thedrifter
04-18-07, 07:03 PM
No more PME waivers for staff NCOs
By John Hoellwarth - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 18, 2007 18:06:41 EDT
The selection boards for staff noncommissioned officers will no longer consider Marines who haven’t completed their professional military education in grade, according to a Corps-wide message released Wednesday.
“Effective immediately, the PME waiver previously in place is hereby rescinded,” states AlMar 22/07, which also forbids commands from promoting PME-incomplete Marines meritoriously.
The Corps began authorizing PME waivers in May 2004 for active-duty Marines being considered by staff sergeant and gunnery sergeant boards. The move was made to “mitigate the impact of increased deployment tempo” on promotion opportunities, according to a May 14 message.
Subsequent MarAdmins expanded the waivers to include promotion to all staff NCO ranks for both active-duty Marines and reservists.
“These decisions were made based on the high deployment tempo impact on the ability of Marines to complete required PME,” the message states.
But in a September 2006 interview with Marine Corps Times, Sgt. Maj. John Estrada, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, predicted that the policy would change in the coming year because the majority of deployed staff NCOs were completing their PME requirement anyway, despite the waivers in place.
The new policy, which rescinds the waivers for selection boards scheduled for this fiscal year only, was published on the same day this year’s gunnery sergeant selection board convened, making PME completion a requirement for Marines hoping to pin on a second rocker.
The policy shift will also apply to sergeants hoping to pick up staff sergeant because that board has yet to convene. But this year’s selections to master sergeant, master gunnery sergeant, first sergeant and sergeant major have already been made with the PME waiver in effect, so “Marines who were previously selected with a PME waiver are no longer required to complete PME requirements for the prior grade,” according to the message.
Nevertheless, the message encouraged Marines to complete all their PME anyway.
Training and Education Command spokeswoman Capt. Teresa Ovalle said, “Regardless of a Marine’s role or mission, completing the PME is important because it strengthens their individual skills, and having the most highly trained Marines is what makes the Marine Corps strong.”
A decision on whether the Corps will reinstate waivers for fiscal 2009 will be made sometime between July and September 2008, according to the message.
Ellie
By John Hoellwarth - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 18, 2007 18:06:41 EDT
The selection boards for staff noncommissioned officers will no longer consider Marines who haven’t completed their professional military education in grade, according to a Corps-wide message released Wednesday.
“Effective immediately, the PME waiver previously in place is hereby rescinded,” states AlMar 22/07, which also forbids commands from promoting PME-incomplete Marines meritoriously.
The Corps began authorizing PME waivers in May 2004 for active-duty Marines being considered by staff sergeant and gunnery sergeant boards. The move was made to “mitigate the impact of increased deployment tempo” on promotion opportunities, according to a May 14 message.
Subsequent MarAdmins expanded the waivers to include promotion to all staff NCO ranks for both active-duty Marines and reservists.
“These decisions were made based on the high deployment tempo impact on the ability of Marines to complete required PME,” the message states.
But in a September 2006 interview with Marine Corps Times, Sgt. Maj. John Estrada, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, predicted that the policy would change in the coming year because the majority of deployed staff NCOs were completing their PME requirement anyway, despite the waivers in place.
The new policy, which rescinds the waivers for selection boards scheduled for this fiscal year only, was published on the same day this year’s gunnery sergeant selection board convened, making PME completion a requirement for Marines hoping to pin on a second rocker.
The policy shift will also apply to sergeants hoping to pick up staff sergeant because that board has yet to convene. But this year’s selections to master sergeant, master gunnery sergeant, first sergeant and sergeant major have already been made with the PME waiver in effect, so “Marines who were previously selected with a PME waiver are no longer required to complete PME requirements for the prior grade,” according to the message.
Nevertheless, the message encouraged Marines to complete all their PME anyway.
Training and Education Command spokeswoman Capt. Teresa Ovalle said, “Regardless of a Marine’s role or mission, completing the PME is important because it strengthens their individual skills, and having the most highly trained Marines is what makes the Marine Corps strong.”
A decision on whether the Corps will reinstate waivers for fiscal 2009 will be made sometime between July and September 2008, according to the message.
Ellie