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4 February 2018

Military experts, leaders say 'up or out' promotion system outdated

By CLAUDIA GRISALES

WASHINGTON — A panel of military experts and leaders urged lawmakers on Wednesday to revamp a woefully outdated officer promotion system that has plagued recruiting and retention efforts.

The system, born of a 1980 law called the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act, standardized military promotions and established an “up or out” career path for servicemembers.

Experts testifying before a subpanel of the Senate Armed Services Committee seem to agree that the policy, also known as DOPMA, is an one-size-fits-all approach that the military has outgrown.

“The bureaucracy still treats troops like interchangeable draftees. It’s not only disrespectful but short-sighted and this can’t be fixed until DOPMA is fixed,” Timothy Kane, a Hoover Institution fellow at Stanford University, said during testimony to the subpanel. “Our enlistees and our officers are fantastic, but how they get treated is not so fantastic. That’s why we have repeatedly a retention crisis.”

The comments before the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel issues marked a far-reaching discussion on military personnel practices that could influence the development of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.

Military leaders at the hearing said they are facing a more competitive job market now and need to offer more to recruit and retain servicemembers, especially ones with specialty skills. Life-work balance must become a bigger priority, military leaders and experts agreed.

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