Jed Hudson, right, the task force’s action officer for enlisted talent, speak during an Association of the U.S. Robert Haynie, center, the Army Talent Management Task Force’s NCO team lead, and Maj. “They still have the authority to make the decision, but they have the information to make an informed decision,” Hudson said.

Those details are then seen by local commanders along with the normal data previously used, including evaluations, military and civilian education and military occupational specialties. The First Sergeant Talent Alignment Assessment also collects details on an individual through an assessment battery that measures a variety of their attributes, such as ethics, decision making, and general intelligence. Similar to the officer assessments, both enlisted programs plan to use objective methods to prevent unconscious bias, such as behavioral-based interviews that are double blind using a standard rubric of questions for each person, Haynie said. “Having the right NCOs with the right characteristics helps us get after that.” “That company-level first sergeant really coaches, teaches and mentors and puts those squad leaders into those right positions,” Haynie said. Leaders believe if the best individuals can fill first sergeant slots, it could help bolster the Army’s “This is My Squad” initiative, which aims to build cohesive teams at the squad level. Robert Haynie, the task force’s NCO team lead.Īdditional pilots are being scheduled with 1st Infantry Division, 10th Mountain Division, and potentially with units in Alaska later this year, he added. “99 percent of them said it was a great initiative and they felt it had a more holistic look at an NCO to match up with those positions,” said Sgt. The First Sergeant Talent Alignment Assessment also held a recent pilot with about a dozen master sergeants from the 82nd Airborne Division and 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The SMAP was conducted similar to the Battalion Commander Assessment Program by gaining more relevant information about sergeants major before selecting them for command sergeant major positions or other key billets. Grinston receives a brief about the Sergeant Major Assessment Program pilot at Fort Knox, Ky., Nov. “Now we’re going to have an opportunity to really use objective assessments to complement the current subjective evaluations that are already used as we select battalion and brigade command sergeants majors,” he said Wednesday during an Association of the U.S. Jed Hudson, the task force’s action officer for enlisted talent. In November, the Sergeant Major Assessment Program was initially tested at Fort Knox, Kentucky, to evaluate nearly 30 brigade-level sergeants major for future senior assignments.Įarlier this month, the sergeant major of the Army decided to implement the program at the brigade level this fall, with plans to extend it to the battalion level the following year, said Maj. The Army continues to expand talent management plans for senior noncommissioned officers that could one day incorporate junior NCOs, as part of the service’s ongoing effort to place the right leaders in the right jobs.įollowing the rollout of command assessment programs for lieutenant colonels and colonels, the Army Talent Management Task Force is now focusing to harness enlisted talent.

Thomas Crough) VIEW ORIGINALĪRLINGTON, Va. The First Sergeant Talent Alignment Assessment held a recent pilot with about a dozen master sergeants at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and now plans to expand the program to other installations in 2021, as part of the Army's effort to place the right Soldiers in first sergeant slots. Brady McDonald, assigned to the 145th Field Artillery Regiment, addresses his Soldiers during Operation Diamond Strike near Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Feb.

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