Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Reports - Research Paper Example

? The NCOER al Affiliation THE NCOER I. INTRODUCTION II. NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER EVALUATION REPORT (NCOER) III. SIGNIFICANCEOF THE NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER EVALUATION REPORT (NCOER) A. It determines an officer’s promotion B. It acts as a communication tool C. It determines school selection for noncommissioned army officers D. Assisting in making retention on active duty decisions E. Determining assignment IV. OPPOSITION TO THE NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER EVALUATION AND REPORTING (NCOER) SYSTEM IV. SOLUTIONS TO DISCONTENT WITH THE NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER EVALUATION AND REPORTING (NCOER) SYSTEM V. CONCLUSION Abstract Noncommissioned officers are very important in the military. In order to appraise the performance of individual noncommissioned officers, boards use officer evaluation reports. The Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Reports (NCOERs) have been effective in making decisions regarding promotions, assignments, school selections, and retention on active duty for noncommissioned officers. Officer evaluation board members have always praised the application and relevance of the Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Reports (NCOERs), while majority of junior officers, who include noncommissioned officers ridicule it. Despite the fact that the system of conducting officer evaluations and giving reports has been applied in the army for years, there have been a lot of problems in this system. This paper also discusses the sources of these problems and highlights a number of ways to resolve the problems in the Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation and Reporting (NCOER) system. Keywords: Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs), Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report (NCOER), Senior Officers, Junior Officers, Introduction Noncommissioned officers (NCOs) are valuable people in the army. This is because despite not having been commissioned, they play vital roles in the regular operations of the military. It is from this that they are viewed as the ‘military backbone’. Their duties range from acting as links or intermediaries between the regular enlisted units and commissioned officers, to performing duties as simple as scheduling, filing paperwork, and other administrative duties. Rush points out that “senior noncommissioned officers traditionally have been the keepers of their organizations lineage and traditions. Serving as role models and mentors, they pass on and inculcate the traditions and organizational ethos into newly arrived soldiers” (2006, p. 25). In order to get opportunities in the army and advance, noncommissioned officers need to have their potential and performance assessed regularly, and this is done through the Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report (NCOER), which is the tool used to appraise the performance of an individual NCO. Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Reports (NCOERs) therefore have a strong influence on the noncommissioned officer opportunities and chances for advancement in the army. Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report (NCOER) Evaluation reports for noncommissioned officers have been used in the military for many years. According to Rush (2006), “the NCOER provides formal recognition of duty performance, a measurement of professional values and personal traits, and is the basis for performance counseling by rating officials” (p. 26). The information contained in a Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report (NCOER) also determines the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of a noncommissioned officer, his assignment, future school selections, and promotion (Rush, 2006). With the NCOER, a noncommissioned officer capacity’s to face future challenges in his profession is bolstered. All army officers are expected to recognize, appreciate and observe the values of “loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage” (Lloyd, 2007, p. 1). During their evaluation, noncommissioned officers demonstration of these values in their duties is assessed. Meaningful concern arises in the event that a noncommissioned officer attains a low score in the assessment. This is because the display of incompetence in an NCOER shows a moral failure and is something that is not promoted in the army. Officer Evaluation board members have always praised the application and relevance of NCOERs, while majority of junior officers, who include noncommissioned officers ridicule it. Significance of Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report (NCOER) According to the United States Department of the Army, the Non-Commissioned Officer Evaluation Reporting System serves a number of significant roles all focused towards selection of the most competent noncommissioned officers, strengthening of their ability to meet different challenges, as well as professional development and improved performance (2002). The noncommissioned officer evaluation report serves the following functions: It determines an officer’s promotion. A strong officer evaluation report increases the potential for an officer to be promoted. According to Lewis, “a weak job with a strong evaluation report is better than a tough job with an average or mediocre report” (2008, p. 38). It acts as a communication tool. The Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report (NCOER) communicates noncommissioned officers information to board members (US Department of the Army, 2002). It determines school selection for noncommissioned army officers. Just like in other professions, advanced education is also required in the army. A noncommissioned officer evaluation report determines the need for an officer to go through advanced schooling, in order to perfect his skills, or learn other skills required of him after earning a promotion. Assisting in making retention on active duty decisions. Some noncommissioned army officers may wish to retain their roles in the army. NCOERs assist board members in determining whether these officers remain competent enough in their roles, by constantly monitoring their performance. Determining assignment. This is referred to as occupational specialty. It is determined by the officer evaluation report, after which the officer is scheduled for necessary training. Opposition to the Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation and Reporting (NCOER) System Despite the fact that the system of conducting noncommissioned officer evaluations and giving reports has been applied in the army for years, there has been a lot of opposition regarding its application. As mentioned earlier, it is praised by evaluation board members, but ridiculed by junior army officers, who include the noncommissioned officers. In recent years, noncommissioned officers in the army have mainly been promoted using evaluations written by officers and noncommissioned officers (McCrea, 2006). This has led to the wrong officers being promoted and over exaggerated noncommissioned officer evaluation reports (NCOERs), which has led to rising concerns from the human resource military unit. The result has been an ethical crisis and a confrontation towards leaders in the military, who ought to uphold honesty and fairness. This is because it is their responsibility to implement values and organize good training, so that only the competent and qualified soldiers get promoted. It is argued that being the leaders, they also ought to set good examples for their juniors to follow. In addition, there have been a lot of mistakes observed in the writing of the NCOERs. This brings to light the need for proper training regarding this issue, since these are the same mistakes that get transferred to the choice of soldiers for promotions. Solutions to Problems with the Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation and Reporting (NCOER) System The problems with the NCOER system can be resolved y taking the right measures to ensure that NCOERs are written properly. The correspondence and numerous inspections in the army are important in ensuring that regulations for writing the NCOER are implemented. According to McCrea (2006) “the DA form 2166-8-1 is a tool, that when used correctly, outlines what the NCOER should say at the end of the rating period” (p.3).In order to show rated noncommissioned officers where they stand, noncommissioned officers need to use the DA form 2166-8-1 together with the DA form 2166-8. Informing rated noncommissioned officers about where they stand ensures that they do not get mislead, only to realize this when their individual reports are due. If informed about their position earlier, rated noncommissioned officers have the chance to meet the required level of excellence or success. This advantage is eliminated when rated NCOs are informed of their positions to late to make a difference in the final report. Due to these issues, raters have been accused of carrying the blame, since they are the ones that fail to inform rated soldiers about their positions, consequently inhibiting any efforts that may have been made to salvage the situation. Training on noncommissioned officer evaluation reports is also crucial, so as to boost noncommissioned officers knowledge. This responsibility lies on all leaders in the military, who are tasked with the duty of ensuring that their subordinated are knowledgeable in all relevant areas. Inspections are a necessary part of ensuring that what has been trained is being practiced. Involving officers in counseling, “sets the standard for the NCOs being counseled by those officers to emulate their standards” (McCrea, 2006, p. 5). This is particularly necessary due to the fact that it has been observed that sometimes officers are the people to blame when most of the noncommissioned officer evaluation reports are poorly written. Involvement of the senior rater in the preparation of a soldier’s evaluation report is important to resolve the revolving problem the human resource military unit has been facing in recent years, due to contradiction in raters comments and senior raters bullets. McCrea points out that “the senior rater plays a key role in the production of the NCOER, and must be involved throughout the rating cycle” (2006, p. 6). Conclusion In conclusion, a good NCOER is vital for the opportunities and advancement of any noncommissioned officer. However, care ought to be taken when writing the noncommissioned officer evaluation reports, in order to ensure that the only right soldiers get promotions. Standards need to be set by senior leaders in the army, for subordinates to follow. Reference List Lewis, Audie G. (Eds.). (2008). Career Progression Guide. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books. Lloyd, Andrew P. (2007). Enhancing Army Values Training through Bibliotherapy. Ann Arbor: Proquest Information and Learning Company. McCrea, Derek D. (2006). Problems with the NCOER. oclc.org. retrieved June 7, 2013, from http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p15040coll2/id/2657/filename/2658.pdf Rush, Robert S. (Eds.). (2006). NCO Guide. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books. United States Department of the Army. (2002). Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Reporting System. Retrieved August14, 2013, from http://www.armyg1.army.mil/eo/docs/ar623_205.pdf Read More