NCO Promotions Will Be Linked To SSD

By Sgt. 1st Class Jason Stadel
NCO Journal

July 11, 2013

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Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh released Army Directive 2013-15 on July 1, which established Army policies that link completion of structured self-development (SSD) and professional military education courses with promotion under a newly defined “select-train-promote” methodology. The directive applies to Active Army, Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.

Effective January 1, 2014, specialists and corporals cannot be promotable until they complete SSD-1. Soldiers are automatically enrolled into SSD-1 upon completion of initial entry training. The directive outlines the differences between all Army components.

In the Active Army and Army Reserve, specialists and corporals will be eligible for the promotion board to sergeant once they complete SSD-1. In the Army National Guard, they must complete SSD-1 before attaining eligibility for promotion against a valid promotion vacancy.

Also taking effect January 1, commanders will no longer have the ability to waive the Warrior Leader Course requirement prior to a sergeant being promoted to staff sergeant. In the past, if circumstances allowed (deployment, etc.), commanders could allow promotable sergeants, who hadn’t yet completed WLC, to advance in rank and grade to staff sergeant with a waiver, provided the newly promoted staff sergeant would successfully complete WLC after redeploying. That authority has been rescinded. Now every sergeant, in each componet, must complete WLC prior to being promoted to staff sergeant.

The Army Directive also said all staff sergeants must complete SSD-3 to attain eligibility for promotion consideration to sergeant first class. In addition, all sergeants first class must complete SSD-4 before they are considered eligible for selection to master sergeant.

To learn more about SSD click →here.

Click here → ad2013_15 to download Army Directive 2013-15.