OOA's dont count!!!
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As an ex-desk officer responsible for pre-boarding I can say that OOA certainly does lend weight but only if the home assessments are consistently supportive. Board officers aren't the idiots you might think, they smell a rat when a guy can't be bothered to get out of his pit at home but is an OOA hero when away.
Prom boards know about the "Halo" effect and will set aside those OOA reports that appear embellished (same goes for loan service reports) and the cut and paste variety (Theatre Cdrs are busy chaps after all).
On the other side of the coin, no OOA and you need a good excuse. In my experience the only guys who I ever heard complaining about the inequity of the system where those who weren't doing so well out of it and hoped that a few theatre medals might boost their chances of a leg up. Sorry guys but there is just too much genuine competion!
Prom boards know about the "Halo" effect and will set aside those OOA reports that appear embellished (same goes for loan service reports) and the cut and paste variety (Theatre Cdrs are busy chaps after all).
On the other side of the coin, no OOA and you need a good excuse. In my experience the only guys who I ever heard complaining about the inequity of the system where those who weren't doing so well out of it and hoped that a few theatre medals might boost their chances of a leg up. Sorry guys but there is just too much genuine competion!
As for genuine competition, surely this is a military service whose primary purpose is to fight wars? I'd have hoped that experience of those things would lend more wieght to promotion prospects than merely being a decider between two otherwise "consistently supportive home assessments."
Cunning Artificer
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Prom boards know about the "Halo" effect
Sorry, just an old civiilian plonker being provocative again...
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Of course the trouble with a "natural break point" is that it does exactly what it says on the tin. It is designed to weed out those who don't want to commit. Thats what its for....to get rid of the top level of mid seniority guys so that there isn't a surplus all wanting promotion. If nobody went at the break point there would be chaos.
a. Enough experienced operators to do the job whilst maintaining some level of knowledge/experience.
b. Enough ladder-climbers(or enhanced pension seekers
) to fill the SO2 posts.You need some degree of both. My point is that, at the moment, i'm not convinced that we have either!
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So what are those of us who spend up to 6 months a year away supposed to do? We certainly won't get "consistently supportive home assessments" since there simply isn't time to get anything constructive done at home, and I'd suggest that anyone who claim's otherwise is actually reliant on an excellent 2ic of whatever secondary duty it is that they claim to be doing.
As for genuine competition, surely this is a military service whose primary purpose is to fight wars? I'd have hoped that experience of those things would lend more wieght to promotion prospects than merely being a decider between two otherwise "consistently supportive home assessments."
As for genuine competition, surely this is a military service whose primary purpose is to fight wars? I'd have hoped that experience of those things would lend more wieght to promotion prospects than merely being a decider between two otherwise "consistently supportive home assessments."
I am probably on the most deployed Sqn in the RAF. I have spent 7 months on various OOAs this year and am scheduled for 8 months in 2007. However, like you, I still have 4/5 months back at base to take on a suitable high profile duty. Yes, I know we spend that time preparing for our next OOAs, CCS/IDT/IRT/Acclimatisation Trg etc etc, but this does not take up every hour of every working day.
You are totally correct in that we shouldn't have to do this to get promoted but the fact is, with more and more of us having the 'warfighting' tick, this isn't enough to be competative. You will have to face up to the fact that there are many of us that are deployed AND do more and more duties back at base, in order to compete for the few promotion places that are available. This includes early completion of CST.
Yes, this means we have no time for a 'life' but, like i've already flogged to death, there are tenough personnel out there that are willing to sacrifice this for a chance of promotion.
It's tough but the bottom line is; if you want promotion, you have to compete.
M7 sends
ps I have carefully selected my Secondary duty, in which there is a very good 2ic who gets the recognition she deserves!
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Outsiders view here but I would think you would take all those who have deployed and screen that list for those you view as capable of being promoted. Some will just not be cut out for promotion some will need more time to be ready. But you take as many of those that have deployed that are ready first.
After that you screen those that havent deployed and take the best of those to fill out rest that you need.
People that have deployed have earned that right to be considerd first what is point of military asking society to show respect towards vetrans if military itself doesnt.
After that you screen those that havent deployed and take the best of those to fill out rest that you need.
People that have deployed have earned that right to be considerd first what is point of military asking society to show respect towards vetrans if military itself doesnt.
