ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Voice for the army - support for the soldier, the value of broadening assignments.

While there is a burgeoning body of literature examining the skills necessary for officer success in joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational environments, less has been written about the value of broadening experiences for performing in subsequent operational assignments within the Army at all echelons.

In our careers, broadening experiences outside the Army were ideal preparation for key developmental assignments at both company and field grade levels. Broadening is also about building better leaders within the Army, not solely about preparing officers to excel when dealing with those outside the Army, whether they be uniformed members of other services, civil servants, or representatives of other countries’ militaries and governments.

With the return of officer separation boards and lower promotion rates, many junior officers may view broadening opportunities as too risky to their careers, opting to pursue traditional developmental jobs in their basic branches within the Army. We argue that such views are shortsighted. Some of the best preparation for tough key developmental jobs in the Army can come from exposure to communities outside the service.

We offer the following 10 ways we were better prepared for key developmental jobs because of broadening experiences:

1. Asking good questions. Often the most important skill a leader can contribute to guiding subordinates is asking the right questions to generate the understanding of a problem or task before solving or accomplishing it. Broadening experiences, more than prior operational assignments, expose Army leaders to communities, such as civilian academia, that spend as much time formulating questions as answering them.

2. Being comfortable not knowing everything. While the commander of a theater military intelligence company may not perfectly understand the nuances of all 12 intelligence MOSs within the company, even the purest rifle company contains more than 10 individual MOSs and relies on the support of countless others. Furthermore, the past several years of war have demonstrated that during overseas deployments, few units operate without “enablers” from joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational entities.

The gap in training and expertise among leaders, their subordinates and their partners will only grow wider as the world grows increasingly complex. Proper broadening offers experiences wherein leaders learn to work without much training or knowledge of their environment—whether in a foreign country or a commercial company—gaining a level of comfort with “not knowing” that can serve them well when charged with leading diverse formations.

3. Emphasizing empirical evidence over anecdotes. Leaders must always guard against well-intentioned teammates and subordinates who offer compelling, often passionate anecdotes as evidence to support the adoption of a particular course of action. Leaders are especially vulnerable during transitions, when subordinates may be tempted to seek a quick decision from the new person at the helm. At the same time, even cohesive and established teams must be wary of pitfalls.

army broadening assignments for e7

Implicit trust in our teammates that has been forged over time should not preclude establishing a culture that values the gathering of empirical observations to support decisionmaking. Our graduate education in the social sciences not only reinforced the general value of skepticism, but also instilled in us a persistent need to back up assertions with empirical data—and to expect the same from those with whom we serve.

4. Receiving candid feedback. While the Army has taken steps to incorporate 360-degree assessments into leader-development efforts, it has long faced criticism for an inflated evaluation system. We contend that the most candid, critical, substantive feedback the three of us have received was in graduate school, not the Army. In fact, during one of the authors’ graduate studies, a professor admitted he had to abandon peer assessments for group projects in classes that had concentrations of Army officers, because the Army officers rated their peers—often, other Army officers—as excellent, with little to no room for improvement. Broadening experiences that truly assess performance and then help guide individuals forward are evocative of learning organizations that place a high premium on continuous assessment.

5. Seeking a diversity of viewpoints. While the need for good order and discipline necessitates a healthy degree of deference to those in positions of authority, there is a danger of such top-down thinking resulting in groupthink and confirmation bias. The Army ethos does not instill the impulse to seek input from subordinates in as holistic a way as do the less hierarchical contexts of certain broadening assignments, such as those in civilian academia or joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational positions.

6. Valuing consensus building. While leaders in Army units have authority by virtue of their rank and position, the truth is that it is easier to lead soldiers who understand and believe in their assigned mission. And soldiers are more likely to buy in to an organizational vision if they feel their voices are heard. Even within purely Army contexts, mission success often depends on coordination with organizations outside a given unit and well-defined lines of authority. Broadening assignments outside the military may offer valuable perspective on how consensus building can lead to effective action outside defined chains of authority.

7. Expanding sources of authority. By virtue of our positions, each of us exercised considerable authority over hundreds of soldiers. Yet we also recognized that having to invoke positional authority to compel others to do something was probably a last resort. Deference to authority and respect for the chain of command are absolute necessities in the Army, but our most significant accomplishments were often realized through creative, collaborative endeavors. Broadening experiences that offer immersion in the corporate world or graduate degrees in business offer Army leaders unique insights into leading organizational change.

8. Appreciating process as much as outcome. The Army uses the military decisionmaking process (MDMP) as its primary decisionmaking framework. MDMP is a useful, time-tested and effective tool for leading units at various echelons, but it is not alone in the world as a decisionmaking framework. When Army officers serve outside of the Army, whether as students in civilian graduate schools or “embeds” in other departments of government, they are exposed to alternate decisionmaking and management processes. That contrast itself is an education to Army leaders. It makes more apparent MDMP’s strengths and weaknesses, and equips leaders to account for those characteristics in leading their own units through MDMP.

9. Strengthening ties beyond the Army. Whether in garrison or deployed, tactical and operational Army units are more successful when they leverage the capabilities of organizations beyond the Army. Particularly in an era of declining budgets, leaders with contacts beyond the Army can create garrison developmental opportunities for soldiers within their formations, including cultural awareness training with subject-matter experts or sharing broadening experiences in leader professional development contexts. Likewise, while deployed, having an understanding of the organizational culture of other government agencies or nongovernmental organizations can go a long way in minimizing miscommunication.

10. Communicating more broadly. In facing modern security challenges, the U.S. Army rarely deploys alone. Almost always deployed with joint forces, the Army often deploys with partner-nation militaries, the support of other U.S. and partner-nation government agencies, or partners with international and nongovernmental organizations as a key component of accomplishing the mission. Additionally, when facing hybrid or insurgent threats, military leaders often must be able to communicate with local populations and their leaders.

The ability to communicate effectively with this broad array of audiences is often vital to mission accomplishment. This ability can be taught to a degree, but it is often learned best through experience and practice. Broadening experiences out of uniform, embedded in foreign countries or with other government agencies offer a directly applicable opportunity for leaders to develop such skills.

The general direction of the Army regarding the importance of broadening is one we fully support. We must not, however, allow bureaucratic incentives to label every non-key developmental billet as broadening to dilute the intent of the Army’s initiative into something so broad as to be devoid of meaning.

All experiences are valuable, but not all experiences outside of our core competencies are equally broadening. If we are going to institutionalize and incentivize broadening across all ranks, leaders at all levels must encourage subordinates to seek out both the most challenging key developmental jobs and most challenging broadening assignments.

What Is Broadening?

Currently, there is not a uniformly held doctrinal definition of broadening. The closest is the recent revision to Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-3, but the difficulty with this definition is that little is not broadening. The implication is that anything that is not “key developmental” is broadening.

In the past, the distinction within a branch was between developmental assignments and key developmental assignments such as company command, battalion operations officer or battalion executive officer. In the current version of Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-3, some branches make a distinction between developmental and broadening assignments—for example, aviation—while others imply that broadening and developmental are synonymous in both not being key developmental, such as military intelligence.

The 2012 version, the most recent, of Army Doctrine Reference Publication (ADRP) 6-22: Army Leadership is closer to the spirit of a narrower definition of broadening, defining it as an opportunity that provides “exposure outside the leader’s branch or functional area competencies” and “allows development of a wider range of knowledge and skills” or “increases cross-cultural exposure and expands awareness of other governmental agencies, organizations or environments.”

In line with ADRP 6-22, we argue for a narrower definition of broadening and that assignments should meet at least two important criteria to truly be considered broadening. First, such an assignment should foster an environment that puts officers outside their comfort zone, where they cannot solely leverage their own past experiences in the Army in order to excel and where they are exposed to different organizational cultures and dynamics.

This is best, and perhaps only, achieved when the officer becomes a minority in an organization. Serving as an exchange officer in the British Army or as an interagency fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development are great examples. This caveat naturally rules out most Army assignments. Army assignments in the functional and institutional realms currently labeled as broadening should probably instead be designated as developmental in nature.

Second, the assignment should help cultivate an officer’s critical thinking skills. Broadening opportunities should challenge officers to examine their previously held assumptions and instill in them the value of self-reflection. Attending graduate school full time, preferably not in classrooms entirely full of other military officers, is one obvious example but not the only one. Fellowships and serving as speechwriters, faculty members or on a Commander’s Initiatives Group at the Joint Staff or at a combatant command also stand out as superb broadening opportunities that nourish critical and creative thinking.

—Capt. Zach N. Watson, Maj. Brian C. Babcock-Lumish and Lt. Col. Heidi A. Urben

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What are good examples of broadening assignments to advise to your troops, to further their careers?

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The Army Attaché Management Division represents the U.S. Army in selecting highly-qualified Regular Army personnel for assignment within the Defense Attaché System. Army Attaché personnel serve around the world in United States Embassies within a Defense Attaché Office (DAO). The DAO represents the Department of Defense to the host-nation government and military, assists and advises the U.S. Ambassador on military matters, and coordinates...

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What’s the best broadening assignment in your opinion?

Putting in a DS packet, branch called and asked if I wanted an instructor position, I declined, being an instructor sounds nice, but idk I’ve always been a sucker for that hat and badge.

Anyways while I finish the worst packet I’ve ever dropped, anyone want to mention their favorite broadening assignments?

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NCOER Resources

This page lists resources for the various sections on the NCOER. To contribute information, e-mail it to [email protected] or use the form at the bottom of the page.

No matter how hard you work or how many hours you put in, all your work will be for nothing if your achievements aren't recorded in your annual evaluation. It will be as if everything you did never happened. Because promotions, assignments and other personnel actions are based on your records and decided by people who don't know you. Your NCOER is the single most important document you'll encounter in your military career. That single sheet of paper affects your chances for promotion, your assignment options, training opportunities, and your entire future in the Army. No other document has as much effect on your career or your life.

The good thing is that the content of your NCOER is in your hands. It's as if your supervisor gave you a blank check and said, fill in whatever amount you want. Because you can determine what is written in your evaluation! Your actions and the information you provide will make your supervisor's job easier and your report the best it can be. Make sure you give it the attention it deserves.

Rater Guidance: Words Matter!

NCOER Support Form Example

NCOER Support Form

NCOER Bullet Comments

How to Quantify NCOER Bullets

NCOER Examples

NCOER Duty Descriptions

Part III, Areas of Special Emphasis

Part IV, Performance Goals and Expectations

Part V, Performance Evaluation

Part V C, Successive/Broadening Assignments

NCOER Bullets by Additional Duty

NCOER Bullets by MOS

Needs Improvement Bullet Comments

NCOER Powerpoint Presentation

How to Write an NCOER

How to Write Strong NCOER Bullets

How to Write Bullet Comments that Match the Rating

Action Verbs for NCOERs (.docx) thanks, SSG Jones

NCOER Adjectives

NCOER Phrase Examples

NCOER Thesaurus

NCO Counseling Checklist Examples

DA Pam 600-67, Effective Writing for Army Leaders

DA Form 2166-9-1, NCO Evaluation Report, SGT   Local Copy

DA Form 2166-9-1A, NCOER Support Form, SGT   Local Copy

DA Form 2166-9-2, NCO Evaluation Report, SSG-MSG   Local Copy

DA Form 2166-9-3, NCO Evaluation Report, CSM/SGM   Local Copy

DA Form 2166-8, NCO Evaluation Report

DA Form 2166-8-1, NCOER Counseling and Support Form

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How to improve your ncoer score.

Read DA Pamphlet 623-3 and AR 623-3. Understanding how the process works is the first step in improving your score. Don't waste time on areas that you can't control and concentrate on those that you can. Target areas that provide the most points first.

Talk with your supervisor about your NCOER. Ask him or her how you're doing and what you can do to improve. This may be the single most effective step you can take and can't be over-emphasized. Listen carefully to what he or she says. Often, it's difficult for supervisors to directly criticize their troops and they may offer advice in a tone that sounds more like a suggestion than an order. Try to read between the lines and ask questions if their meaning isn't clear. Then act on what your supervisor said. Follow up periodically and don't hesitate to ask for further advice. Supervisors love that.

Fill out an NCOER on yourself and see what areas are rated and which areas might be improved. Do this as soon as possible because it takes time to change behavior and even longer for others to become aware of it.

Keep track of your performance. Write down your accomplishments as they occur so that you can remember them when it comes time to provide material for your NCOER. You can be the best troop in the world but if you can't remember what you've accomplished, it's the same as if you didn't do anything. The best way to do this is to develop a habit that works for you -like every Friday after lunch, write down what you accomplished during the week. Or make a habit of recording your accomplishments when you have some other writing requirement, like a weekly report or weekly checks. Whatever method you choose, just make sure you do it regularly. This will pay big dividends when it's time to provide material for your NCOER or even a quarterly award.

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COMMENTS

  1. Successive, Broadening Assignments

    Successive, Broadening Assignments. Positions in which NCOs could best serve the Army. And positions which facilitate a well-rounded career and eventual promotion to the highest rank. 1st Sergeant (1SG) ACFT/PT NCOIC. Administrative NCO. AIT Instructor. Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Control NCOIC.

  2. PDF 2021 Broadening Opportunity Program Catalog

    B. General guidance for applicants of Broadening Opportunity Programs. 1. You are not eligible to compete if: a) You are a current student. b) You will be a student during the time your requested program is in session. c) You owe or will not complete an incurred utilization assignment by the start of your requested BOP.

  3. PDF U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Guide

    Army military life cycle † 3-5, page 17 Individual career development † 3-6, page 18 Assignment-making decision process † 3-7, page 19 Broadening assignments (overview) † 3-8, page 20 Promotions (overview) † 3-9, page 21 Centralized selection list process † 3-10, page 21 Chapter 4

  4. PDF CMF 25 Progression Chart

    Critical Development assignments are: SR Signal Opns NCO, SR GCC/ASCC Commo NCO. MSG Broadening Assignments are: Senior Instructor, Special Mission Unit, White House Communication Agency, Defense Information Systems Agency, NATO, Senior Career Advisor (HRC), Equal Opportunity Advisor . Critical Development assignment Signal Operations Chief . is:

  5. PDF CMF 42A Progression Chart

    ASSIGNMENTS (Broadening. and. Key Experience Positions) ... Army wide Special Duty Assignments are specific, defined and provided in the Annex to the Board MOI. MOS 42S Progression Chart. E-6: Musician/Support Musician. E7: SeniorMusician/Senior SupportMusician. E8: Master Musician/Section Leader/1SG(TOGFDC) E9: Group/Element Leader. 42S5O/42S5M.

  6. The Responsibility of Preparedness: Choosing Broadening Assignments

    Editor's Note: This post is part of the FTGN Army Broadening Series that we are running from March 15-30, 2021. Each day, we will publish new insights into the Army's various broadening assignments, starting March 15th, 2021 with an overview of AIM 2.0 and a discussion on how to educate others on assignment selection criteria.. By Aaron Childers

  7. Building future Soldier leadership through broadening assignments

    Barbieri said broadening assignments contribute to growing a Soldier's operational and strategic experience and skills. At the same time they meet the current needs of the force while building the ...

  8. Broadening Opportunities

    The National Guard Bureau's Office of Legislative Liaison encourages eligible Army Captains, Majors, and senior Non-commissioned Officers in Title 10 AGR, Title 32 AGR, and M-Day status to apply to this prestigious career-broadening opportunity. The program seeks service members who have demonstrated outstanding promotion potential.

  9. Broadening...Where do I Start?

    Ultimately, broadening assignments improve individual officers and benefit the Army. Broadening assignments generally fall into one of the five categories listed below, but these may not cover all possibilities. Functional, Tactical, or Institutional. This category includes positions in Army units at various echelons.

  10. TBCA

    The Army Talent Management Task Force (ATMTF) is excited to present the Talent Based Career Alignment (TBCA) program. ... (AMCPs) are only those broadening assignments, Functional Area transfers or other assignment opportunities that follow basic branch required Captain Key & Developmental (KD) time as per AR 600-3 AND are offered as part of ...

  11. The Value of Broadening Assignments

    Broadening experiences that offer immersion in the corporate world or graduate degrees in business offer Army leaders unique insights into leading organizational change. 8. Appreciating process as much as outcome. The Army uses the military decisionmaking process (MDMP) as its primary decisionmaking framework.

  12. PDF Engineer (CMF 12) Career Progression Plan Chapter 1. Duties Purpose.

    (O3/4/5, and E7) and exchanges personnel between the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), US Army Engineer School (USAES), US Naval Facilities Engineering Command Engineer (NAVFAC), US Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), and US Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) for an assignment period of 2436 months. SMU assignments -

  13. Detailed Career Planning for the Junior Officer

    Many options exist for post-KD CPTs for their broadening assignments. All broadening assignments fall under the following categories: Institutional, Operational, and Generating. Institutional assignment assignments include the ones listed in the Broadening Opportunity Program (BOP), serving at the United States Military Academy, or earning a ...

  14. PDF Military Evaluation (OER & NCOER)

    • An Army Officer Supplementary Review is required for Rating Chains that do not include an Army Officer • Future Operational and Broadening Assignment Recommendations - use DA PAM 600-3 (PAM 600-4 for AMEDD) - listed by job titles, separated by commas, no narratives • Support form is mandatory for WO1-COL

  15. Broadening: Building individual career paths to leadership in Army 2025

    Joint or multinational broadening assignments provide Soldiers an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Army from the perspective of partner nation military organizations at the ...

  16. Broadening Opportunities for KD Complete Lieutenants

    Most officers are intimately familiar with key designation (KD) billets that they are required to fill in each grade. The primary example is Platoon Leader, which spans most branch requirements, but others do exist, such as serving as a Company Fire Support Officer in the Field Artillery branch. Beyond operational assignments exist broadening ...

  17. PDF Infantryman 11B Professional Development Model

    SFC- 24 Years TIS. Infantrymen should serve in a variety of assignments including vehicular and non-vehicular TOE Infantry Battalions Approved by: Infantrymen should continue to strive for the Expert Infantryman Badge (PVT through MSG/1SG). Larry Q. Burris. SLC and ALC students are offered the opportunity to attend Ranger Course before ...

  18. What are good examples of broadening assignments to advise ...

    The Army Attaché Management Division represents the U.S. Army in selecting highly-qualified Regular Army personnel for assignment within the Defense Attaché System. Army Attaché personnel serve around the world in United States Embassies within a Defense Attaché Office (DAO).

  19. what are some awesome Enlisted Broadening assignments? : r/army

    Specific to 31B, E-5 through E-7, but assignment to the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon. It's a year long tour on a rotation with the Air Force and Marines, limited to 15 people and you don't apply, you get chosen. Phenomenal assignment though! Once in a lifetime kinda thing. 15.

  20. Best Broadening assignment : r/army

    Look into the Defense Attache Service for a broadening assignment. You can be trained and then sent to an Embassy to work for 1-3 years depending on the assignment you get. It is a fabulous lifestyle and is something not many in the Army will have an opportunity to do. Reply reply. hzoi.

  21. What's the best broadening assignment in your opinion? : r/army

    *Note: The Agency's Human Capital Directorate (HCD, like a J1) will refer all assignment questions to the service's respective assignment section. HCD waits for each service assignment section to fill in the requisition for any vacant positions. Please refer all of your assignment questions to your branch manager at HQDA.

  22. PDF Chapter 3. Recommended career management self-development, by ...

    of developmental assignments followed by a broadening assignment. Regardless of the assignment, the Armor Soldier should consistently seek self-improvement and set goals in the Army Career Tracker (ACT) website. 2) Self-development is a mandatory, individually planned, progressive and sequential program followed by NCO leadership.

  23. NCOER Examples and Information

    DA Pam 600-67, Effective Writing for Army Leaders. DA Form 2166-9-1, NCO Evaluation Report, SGT Local Copy. DA Form 2166-9-1A, NCOER Support Form, SGT Local Copy. DA Form 2166-9-2, NCO Evaluation Report, SSG-MSG Local Copy. DA Form 2166-9-3, NCO Evaluation Report, CSM/SGM Local Copy. DA Form 2166-8, NCO Evaluation Report

  24. PDF CMF 25 Progression Chart

    MSG Broadening assignments are: Instructor/Writer,Asymmetric Warfare Group, NATO, Defense Information Systems Agency,Cyber Protection Brigade,ARCYBER, White House Communication Agency,Small Group Leader.Critical Development assignments are: Joint Spectrum Manager,Senior Spec Mgr,Army Spectrum Mgmt Chief, CCMD J-6 JFMO NCOIC.