QMP Board

[SSG_K]

I have heard a multitude of items regarding the QMP board. One, that if a soldier is QMP'ed, they don't receive any benefits at all, although if a soldier is RCP'ed they leave with something (better then nothing, but definitly not a retirement either). Two, the QMP board follows directly behind the SFC/MSG/SGM promotion boards. What outside of the typical (UCMJ, for instance) can a soldier be QMP'ed for? From what I've heard (again, mostly hear say), the QMP board is sort of like a pre-RCP board and instead of waiting until the last year of when a soldier doesn't make X rank by X time, they can boot a soldier out for failing NCOA's, horrible NCOER's (3/3 or worse), etc., etc. Can someone shed some light on this for me? Local rumor has it in my unit that the QMP board is back (didn't know it left, or even that it was in effect on the opposite side of the coin)

V/R,
~SSG K

[Grunt Medic TXARNG]

The program was suspended during the recent critical need for bodies in Iraq and Afghanistan, but re-implemented in 2009. From http://www.monterey.army.mil/legal/military_law/qmp.pdf -

A QMP is a DA-level bar to reenlistment affecting senior NCOs and not intended to be rehabilitative. It means you have been identified through a DA screening program as "failing to meet the Army standards for performance, conduct, attitude, and potential for advancement."

And in the 2009 Army Times article discussing the program (link) - Flaws in senior NCOs’ records can end careers - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times -

All sergeants first class and above with 20 or more years of active service will be subject to the reviews, which will target members of the Regular Army and the Army Reserve component of the Active Guard and Reserve program.
...
Under the program, a soldier’s record will be flagged if one of the following documents is received by Human Resources Command (HRC) for filing in a soldier’s Official Military Personnel File:
• General officer letter or memorandum of reprimand.
• Conviction by courts-martial or Article 15.
• NCO Evaluation Report documenting a relief for cause action.
• A rating of 4 (fair) or 5 (poor) in the senior rater performance and potential blocks of the NCO evaluation report.
• An Academic Evaluation Report indicating a soldier has failed an NCO Education System course.

ALL of us E-7 and above with over 20 years are being reviewed. If a Sergeant is selected for separation under this program, he or she may still retire and draw their regular benefits - this progran simply ends the Soldier's period of service.

[papachop]

So basically, forced retirement based on performance?

[Grunt Medic TXARNG]

Yes - although whether you are retirement eligible is not considered (you can have 20 years of service and still not be eligible for an Active retirement if some of your time was in the Reserve component, for example).

[CWO Sharkey]

YourArmy

Chiarelli: Army to cut over 7,000 jobs in ’12

Enlisted ranks to thin, mostly through attrition


By Jim Tice

jtice@militarytimes.com

The Army plans to begin draw­ing down next year by taking a one-third slice out of the tempo­rary 22,000-soldier increase that supported the Afghanistan troop surge of 2010.

The drawdown will be restricted to enlisted soldiers, and will be accomplished through attrition and a tightening of quali­ty standards, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff, said Feb. 23 at the winter meeting of the Associa­tion of the United States Army.

Recently instituted quality con­trol measures include the return of the Qualitative Management Program for senior NCOs, a small­er re-enlistment window and tighter retention control points for staff sergeants and below.

The fiscal 2012 budget request submitted to Congress in mid-Feb­ruary includes an Army plan to begin drawing down next spring, with an emphasis on the tempo­rary end-strength increase that began in late 2009.

It will take the Army about 18 months, beginning next spring, to eliminate the 22,000-soldier bulge, Chiarelli indicated Feb. 23.

The Army also has cut back on accessions by reducing the annual recruiting goal for the active com­ponent from 74,600 in 2010 to 69,500 this year and 68,000 in 2012, according to the budget doc­uments submitted to Congress.

These force reduction actions are small compared with a looming drawdown of 27,000 soldiers scheduled to begin in 2015.

The goal is to end the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2012 with 562,000 active-component soldiers.

That total is 14,600 more sol­diers than authorized in the fiscal 2011 base budget legislation approved by Congress in Decem­ber, and the 2012 personnel fund­ing request submitted to lawmak­ers Feb. 14.

The plan is to pay for the addi­tional soldiers with money from the Overseas Contingency Fund, a $71 billion Army budget category for war-related expenses.

Since the beginning of the war on terrorism nearly 10 years ago, active-component manning has increased from 480,000 soldiers to 568,000, according to a late Febru­ary head count of today’s force.

The end-strength totals do not include mobilized reservists, which as of mid-February num­bered 41,600 National Guard sol­diers and nearly 27,000 Army reservists.

Active-component strength began surging in 2007 when the Bush administration authorized the service to permanently add 74,200 soldiers to its components — 65,000 to the Regular Army, 8,200 to the National Guard and 1,000 to the Army Reserve.

Initially the ramp-up was sched­uled to be completed in five years, but due to a sluggish civilian econ­omy that spurred recruiting efforts, the service hit its growth target in 2009.

During that same year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates autho­rized the Army to add 22,000 sol­diers to the active component to support a surge of 30,000 troops, mostly Army, into Afghanistan.

As stipulated by Gates, the addi­tional soldiers would be used to fill out deploying units and under­strength formations, not for creat­ing additional combat units.

Under a strategy announced by Gates in January, the long-term goal is to take the Army down to a permanent end strength of 520,000 soldiers, provided the drawdown of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan proceed as planned, and no new contingencies arise that require a major commitment of soldiers.

Army leaders have not indicated how the service will draw down forces in the future, or whether that reduction will focus on com­bat arms or combat support and service units.

In either case the service likely will draw on the reserve compo­nents to offset the reduced capability.

Army leaders, to include Chiarelli and Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, say that because of this future requirement, it is important that the National Guard and Army Reserve remain operational forces that are in a high state of readi­ness, and available for short­notice deployments. □

[jdubbs]

I see that most of the QMP is being focues o "Senior" Leadership, I spent 10 years in the Marines and a little over 6 1/2 in the Army which means I have about a 1 1/2 till my 18 year mark, I am a SSG, do people like me have anything to worry about with getting QMP? ~Thanks!

[CWO Sharkey]

Do you have bad NCOERs? Got hit with an article 15 during your Army career as an NCO? If not; don't sweat it.

[jdubbs]

What's considered bad? I had one from a Captain that said 3/3 but it didn't support the bullets, but its just that one. And no I had no article 15's or anything either.

[CWO Sharkey]

So when did you get three blocked? That will hurt you for the seven board if it was in the last four years. But if you don't have a needs improvement then don't sweat it. I bet you will be able to fulfill your twenty and you are close to sanctuary.

[jdubbs]

Yea it was a year ago and no Needs Improvement, just paranoid since I have a year and 4 months. Just don't want that "Letter" when I am so close to thatthe 18 year point ya know...thanks for the info.!