Photo By Staff Sgt. Jody Metzger | Sgt. Maj. John Gioia, the senior enlisted leader for the 4th Infantry Division and...... read more read more
By Sgt. Maj. Eric Lobsinger
Multi-National Division – Baghdad
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – As the Soldiers were seated in the auditorium, they listened in rapt attention, some perhaps with a bit of apprehension, as the senior non-commissioned officer from the Army's Human Resources Command began her briefing.
Initially there wasn't a whisper as she began telling the Soldiers about the pending changes for the management of their career field – and for those who would follow their footsteps in the future.
This crowd was a little bit different than those normally found at briefings such as this. In fact, in this particular group, a majority of the participants wore the same stars in the middle of their ranks, some encircled by wreaths, upon the chests of their Army combat uniforms.
Such was the scene, Sept. 25, 2008, as Sgt. Maj. Gabriella Russum, the sergeants major branch assignment manager, briefed her fellow senior enlisted leaders on changes to the sergeant major/command sergeant major management system.
Prior to kicking off her visit at Forward Operating Base Falcon and Camp Taji, she met with Command Sgt. Maj. John Gioia, the senior enlisted leader for the 4th Infantry Division and Multi-National Division – Baghdad, and provided him an in-brief. Gioia then escorted her as they shared their insights with their fellow Soldiers.
As he introduced her to her peers at FOB Falcon, his message was simple but clear: "Sergeants major represent three percent of the total Army strength, and command sergeants major represent one percent. With that said, you no longer serve for yourselves – You serve the Soldiers of your units."
"You can ask your questions – but at the end of the day, remember: 'I will always place the mission first.'"
With that, he handed over the reins to Russum, who told the gathered leaders that the sergeants major management branch in undergoing a metamorphosis to meet the changing and demanding needs of the Army. Her visit, she added, provided her the opportunity to share some insight on the future management of the Army's senior enlisted leaders.
"Command Sgt. Maj. Hill invited us come here to Iraq and share our knowledge on the future initiatives of sergeant major branch with our sergeants major and command sergeants major," said Russum, referring to Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill, the senior enlisted leader for Multi-National Forces – Iraq.
Along with her team, which consisted of Master Sgt. Percina Laster and Master Sgt. Garvin Walcott, she was in the midst of a seven-day visit to Iraq that also featured stops at MND-North, MND-Central, Multi-National Corps – Iraq and MNF-I.
The reception during her briefings were somewhat varied, with some senior enlisted leaders hearing what they wanted and others, perhaps, not so much.
One of the biggest initiatives future sergeant major selectees will undergo is a fundamental change in philosophy pertaining to the promotion system itself. In the past, the promotion board specifically selected the senior NCOs for promotion in addition to identifying select master sergeants or first sergeants to attend the Sergeants Major Academy as alternates even though they had not necessarily been selected for promotion.
Under the approved initiative of Select – Train – Promote, she explained, the non-commissioned officers are now selected to undergo training at the academy. Once they successfully complete the training and graduate, at that point, they become promotable, which is a fundamental shift from the previous promotion mindset.
Another fundamental change to the promotion process is that all master sergeants and first sergeants selected to attend the academy will now undergo a thorough background screening process prior to their admission to the course. Those who do not pass the screening process will not be able to attend the academy and subsequently not be promoted. Although this process has been in place historically for those selected for appointment to command sergeants major, it has been expanded to include all sergeant major selectees.
"My question is, why doesn't the Army promote all of those who previously graduated from the academy but have not been selected for promotion yet?" asked one of the assemble sergeants major, who cited the perceived inequities in the system that if these Soldiers were selected to attend the academy in the first place, then the Army should go ahead and promote them.
Russum said the new initiatives are intended to address challenges such as this "head on" since starting in Class 60 at the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, only those selected for promotion will attend the course. The challenge for some of those who previously attended the course before being selected for promotion, she explained, was that while they were undergoing the training, their peers were out in those hard jobs and gaining operational experience.
Thus, when subsequent promotion boards were conducted, the selection process came down to "Who do you promote? The Soldier with the training experience? Or the Soldier with the operational experience?" The new system, she explained, helps to address that challenge.
"What do you think should be added to the promotion board?" she asked, looking for their feedback as she explained that the career branch managers provide guidance to the promotion board and she was interested in hearing their feedback.
Another important facet of her visit was the opportunity to sit down with the Soldiers and discuss their future potential assignments and career maps.
"We are working the assignment process," she explained. "But one thing everyone has to realize is that there is an expectation that the division will retain a certain percentage of its experience following the deployment."
This also is a subject that tends to illicit strong emotional responses as she explained the Army is committed to ensuring the division is set up for success as it resets and prepares for its pending move to Fort Carson and projected follow-on deployment. This perhaps struck home for some of those in attendance in that they may not have the ability to move on to another assignment following the current 15-month deployment.
As the questions circulated throughout the room, Gioia took center stage and addressed the issue directly.
"I sat down with Sgt. Maj. Russum and shared my observations with her on the future assignments of our sergeants major and command sergeants major," said Gioia. "Let me be clear on this. I am responsible for making sure the division is prepared for onward movement to Fort Carson and a future projected deployment. If HRC has not identified a replacement for a specific position, the current sergeant major will stay with the division."
Another initiative briefed by Russum focused on selections for appointment as a command sergeant major. Under the current selection system, NCOs serving as first sergeant can be selected for appointment to command sergeant major upon promotion.
The new initiative, she explained, is to establish a minimum goal of five years experience from the time a Soldier is promoted from master sergeant to the rank of sergeant major before being appointed to the rank of command sergeant major. This is achieved through the process of Select – Train – Promote, she said, as she walked them through the process.
The new initiatives can be somewhat touchy at times, she said.
The important factor of her trip, she said, is that it provides her and her team the opportunity to meet with the senior leaders face to face, which "alleviates us from doing it over the phone or through emails and trying to guess what the sergeant majors preferences are."
During her daylong visit, she met with more than 120 senior NCOs at Camp Taji and FOB Falcon.
"Overall, we touched more than 400 master sergeants, first sergeants, sergeants major and command sergeants major during our visit," she said. "I think it was very successful. When I leave, I'm confident that I leave them with the understanding that they have more options than they were aware of.
"The future management of sergeants major and command sergeants major is changing. It is our mission to educate the force on what the changes will look like and how it will affect them in the future."
| Date Taken: | 09.29.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2008 09:44 |
| Story ID: | 24285 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 250 |
| Downloads: | 100 |
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