members that did not have to die or wounds for life and it keeps the american public in support of the military instead of getting war weiry. It will usually be one tour, not 4-5 tours away from family. If we need to go in a place that is to defend our national security or our way of life. We take over whelming amount of force and unleash the total might of a super power onto the enemy. achieve our goal and LEAVE! Letting them and any other nation know that we will set your nation back 100 years if you are a threat. I think countries would see that and try to stay off our shit list and we would have more influence in the world. No need to stay one day longer. We have a air force and navy that can send them a reminder anytime after we leave. Take a page out of GH Bush Gulf War...........(2) would provide a data bank for all businesses (small and large) that want to hire someone to put the job in (not just Gov jobs) the data bank with all the pertinent data (start date, job descript, wages, location, etc). This data bank is available to all soldiers with less then 6 months left on enlistment. Any soldier that applies and accepted by the business for the job will be able to get out of the military 90 days early to take the job. the incintive to the company is it will be free labor with the agreement of atleast a year employment (unless you screw it up). The soldier will continue recieving their military pay for that initial 90 days (to the end of their enlistment). It allows a smooth transition into the job market in the location they a moving and very possible a job for life. we would spend the money anyways on unemployment in some states, transition time in the end of their enlistment. but most of all it benefits our soldiers transition, job placement after military and businesses would benefit by free employment for 90 days to train a new employee........(3) i would make it mandatory for every high school grad or 18 year old to serve for a minimum of 2-3 years in the military, in return they will have their college or TRADE SCHOOL paid for. Besides getting a education in something you want to do, since everyone has to do it, it would be a major influence on our society. Because everyone knows the military will make them grow up, mature, be more responsible with a good work ethic. there is such a huge difference in young ex military and their civilian counterpart......i have more but thats enough for now.

Response by SFC Gary Fox made Jan 22 at 2014 8:34 AM

SFC Gary Fox — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 08:34:10 -0500

I agree about no combat uniforms in garrison. Back in the day when I was an MP, the duty uniform for garrison was Class A or Class B uniform depending upon the season of the year. This looked much more professional.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2014 8:22 AM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 08:22:49 -0500

Wearing Class Bs as the uniform is ridiculous!

You being an Infantry Officer you should realize this. Any mechanized Combat Arms this is unrealistic because you are constantly in the motor pool. Also as I have always seen the infantry out in the middle of nowhere on a given day of the week conducting dismount training or EIB training.

Response by SFC Gary (Bigsarge) Portier USARMY RET. made Mar 12 at 2014 9:01 PM

SFC Gary (Bigsarge) Portier USARMY RET. — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 21:01:38 -0400

1. After 20 plus years of service take care of the members as promised with pension and life long benefits.

2. Pay the members Well.

3. Fix the VA take care of the active and Reserve Members without having to fight for years.

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made Apr 14 at 2014 4:02 PM

COL Vincent Stoneking — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 16:02:22 -0400

1. Bring back SQT and MOSQT<div><br></div><div>2. Evals are forced to adhere to a bell curve in ratings. </div><div><br></div><div>3. Scrap the APFT, to be replaced by a two-part system - A. Basic Combat Fitness test (something like a 5K obstacle run in kit) and B. MOS-Specific fitness tests as needed. </div>

Response by PO2 Rocky Kleeger made Apr 14 at 2014 5:20 PM

PO2 Rocky Kleeger — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 17:20:19 -0400

1. Better training for personnel new to the military. Don't just throw them on the job and expect them to do it well.

2. Revamp evaluations. The difference between a 5.0 and a 3.0 in military bearing should not just be reflected on whether or not you can pass a PRT.

3. Do away with the games. Let us do our jobs the way we were trained, the way they are supposed to be done. Don't change things every eight seconds

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 9 at 2015 8:04 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 08:04:13 -0500

1.) Revamp the medical profiling system. Training medical providers to enhance the support of those malingering, and stiff reprisals against those abusing the medical/disability system. This way our wounded warriors worry less about being viewed as dirtbags and are able to focus on recovery to becoming deployable Soldiers again.

I am tired of hearing people trying to "play the game" and getting away with it. These people are taking money away from my troops in the form of body armor and other things by faking injuries. It is also creating a challenge for those troops that are VALIDLY injured by creating a fear to seek care/appropriately answer questions for fear of looking like a dirtbag.

2.) Worry less about "Army wide METL" and more on unit specific training. VERY basic tasks should be managed at Division/Army levels. Downsize the contractor force. This is a cost-ineffective method of taking care of troops. Reserve medical units are told to send people to the ER rather than running their own sick calls with their medics. Results? Medical folks that don't know how to do Army medicine. Why are we contracting LHI for SRPs? We have units that are tasked to do that. Why not start "paying ourselves" and utilizing the resources we have at a local level, rather than contracting *EVERYTHING* out? Get the MOS/AOCs doing their job!!

3.) Return to tradition. The Marines have it. Give our Soldiers something to take pride in. Teach 2LTs about the "Silver Dollar Salute", teach the 1LTs about mentoring the 2LTs, revamp the evaluations and removing the political correctness and fear of labeling someone as a bad Soldier. (Officers are traditionally worse at mentoring each other due to the political nature of rank advancement...but it is becoming a problem at the NCO level too). By allowing people to accept constructive criticism, you are training them to be able to deliver constructive criticism. Not every Soldier is meant to be the next rank up. Recognizing that is part of what we need to shape our fighting force with competent leaders that are also able to develop their subordinates. Teach them common sense by rewarding these actions and disciplining "stupidity".

If necessary, getting Soldier leaders to answer for the failures of their subordinates may help empower them to motivate and teach them that they cannot take credit for their successes without taking blame for their failures.
v/r,
CPT Butler

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 27 at 2015 11:40 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 11:40:27 -0400

I would focus my time on one main task: Wasteful spending. Ever notice how your forced to purchase certain things from a specific place even though its 5x more expensive than if you bought it anywhere else? Or how contractors will "bid" for a job, and win even though they could do the exact same job for a civilian company for 1/3 of the price?

Fixing this would take a lot of effort, though would be worth it. We would have more funds to purchase things we really need. We would be able to retain more of our members. We would even have funds left over for things like training, education, and replacing buildings that are 60 years old and filled with asbestos and lead paint that are creating health problems for all of us.