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Friday, 2015 Friday,November January 8, 20, 2016
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BY JASON DUHR Stars and Stripes
From new uniforms to new jobs for women, 2016 figures to be a busy year for the Army. Here’s a look at some of the top items soldiers can expect. COMBAT ROLES FOR WOMEN Integrating women into combat units tops the agenda for all branches of the service. After nearly five years of surveying and testing, the decision to open all military occupational specialties to women was announced earlier this month by Defense Secretary Ash Carter. For the Army, that means five officer, one warrant officer and 13 enlisted occupations will soon be able to accept female applicants. The Army took part in five studies, including a pilot program at the U.S. Army Ranger School in which three female officers earned their Ranger tabs. The Army is required to submit its plan to integrate women into combat positions by Jan. 1, with full implementation set for April 1. Going from the approval phase to the implementation phase will require work on everyone’s part, Carter said. “The responsibility for implementation is not borne solely on the shoulders of women, nor by the forces within the newly integrated career fields; it is borne in equal measure by the entire force and the military and civilian leadership of the Department of Defense,” Carter said in a memorandum released to Stars and Stripes.
NCO RATINGS For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Army will introduce a new system to evaluate its noncommissioned officer corps. One of the biggest changes to the NCOER system — set to take effect in January — focuses on the percentage of soldiers who can be rated “most qualified” by their senior raters. Under the new system, senior raters will be limited to giving out “most
qualified” ratings to no more than 24 percent of their soldiers, a move aimed at improving promotion boards. Over the years, NCOER inflation has led many to complain that the system was useless for recognizing promotion potential because too many soldiers were rated “most qualified.” A second change involves the forms used for the NCO rank. No longer will all E-5s through E-9s be evaluated using the same form. There are now three forms — for sergeants, for staff sergeant through first sergeants, and for sergeant majors and command sergeant majors. Counseling is also being emphasized, the Army says. Under the new system, raters are held accountable by senior raters throughout the counseling year. Raters have to counsel their NCOs quarterly, while senior raters have to counsel the rated NCO at least twice a year. The outgoing NCOER system has been in use since 1987.
NEW UNIFORMS Recruits will be issued the Operational Camouflage Pattern for the Army Combat Uniform during basic training, starting in January. The new design boasts nine changes, including less Velcro, removed drawstrings and added buttons and zippers. While new recruits will have a full duffle bag of uniform items that match for the New Year, current soldiers will have the opportunity to piecemeal their set, incorporating new items with the Universal Camouflage Pattern. The phased transition will allow soldiers the chance
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to purchase new uniform items as they receive annual clothing allowances. Changes are also afoot to the physical fitness uniform. A sea of black and gold uniforms will start to fill physical training formations in 2016 as the Army does away with the Improved Physical Fitness Uniform. With the new workout gear comes the option of wearing either black or white socks ... at least until a final ruling is made. In 2015, the fashion issue was the hot topic of discussion during town hall meetings conducted by Sgt. Major of the Army Dan Dailey. The soldiers’ voices were heard, and the Army has given troops the choice of wearing either color until a new Army Regulation 6701 is released sometime in the new year.
NEW EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS The revolving door of renaming and changing parts of the NCO education system continues to evolve to better equip future leaders, according to Army officials. Before 2016, the Army had taken steps to implement changes to the NCO Professional Development System. In October, the Army changed the name of the Warrior Leader Course to the Basic Leader Course in hopes it would better translate to civilian employers. The course is required before any soldier can pin on the sergeant rank. In the past, some NCOs were able to get promoted without completing the required training courses. That practice will be a thing of the past in the new year. A sergeant selected to staff sergeant will be required to complete the Advanced Leaders Course; staff sergeants will have to knock out Structured Self Development 3 and complete the Senior Leaders Course before pinning on sergeant first class. Perhaps the biggest change coming to the promotion system will occur for soldiers seeking to become master sergeants. The Army is preparing a course to fill the gap between the Senior Leaders Course and the Sergeants Major Academy, to be called the Master Leaders Course. MLC is still being vetted, but the first pilot class ended on Nov. 2, with 32 students graduating. A second pilot class is expected to take place at Camp Williams, Utah, in 2016 and a final one at Fort Knox, Ky.
FORCE REDUCTION Perhaps, the biggest impact on soldiers
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Courtesy of the U.S. Army
In 2016, the Army will cut nearly 30,000 soldiers by the Sept. 30 deadline set by the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act. in the coming year is the required cut of nearly 30,000 troops as required by the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. Under the law, the Army’s active-duty component will be cut to an end strength of 475,000, while the National Guard will drop to 342,000 and the Reserves to 198,000. Active Guard and Reserve positions in the Guard will hold 30,770 soldiers, and AGR positions in the Reserves will remain unchanged at 16,261. This 6 percent reduction across the entire Army is a step toward reducing defense spending.
UPGRADE SMALL ARMS Throughout 2016, the Army will work with the Navy to submit a report detailing a plan to modernize the Army’s and Marines’ smallarms arsenal. The plan will include the modernization of pistols, carbines, rifles, automatic rifles and light machine guns. A key factor in the plan is how the Army will encourage competition among suppliers, according to the NDAA. The modernization period is set to last 15 years, but the Army got a head start on the project when it announced it was looking to replace its 9 mm pistol, which has been in service since the 1980s. Small-arms suppliers, which include SIG Sauer, Smith & Wesson and Glock, are among some of the competitors expected to bid to manufacture the 9 mm replacement by the Jan. 28 deadline. The Army has yet to choose a caliber for the new pistol, but is allowing each competitor the opportunity to submit a pistol with its bore size of choice, among them 9 mm, 40 mm and .45-caliber.
U.S. Army Maj. Lisa Jaster is seen during her Ranger School graduation at Fort Benning, Ga., on Oct. 16. A LEX M ANNE /Courtesy of the U.S. Army