A new report shows that roughly 52,000 noncommissioned U.S. Army officers have been promoted over the past few years under the Army’s temporary policy implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allows soldiers to be promoted without attending applicable leadership training academies.
According to Army data obtained by Military.com, 10,588 of the roughly 52,000 noncommissioned Army officers have not yet attended leadership training academies. While Army policy states that noncommissioned officers are supposed to lose their promotions if they do not attend relevant leadership training academies within a year of being promoted, the Army has been hesitant to demote mass amounts of noncommissioned officers.
The temporary promotion policy for noncommissioned officers was announced in 2021 due to capacity limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Army was forced to extend the policy in both 2022 and 2023 due to the system being backed up by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the Army extended the temporary promotion policy throughout fiscal year 2024.
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Noncommissioned officers face significant challenges attending leadership academies for training by the one-year deadline requirement, including deployments, extended training, and limited training slots. Additionally, Military.com noted that National Guard soldiers have to balance obligations in their civilian lives and do not receive military benefits such as child care or pet care.
“Our goal is to ensure our soldiers’ careers do not suffer from factors outside of their control.” Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer told Military.com in December.
Army promotion rules established in 2016 outline specific training at leadership academies for each noncommissioned officer rank in the military, according to Military.com. However, military leadership has questioned the relevance of the training academies due to the Army’s policy of allowing service members to be promoted before attending training.
Army promotion rules established in 2016 outline specific training at leadership academies for each noncommissioned officer rank in the military, according to Military.com. However, military leadership has questioned the relevance of the training academies due to the Army’s policy of allowing service members to be promoted before attending training.
The Army is also currently promoting Army sergeants to the rank of staff sergeant as an incentive for those who serve as military recruiters regardless of the status of their leadership training.
