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NCOs Can Now Rank Their Assignment Preferences Under a New Army System

For the first time, the U.S. Army will allow noncommissioned officers to rank where they would like to be assigned.

Similar to its Assignment Interactive Module for officers, in use since 2016, the service announced earlier this month that it will roll out the virtual "Assignment Satisfaction Key -- Enlisted Marketplace" (ASK-EM) for the 2021 manning cycle.

Those eligible include active-duty soldiers in the ranks of E-6 through E-8, according to a release. They can give their top five choices for assignment location.

Read Next: Fort Bragg Now Admits its Twitter Account Wasn't Hacked

"Soldier preference is important because we believe a Soldier performs at a higher level when they're in an assignment that interests them," Col. Michael McGregor, director of the Enlisted Personnel Management Directorate, said in the release. "Soldiers have some input into their assignments now, but that will increase significantly as we field ASK-EM."

The goal is to more accurately pair noncommissioned officers with their duty station based on their "knowledge, skills, behaviors and preferences," the release states.

"These initiatives optimize the Army's ability to get the right Soldier with the right talents to the right assignment at the right time. It will also allow commanders to maximize the talent provided them," McGregor said.

The new program is set to go live Nov. 11, according to a separate announcement .

Leaders will get more information about when a soldier is best available for a permanent change-of-station move or temporary duty assignment to match gaps the service needs to fill.

"Heightened awareness about Soldier talent, along with knowing when he or she is available to move, will help us make informed decisions when assigning the most qualified Soldiers to meet Army requirements," McGregor explained.

ASK-EM follows two pilot programs that involved 1,700 NCOs, according to Army Human Resources Command.

According to Col. Bryan Harris, Armor Enlisted Branch chief at the command, 55% of those participating received one of their top five choices.

The automated marketplace will someday serve an average of 35,000 NCOs per year, and will be tied to "five enlisted manning cycles per year, compared to two cycles for officers," the command said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214.

Related: Air Force to Let Fighter Pilots, Crew Stay at Preferred Bases

Oriana Pawlyk

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HRC expands scope, effectiveness of Assignment Satisfaction Key tool for enlisted

Photo By David Ruderman | Arthur Dille, a human resources supervisor with U.S. Army Human Resources Command’s... ... read more read more

Photo By David Ruderman | Arthur Dille, a human resources supervisor with U.S. Army Human Resources Command’s Enlisted Procedures and Soldier Actions Branch, briefs HRC Commander, Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Seamands, on upgrades to the online Assignment Satisfaction Key tool at HRC Headquarters, Fort Knox, Kentucky, Nov. 8, 2016. ASK allows enlisted active duty Soldiers up to the rank of E-8 non-promotable to take greater charge of their future assignments and career paths.   see less | View Image Page

UNITED STATES

Story by david ruderman  , u.s. army human resources command.

FORT KNOX, Kentucky (Dec. 12, 2016) – U.S. Army Human Resources Command has further expanded an online tool that enables active duty, enlisted Soldiers in ranks E-1 through E-8 non-promotable to designate assignment location and broadening assignment preferences, along with the ability to nominate themselves for assignments that help shape their career. The Assignment Satisfaction Key, or ASK, program has been in operation for 15 years, said Arthur Dille, a human resources supervisor with HRC’s Enlisted Procedures and Soldier Actions Branch. It was initially fielded to fill vacant positions in deploying units, but a redesign has transformed it into a career development tool for enlisted Soldiers across the Army. Dille said the ASK redesign was executed by a team of specialists from HRC’s Enlisted Personnel Management and Personnel Information Systems Directorates, who went through the program, screen by screen. They analyzed and re-organized the structure to ensure it is both streamlined and functionally effective, collapsing multiple screens into one, making it easier to navigate. “We wanted an improved look and feel, we wanted it to be usable. We cleaned it up and consolidated it so it is more user friendly,” Dille said. “It allows for Soldiers to see requisitions, volunteer for them and indicate their preferences for assignments. The idea is to empower Soldiers in the assignment process,” said Dille. ASK has been updated to ensure that Soldiers who log in see only assignments for which they are currently eligible based on MOS, rank, time on station as of report date and military education. The only possibilities for self-nomination are open requisitions organized by location. “If there are no authorizations for your MOS and grade, that location is not offered to you as a preference option. It is so Soldiers can have realistic expectations,” Dille said. Importantly, the available pool of assignment opportunities has expanded fourfold due to inclusion of lower requisition priorities. Once submitted, requests show up in the Army’s Enlisted Distribution and Assignment System, or EDAS, within minutes. HRC assignment managers can immediately begin working the requisition. “We’re looking at not only a bigger window, but a lot more requisitions. We want to have more Soldiers have more say in the assignment system with a corresponding increased approval rate. By having more options available, more Soldiers will want to use the tool,” Dille said. “This is an opportunity for the Soldier to become actively involved in the assignment process and take control over their future.” Assignment managers review the Soldier’s preferences, military education, Married Army Couple Program status, time-on-station and other qualifications. If a nomination matches the Army’s requirement, the manager can contact the Soldier with the good news. If a manager wants to reject an ASK assignment, it has to be approved by a branch chief. “Typically, rejection is going to be based on the strength of the losing unit or the Soldier’s professional development,” said Dille. Soldiers can also indicate their availability for broadening opportunities such as drill sergeant and recruiter, or other special duty interests as Airborne or Korea assignments. “While talent management is considerably more difficult among the enlisted ranks due to the scope and size of the force, engaging Soldiers through ASK in determining their own assignments and development helps the process,” said HRC Commander, Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Seamands “As the Army focuses more on talent management, the EPMD team knew we had to provide expanded capabilities for Soldiers to have influence and a greater voice in their career development,” said Col. Alan Kellogg, director of HRC’s Enlisted Personnel Management Directorate, EPMD. “This tool is not only designed to build unit readiness, but also support our Soldiers and their families.” “We want Soldiers to know about the opportunities that the ASK tool provides and we want Soldier to maximize usage,” said Sgt. Maj. Lynice Thorpe, EPMD senior NCO. So far, the redesign is having a positive effect. “We’re accepting over five times more than we were before. Almost two thirds of the assignments that Soldiers nominate for are being accepted,” said Dille. Even so, ASK is not a guarantee of a particular assignment. There remain circumstances under which HRC personnel will have to ensure that Soldiers fill the high priority needs of the Army regardless of their preferences, Dille said. Flexibility remains key to Soldiers finding their best next assignments, said HRC’s Command Sgt. Maj. Wardell Jefferson. Someone who nominates themselves repeatedly for an assignment for which they are not qualified, and then complains the system does not work, is missing the point, and the power, of the ASK tool. “That’s important too. There are requirements and priorities. There is a possibility you may get what you want, but there is also the need to have realistic expectations,” Jefferson said. “Enabling enlisted Soldiers to influence the development of their careers is a plus for both the individual and the Army,” said Seamands. “When a Soldier who wants to go to Fort Hood gets to Fort Hood, that is a happier Soldier.”

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New enlisted marketplace, promotion board changes arriving

Some big changes for enlisted soldiers are being implemented this coming year, including an “assignment marketplace” for staff sergeants through master sergeants and promotion boards dialing in on how much non-commissioned officers know about their subordinates, according to Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston .

Also on the horizon, a phone application for squad leaders to help with administrative tasks and a prototype for what is expected to become a Sergeants Major Assessment Program , Grinston told Army Times during an Oct. 1 interview.

Many of the changes fall under Grinston’s signature push during his tenure as the ranking enlisted soldier within the Army, known as “ This is My Squad ." The initiative aims to build more internal cohesion at some of the smallest unit levels within the service. For many troops, that’s the squad.

Promotion boards

A Sept. 5 memo codified some of the initiative’s changes for soldiers going before promotion boards in the future.

“We want to reinforce team and squad leader understanding of how our Army cares for its soldiers,” Grinston said during the telephone interview. “So promotion to sergeant and staff sergeant will include situational questions.”

Rather than just being asked about regulations or telling a board about their own assignments and accomplishments, soldiers will be asked about those for whom they’re responsible.

“So now we want them to come in, and maybe not tell them about themselves,” Grinston added. “Talk about their squad. How many people do you have? What’s [this] private’s first name? How many kids does he have? Where did he grow up?”

Grinston said he’s also assembling a panel of 24 staff sergeants from a variety of jobs and commands across the globe to assist with This is My Squad . That panel is expected to meet for the first time in November.

“They’re going to stay on that panel for a while to give me feedback on how can we get this culture going and what tangible things I can do to really replicate this throughout the Army,” he said.

Staff Sgt. Jake Reyes, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, teaches proper methods to clear, assemble, disassemble and perform functions checks on a M240B for his unit’s battalion squad lethality competition, prior to COVID-19.

The sergeant major of the Army has also been working with the service’s Futures Command to develop a phone app for squad leaders that will assist them with tracking training, sponsorship and counseling documents.

“We’ve gone to the combined arms center, through TRADOC, trying to develop a new counseling form,” Grinston said. “I actually want to digitize this counseling form. So … it gets uploaded and … helps the squad leader with some of those administrative tasks that they have to do on a daily or monthly basis.”

ASK-EM going live

The new Assignment Satisfaction Key-Enlisted Module, or ASK-EM, goes live Nov. 11.

It will allow E-6s, E-7s and E-8s to use an assignment process similar to the one rolled out last year for officers. One key difference is that a human resource manager selects enlisted for their next assignment, whereas the officer marketplace allows units to do so.

“That’s going to be available for all enlisted soldiers, staff sergeants to master sergeants, you’ll see those locations that are available [and] you can preference those," Grinston said. “And then the manager looks at those and puts you on assignments based on your preferences. … That’s something coming out that we’re really excited about.”

Enlisted job marketplace launches this summer for select soldiers

Armor, intelligence and some quartermaster troops will test a new assignment market system that launches this summer and is scheduled to go service-wide beginning in january 2021..

The pilot program could provide those enlisted troops more choices in their careers than the old assignment system, which forced troops to choose six basing options — three in the United States and three overseas, Sgt. Maj. Wardell Jefferson, the Army G-1′s senior enlisted soldier, explained in March.

A pilot program for ASK-EM took place in June and was open to 700 NCOs in armor, military intelligence and quartermaster specialties. Of the soldiers who participated in the program, 55 percent received one of their top five choices, according to an Army Human Resources Command release.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Michael Grinston began his two-day visit to U.S. Army Fort Campbell, on Aug 3. One of his many stops was The Sabalauski Air Assault School, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). TSAAS trainers showed him how they facilitate training in a COVID-19 environment while making health a priority as training standards are not compromised. Grinston went through The Sabalauski Air Assault School as a young Soldier and had fond memories of the installation. (Photos by Spc. John Simpson, The 40th Public Affairs Detachment)

ASK-EM is intended to give NCOs more input into where they want their career to go next by letting them provide other details about their backgrounds and skills that can be used by HR managers during assignment slating.

Soldiers also will be able to see how popular an assignment is, giving them insight into how other soldiers are ranking positions.

Eventually, an average of 35,000 NCOs per year are expected to view and preference assignments through the new system, according to the HRC release.

Prototype assessment program

The Army is preparing to introduce a senior enlisted assessment course, similar to the one that kicked off earlier this year for officers hoping to become battalion commanders.

“We’re going to have 32 sergeants major, in November, go through the battalion commander assessment program ," Grinston said. “That will help us shape what we’re going to do for the sergeants major assessment program.”

The battalion commander assessment program takes place at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and involves sit-downs with Army psychologists, a leader reaction course and argumentative essays.

The battalion commander candidates also went before “blind boards," which required an individual’s background paperwork to be scrubbed of personally identifying information. A sheet was used to separate the panel and the interviewee.

When the battalion commander assessment program started in January, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville called it a “transformational change” in how the service chooses battalion commanders.

This past spring, Grinston received feedback from some of senior sergeants major who spent the winter sitting in on blind boards , providing input to the panels.

Any potential program wouldn’t be borne out of the prototype until 2022 at the earliest, Grinston previously told Army Times. But whatever does come of those prototypes likely won’t deviate significantly from what the officers were doing, he added at the time.

Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.

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