Enlisted personnel options for Warrior Soldiers

Photo By Master Sgt. Vin Stevens | CAMP RED CLOUD, Republic of Korea—A 2nd Infantry Division ROK-U.S. Combined Division Soldier asks a question of the Human Resources Command Enlisted Personnel Management Directorate team during a brief at the post theater Feb. 22. The EPMD team discussed their mission and priorities with Warrior Division Soldiers, addressing the topics of readiness, manning, and how the DoD retention policy affects their mission. (U.S. Army Photo by Cpl. Kim, Yeon Yo, 2ID/RUCD Public Affairs)  

UIJEONGBU, 41, SOUTH KOREA

02.22.2018

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Vin Stevens 

2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division

CAMP RED CLOUD, Republic of Korea - U.S. Army leadership will increase the number of Soldiers in its ranks this year and recent changes to the DoD retention policy means more options for Warrior Division Soldiers.

Col. Elmore J. Jones, director of Human Resources Command Enlisted Personnel Management Directorate and South Hill, Va. native, recently spoke about enlisted options to 2nd Infantry Division ROK-U.S. Combined Division Soldiers during a brief at the post theater.

“Our mission is to build and sustain enlisted personnel readiness across the force,” said Jones, a former Warrior Division G-1 [Human Resources Manager]. “We [EPMD] use tools to shape manning behaviors across the Army.”

These tools include re-enlistment bonuses, assignment incentive pay, and homebase/advanced assignment program for qualified Soldiers. Eighth U.S. Army policy provides additional assignment incentive pay options for jobs in critical demand on the Korean peninsula.

“We [EPMD] have three priorities- readiness, future of the Army, and taking care of Soldiers,” said Jones. “SFABs [Security Force Assistance Brigade] and Korea are top fills,” Jones highlighted as part of the readiness priority to Warriors during the brief.

“Fills” refers to positions where human resources personnel assign Soldiers. EPMD uses active component manning guidance to calculate the number of Soldiers to assign to an organization or unit.

Jones mentioned that the future of the Army involves reviewing talent management for fills. Other fills include drill sergeant, AIT [advanced individual training] platoon sergeant, and recruiter.

Army units experience manning challenges depending on a number of factors, including types of assigned missions, schools availability, and whether Soldiers maintain medical/administrative readiness.

Defense Secretary James N. Mattis highlighted the new retention policy in a recent Defense News article. “Service members who have been nondeployable for more than 12 consecutive months will be processed for administrative separation or referred to the disability evaluation system,” said Mattis.

“The new retention policy helps us [EPMD] because I can decrease the number of non-distributable personnel,” said Jones. He also said that fills can be allocated to units only from a pool of deployable Soldiers.

Jones also highlighted EPMD’s third priority, “taking care of Soldiers,” which involves increasing transparency and predictability through the Soldier for Life-Transition Assistance and disability programs.

For more information about the DoD retention policy, please visit the website www.defense.gov. For information about current re-enlistment, AIP, and HAAP options, please see your unit retention NCO or career counselor.

• Date Taken: 02.22.2018
• Date Posted: 03.01.2018 01:48
• Story ID: 267662
• Location: UIJEONGBU, 41, KR