Chasing LTC

By MAJ Karl A. Reuter
Best Defense guest columnist

In the movie “Chasing Amy,” Kevin Smith, a well known writer and director, had a character named “Silent Bob” who tells a story about a girl he has dated and how he messed up the relationship with her, and ever since he has been looking for a girl like her—that is, “Amy.”

I, also, often don’t often have much to say–but I do have a story to tell. It is about chasing rank. It is a tale of the discriminatory practices of the current promotion system, practices that often benefits those who have flourished under climates of “likership” instead of “leadership” under the current “By Name Request” (BNR) system. I’ll also offer proposals that could make for a fairer, more equitable system.

If success in the military is a 20 year career, then I would define success as achieving the rank of LTC. I believe I and many of my friends have done the things we traditionally associated with career paths of officers on track to LTC and have been “Chasing LTC“ through over a decade of war.  We all felt we would eventually be rewarded for our efforts although now I believe the majority of us may have been led to chase the wrong thing.  We were told as lieutenants and captains that taking the “hard jobs” and doing the best we can in those jobs was good enough and not to worry about our evaluations.

This created a culture of combat leaders who were focused on the current fight and did not care about getting the next promotion as long as we focused on our current job.  This is now proving to be an untruth in the current structure where “spotlight rangers” or “know entities” who are more often than not products of the “by name request” system have a higher Above Center of Mass (ACOM) to Center of Mass (COM) ratio during their junior field grade years are flourishing. On the other hand,  Soldiers that I would want to lead me in combat are being pushed to the side and are being offered or soon will be offered the Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA), a reduced retirement, despite merit for continued service.

Those being promoted all too often have enhanced their own prospects by exploiting relationships. They got along by going along, often at the cost of their Soldiers. They often produce toxic environments. They never told the boss when he had no clothes on.  They are truly the “Jays” of the Kevin Smith movie world in the flesh and lack real substance beyond their own accomplishments.

Many officers I consider leaders are often the “Silent Bobs” in the background participating quietly in scouts or sports with their children in the evening or on weekends or behind the scenes at work helping Soldiers.  These “Silent Bobs” are not after the self recognition that comes with being a “Jay” but have worked just as hard and carried the load time and again.

The cold truth is the promotion system has changed.  In the military police branch we have gone from 100 percent selection to LTC four years ago to 50 percent in the most recent board. We are projected to decline into the 30ish percentile this year.

We used to look at military and civilian education, awards, tours overseas, and other criteria to get a holistic outlook of the officer as well as the evaluations.  Now we are condensed to a quick look at a photo and a count of ACOM to COM OERs due to the lower number of officers being selected for advancement.

How to fix the system?

I propose the following changes be considered by both civilian and military Army Senior Leaders immediately to improve our system for promotion in the coming years:

–Get rid of the current By Name Request (BNR) system for field grade officers. It reeks of discriminatory practices.

–Transparency of evaluations.  Within 30 days of arriving to a duty station we should be counseled by our senior rater and told what his profile is and what it expected to get an ACOM OER since this is now the benchmark for promotion and retention in service.

–LTCs need to be put out of the Army after being passed over for COL.  Currently a MAJ who is passed over for LTC in the primary and above the zone is not allowed to continue service.  Why should a LTC who is passed over be allowed to remain to 28 years? This is about 4 years to long. This creates a system with potential for “retirees on active duty” and limits the amount of promotions to LTC possible due to over strength in this grade.

–Slow the board process.  Increase the number of people and time on promotion boards and mandate a minimum number of time on a file when the board guidance is given.  Allow individuals to submit a 5 minute video if they wish to tell their story (15-28 plus careers in the Army amongst my circle of friends being looked at this board).  Read peer and subordinate evaluations that are mandatory prior to evaluations being signed currently.  Look at their credit checks as well as their facebook page. Do whatever it takes to know a person instead of a baseball card.

–Offer the TERA,  now not later.  Many of us are awaiting the results of a board to occur. Then we have to wait again to be told that again we weren’t selected when very few are selected above the zone on the second look for promotion only then to have 7 months to leave the service with a diminished retirement or severance pay.  Give us the opportunity to shape our future now, look for jobs and make choices for our families.  The moral and ethical choice is to give people a quick out vs. a slow death to their career.  The current system of waiting for the guillotine to fall creates unfair stress to individuals that are already prone to high levels of stress from past deployments.  Why create more stress for them and their families when many know under the current system they would take the TERA now if possible and leave the military on their own terms?

I understand that some of the things I am proposing are radical. And I know the Army does not have unlimited resources. Still, I believe my career and those of my friends, some of whom have given more for their country than most, is worth more than a snapshot in time at the promotion board in its current state.

There is a huge cost to doing nothing to fix the current situation. I believe we have created a military culture that overvalues narcissistic behaviors as we come out of our prime years of war and undervalues many of its own that are currently carrying the load silently until being removed from service.

The author is a military police officer currently assigned as a Army staff officer at the Pentagon. He was commissioned through OCS and served as a platoon leader in Korea during 9/11, deployed to OIF 1 as a BN staff officer, and lead a MP company in Iraq during the surge. His opinions are his alone and do not reflect those of the United States Army or Department of Defense . His below the zone board meets this month.  He has never served as a member of a promotion board.

Image Credit: MIRAMAX FILMS/Wikimedia Commons