Implementing the S.T.E.P Program in U.S. Army Promotions

549 Words2 Pages

I take a lot of pride in being a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army. I love being in front of soldiers training and leading and setting an example. So often in the Army we come across many NCOs that shouldn’t be allowed to be in front of soldiers. Some of us work so hard to learn as much as we can so that we can progress and pass down knowledge. In my opinion, the system that the Army had was flawed. I’ve heard many people say it’s about who you know when it comes to getting promoted at the centralized level. I personally believe that some NCO’s do what they are supposed to do in accordance with the regulations but are being promoted without being fully qualified.
In January 2016, the Army expanded the standard for promotion across the board using the systemic program designed to enforce promotion standards called the S.T.E.P. (Select, Train, Educate, Promote) program. The S.T.E.P. program is designed to educate Soldiers before promoting them. Soldiers are selected based upon potential but once you are promoted, you are expected to have a specific amount of knowledge for that skill level. S.T.E.P ensures that this will happen. …show more content…

program is very beneficial to the overall growth and professional development of the Army. Before the S.T.E.P. program, we had leaders being promoted to the next rank without completing the Non Commissioned Officer Education System (NCOES) for that level of promotion. These schools are designed to promote the Army’s greatest leaders. How do we have Sergeants, Staff Sergeants, and Sergeants First Class failing NCOES after having been promoted to that next level? They were promoted without being evaluated by the Army standards. How can they train their soldiers to be ready for the next level when clearly they were not? This program has put a stop to just being promoted off of the point

More about Implementing the S.T.E.P Program in U.S. Army Promotions

Open Document