Right or wrong, DUI (and physical standards are next to it) is an easy one to avoid and an easy pick when needing to separate people.

" I know of a MacArthur Leadership Award recipient with 5 deployments currently acting in an O5 role at branch HQ (told by a general at the school house that his OERs were in the Top 1% and he was stunned by the board's decision)."

We all have a lot of deployments...it's not a qualifier for a good profile. And the MacArthur Leadership Award is not anything but a write up.

I've yet to hear from anyone who knows of two or more OSBd officer say that on the whole these were phenomenal officers. Instead, anecdotal examples of a guy they knew who had a DUI but should have been kept around with the rest of the force who also had 4-5 deployments and at one time were told they were excellent. The board sees all the OERs, not just one.

Far as I can tell the jury is still out, but you can't have it both ways....post Gulf War run for the hills with talent or guys go through a board and those who screwed up in the past have it catch up to them.

"but it almost feels like the year group approach reigns in the best and props up the worst. It's hard to get excited about that long-term."

I understand your frustration with reacting to 50m targets, and I can't tell you it gets any better on the way up, but I can tell you that as a FG officer you are in a better position to cut the BS when folks hand you a fire. Read the One Minute Manager and the Monkey...the same rule applies to higher level staffs.

That said, I think I disagree about your assessment that the worst in a YG get propped up. Unless you have served in multiple divisions and broadened, you may have not seen a year group progress over a 15 year period and see who is yanked up for BDE level FG jobs, selected for command, and on the whole selected for key billets.

Are some marginal folks going to make the cut? Sure...but on the whole, boards look at an officer's overlall record, not just the one year you see them. Conversely, some commanders believe their one blue chipper is the best officer they've ever seen, but even their scope is limited to the two years they were in command vs the officer's entire career. Eventually, the whole picture is placed in front of an assignment officer or board who place people appropriately (or not).

System isn't perfect and never will be, but I'd argue that 80% of the folks promoted or selected for key assignments would be selected by you and me as well...if we were looking at the same files as boards do.

Anyone know if experience with joint operations or combined commands is playing a role in the selection process?

Day one of basic training you are told to not drink and drive. Get a cab or a buddy.

That said, he made a mistake. Who hasn't? Everybody makes them right? True. But this is an error of responsibility. If he wanted to tie one on? Go to a friends house to tie one on or get a cab or have a buddy drive him home.

When I was active, we had a drunk bus to take everyone home. Does this still exist?

We had a festival on post. My PSG got tanked. The MP's had him at their station. When I saw him there I grabbed him and said "God Dammit SFC J, WTF? Lets go!" I nodded at the SNCOIC and poured his drunk ass in my car and took him home. He made a mistake. One that would have cost him a career if he got behind the wheel. I am just glad he was too drunk to get behind his wheel.

In the civ world, a DUI isn't a career killer (unless your career depends on you having a clean driving record). But we all know it is in uniform. In the Army, every job depends on you being able to move people and equipment. We had safety briefs every Friday to talk about it. The 1SG talked about it daily.

This guy was an Armor officer. What good would a Tank platoon/battalion that couldn't drive? His career is dependent on EVERY SWINGING DICK being able to get behind the wheel and he knew it.

[This message has been edited by Say Chowdah (edited 8/16/2014 10:43p).]

And, if you want a GOVT job where past indiscretions aren't as important, he should run for congress. The military isn't it.

Updated information on AF education requirements for promotion:

http://www.military.com/education/2014/08/21/changes-to-air-force-education-expectations.html?ESRC=education.nl

quote:

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Air Force officials announced actions designed to set clear expectations, restore Airmen's time and refocus officer promotions on job performance.
The Air Force has addressed long-standing perceptions that to be promoted, officers must complete an advanced academic degree, and those officers selected by a promotion board to attend developmental education in-residence, are expected to first complete that same level of developmental education by correspondence.
"My number one priority is taking care of people and these initiatives aim to do just that," said Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James.
"Our intention is to set clear expectations and ensure that, where possible, we give time back to our officers," continued Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III.
Effective Dec. 1, advanced academic degrees will no longer be considered for officers meeting line of the Air Force promotion boards below the grade of colonel. Additionally, information provided to all promotion board members will only show the "completed" level of developmental education or whether the officer is a "select" to attend in-residence. The method and year of completion will no longer be displayed.
"The change does not prevent officers from completing an advanced academic degree, which is important to officer development," Welsh said.
In fact, officers are expected to have an advanced academic degree for promotion to colonel. The changes allow the officer to focus on job performance and acquire an advanced academic degree at a time best suited for their life, career and family without worrying about possible effects of not having an advanced academic degree at ranks lower than colonel.
"Since job performance is the most important factor when evaluating an officer for promotion, the decision to delay completion of an advanced academic degree will not affect their ability to serve a full career in the Air Force," Welsh said.
Another long-standing perception is that officers selected to attend professional military education in-residence must also complete the same level of professional military education by correspondence. This perception was based on the belief that officers who complete PME by distance learning early are demonstrating more initiative and are therefore more competitive for future opportunities and/or promotion.
The Air Force wants to debunk this perception by refocusing on job performance and Airmen's time.
"We realize how valuable time is and want to give that time back to our officer corps," Welsh said.
Officers chosen as "selects" on promotion boards will be prohibited from completing the distance learning course unless they are subsequently designated to attend a program requiring the distance learning course to obtain full Joint PME credit. In addition, boards will be instructed to consider those with "select" status as having completed PME thereby eliminating any timing concerns for those "selects" meeting promotion boards prior to attending PME in-residence.
The Air Force also enacted an important change for captains. Every active- duty captain will have an opportunity to attend Squadron Officer School in-residence and criteria for selection to attend will be based on the officer's date of rank, duty requirements and family situation rather than whether or not they have already completed the distance learning course. In fact, they will no longer be allowed to complete the distance learning course unless operationally deferred and within one year of meeting the promotion board to major. The distance learning course will remain available for Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve officers.
"We understand our Airmen are challenged every day to accomplish the mission with limited time, manpower and resources," Welsh said. "By eliminating these perceived expectations, we hope to remind our officers that job performance is what we value most and that we want them to have a life away from work."
"A balanced force is a healthy force and these changes strive to promote equilibrium in our Airmen's lives," James said.
The new policy modifications will be captured in the Air Force Guidance Memorandums to Air Force Instruction 36-2301, Developmental Education and AFI 36-2406, Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems. The first promotion board to implement the new policy will be the Major's (LAF) Central Selection Board scheduled for Dec. 1.

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quote:

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Another long-standing perception is that officers selected to attend professional military education in-residence must also complete the same level of professional military education by correspondence. This perception was based on the belief that officers who complete PME by distance learning early are demonstrating more initiative and are therefore more competitive for future opportunities and/or promotion.
The Air Force wants to debunk this perception by refocusing on job performance and Airmen's time.

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That was not a PERCEPTION, it was REALITY for at least the past 45 years. It was "reality" during my 21 year career and also during our Son In Law's soon to end 20 year career.

As a newly promoted 1Lt in the early 70's I did not get selected for Regular Officer at the two year point. (Selection for Regular was different in the 70's and into the early 80's.)

When I asked my Squadron Commander what I should have done to be more competitive he told me I should have taken SOS by correspondence when I was a 2Lt. I immediately signed up for it and also took AFSC and AWC by correspondence as soon as I was eligible. (I was selected for Regular at the 8 year point.)

I think the AF is doing the right thing, but if you read the link carefully, two or three times even, I think it is still very fuzzy guidance.

The top discriminator was Derogatory Information, followed by NLJ OERs, then not updating photos, then straight COM files in KD positions.

A DUI is a triple whammy (NLJ OER + GOMOR + clearance issues)