Proponent Packet Facts and Myths
The Proponent Memo Doesn’t Get NCOs promoted; Only the NCO
and Raters Can Make that Happen
by Sergeant Major Scott R. Wilmot
ADA Proponent Sergeant Major

SGM Scott R. Wilmot

Well, it’s that time of the year again, and I’m waiting for the U.S. Army Human Resource Command message announcing the zones of consideration for the Sergeant First Class Board to be released.  “I wonder what the proponent letter is going to say this year?”  “I hope my current duty title is mentioned so I can get promoted.”  How many times have you heard these comments come up in conversations regarding promotion boards? These frequently-heard comments indicate that too many Soldiers are headed in the wrong direction when it comes to preparing for promotion boards; this includes all three senior enlisted boards, not just the Sergeant First Class Board.

First I’ll explain the purpose of the branch proponent packet that the Personnel Developer Division, Office, Chief of ADA, forwards to all promotion boards. This packet, which consists of a memorandum and a slide presentation, tells board members what—exactly—staff sergeants represented in the packet do in Air Defense Artillery (ADA), whether they are in the zone for promotion to sergeant first class or not.  The same goes for sergeants first class in the zone for master sergeant and, of course, first sergeants or master sergeants in the zone for sergeant major. The slideshow data charts show Sergeant First Class Promotion Board members how many staff sergeants by military occupational specialty (MOS) are assigned versus required and what percentage of those authorizations are derived from tables of distribution and allowances (TDA) or tables of organization and equipment (TOE).  We do this so board members can understand why Soldiers are assigned to those positions.

Everyone gets worked-up over the annual proponent memorandum that specifies duty positions, but it should not be the unit first sergeant or battalion command sergeant major’s primary focus, because if you wait for the memo, you are too late.  For trend analysis and education on the branch, NCO and unit leaders should use the proponent memorandum as a tool.  The proponent memorandum tells board members what type of duties competing NCOs are performing.  The memorandum is limited to two pages in accordance with TRADOC standards, so we can’t specify all location unique situations that an NCO is experiencing.  We include every position possible in accordance with authorized positions because every position in ADA is important; otherwise we would not have those positions.

As the ADA proponent sergeant major, I’m responsible for the maintenance of 8,400 active-duty positions—11,280 if you add the National Guard—not the faces who fill them, mind you, but rather the maintenance of the space (or slot).  That maintenance is outlined in AR 600-3, The Army Personnel Proponent System, and governs what my staff and I must do to keep these “spaces” healthy throughout the nine-lifecycle functions, basically from accession to estimated time of separation (ETS) or retirement. So I cannot furnish career advice tailored to individual Soldiers or tell them that they should shift from one duty position to another to make themselves more competitive for promotion.  Every one of those 8,400 active-duty positions is important to me and every member of my staff, but Soldiers should look to their unit leadership for advice on assignment choices.  My staff and I can give advice based on the Professional Development Model we maintain and, of course, share past board trends and what type assignments others have held.

I can tell you that all duties performed in combat zones are a plus, but if you are back in garrison and are assigned to a position outside the normal, traditionally documented positions for your MOS and grade, you should seek a new position. Until that position becomes available, you should strive to be the best there ever was in your current position. Earning an excellent noncommissioned officer evaluation report (NCOER) is never a waste of time.
 

Career Management Field 14 Professional Development Model

            The proponent memo doesn’t get NCOs promoted; only the NCO and his or her rating chain, over time, can make that happen. However, the proponent memorandum does illuminate some of the paths to promotion.

For example, the memorandum indicates that each Patriot battery has a slot for a staff sergeant master gunner. This position is rated a “high risk” or “challenging” slot because it demands an exceptionally high level of technical competence. Who do you think should fill this position? The obvious answer is a Soldier who has earned the Additional Skill Identifier T4 by graduating from the Patriot Master Gunner Course. The 10-week course, which is taught at the Air Defense Artillery School, Fort Bliss, Texas, is a tough course. Because of its high attrition rate, some Soldiers, worried about receiving a “Fails to Achieve Course Standard” notation, consider applying for the course as a career gamble. However, Soldiers from Patriot units that provide pre-course training or tutoring are generally successful. If your unit leaders believe in you enough to select you to attend the Patriot Master Gunner Course and are willing to provide you with pre-course training and tutoring, your chances of passing the course are excellent.

A second example is detailed recruiter duty.  In many instances, ADA sergeants who are promotable to staff sergeant despite little to no squad leader time are being selected by the Department of the Army for recruiter duty.  After a three-year tour as a recruiter, some of these NCOs find themselves in the zone for sergeant first class, or at least enter the zone one year after returning to an ADA unit. Recruiting in today’s environment is a challenging assignment that some Soldiers find as stressful as combat duty. It’s another “high-risk” assignment, one that gives ADA Soldiers a chance to prove themselves in a challenging Army-wide position. 

            The Army is built on teamwork. Senior leaders and NCOs have to work together to ensure Soldiers are competitive when it comes to promotion. If senior leaders want to see their NCOs promoted to the next level, they should provide clear, realistic, challenging, and attainable tasks/missions on a consistent basis. They have to ensure every Soldier has a chance to demonstrate their potential and ensure it reflects properly on the NCOE.

We must remember that the Army and the mission come first. Virtually every Soldier who makes the Army a career gets stuck, from time to time, in a position that may be mission essential but not conducive to promotion.  You get through these periods by remembering why you serve. Have patience, take care of Soldiers, and as time passes, the Army will take care of you.

The personnel specialists within Personnel Developer Division, Office, Chief of ADA, are more than willing to travel to your unit location to provide briefings on ADA topics, including ways to make your Soldiers more competitive when their files go before promotion boards. To schedule an NCO, officer, or junior enlisted professional development session, please contact me (SGM Wilmot) at DSN: 978-1577.