LTC Laura Calese

Field Grade Assignments Officer

PPTO

2014 AGR WORKSHOP

THE NEW OER AND EFFECTIVE WRITING FOR EVALUATIONS

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Agenda• OERs

• Purposes and Uses• Rater Responsibilities • Company Grade OERs• Field Grade OERs• Evaluation Language• Impact of the new Evaluation System

• Lessons Learned/ Common Errors

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Evaluation System Purposes

• AR 623-3, para. 1-14:• “serve as primary source of information for officer

and NCO personnel management decisions and will serve as a guide for the Soldier’s performance and development, enhance the accomplishment of the organization’s mission, and provide additional information to the rating chain”

• EXAMPLES:• Boards/ promotions• Assignments• Professional Development • Fairness

-identifies leaders and experts for immediate needs-validates accomplishment of TJAG’s Career Development Objective

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OER Philosophy

• Your lasting impact on the officer• Make time• Manage your profiles*• Credibility• Officer development/ Performance

counseling tool

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Additional Tools for Counseling (and OER Writing)

• Career Management Tools• Promotion Zone• Career Model

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Bottom Line Things to Know About the New System

• EES• New Look of Forms/ Writing Style

Changes• Raters have profiles• Common Error Triggers

• SHARP, MSAF dates, “potential” in Rater comments, thru dates

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Evaluation Entry System

• EES• Duties/ Responsibilities from the Support Form:

Agree on and perfect this block before entering; it populates into the EES.

• Use the forms available on APD and “cut and paste.”

• Have supporting documents available (MSAF, APFT)

• Milsuite/HRC for latest information on navigating the system

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New Forms• Support Form

• Intended to be developed and reviewed throughout the rating period• Watch for auto-populated items in EES

• MSAF dates• Duty Descriptions

• Performance Objectives and Special Interest Items that must be in the counseling and/or OER (AR 623-3, para. 3-5)Promoting a climate of dignity and respect and eliminating sexual harassment and sexual assault–MUST, EO/EEO/SHARP

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Leadership Requirements Model

Company Grade Form Page 1

Unclassified

Up to 4 lines of text

• Write a strong Duty Description the describes scope/ leadership responsibilities

• APFT – can be used as an advocacy tool for most fit Soldiers.

• Character comments are on the front of the form

• Rater Box Check

Company Grade Form Page 2

Unclassified

Up to 5 lines of text

Up to 5 lines of text

Up to 4 lines of text

• Focused on Attributes and Competencies (6-22). Great opportunity to describe the “so what” of the Defense Counsel’s performance:

Character Presence Intellect Leads Develops Achieves

• Focus on POTENTIAL • Senior Rater block

checks Most Qualified Highly Qualified Qualified Not Qualified

Field Grade Form O4/O5; CW3-CW5 Page 1

Unclassified

• Duty Description- do not neglect it. Discuss quantification/ span/ scope of responsibilities

• Raters have the opportunity to comment on possible broadening and operational assignments*

• Attribute of Character is highlighted on the Field Grade Form– include SHARP/ EO/EEO language.

Field Grade Form O4/O5; CW3-CW5 Page 2

Unclassified

Up to 5 lines of text

Up to 5 lines of text

Up to 5 lines of text

Up to 4 lines of text

• Rater comments on the Officer’s PERFORMANCE against the Attributes and Competencies during the rating period

• Box checking

• Intermediate Rater (can comment on performance and potential)

• Senior Rater comments are limited to POTENTIAL.

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Rating Chain Responsibilities• Know the Regulation/ Leadership Requirements Model• Counseling requirements • Raters have a profile:

• Excels (limited to less than 50%) *everyone starts with a credit of 3.• Proficient • Capable• Unsatisfactory (Referred)

• Senior Raters have a profile:• Most Qualified– less than 50% (*profiles NOT reset, except COLs)• Highly Qualified• Qualified• Not Qualified (Referred)

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Broadening/ Operational Assignments for Field Grade OERs

• Raters provide:• Broadening Assignments• Operational Assignments

• JA broadening does not directly match ACC broadening• Can be schooling• Can be an assignment in a different

discipline, echelon, scope of responsibility

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♦ Military Judge (Trial / ACCA)♦ NATO Legal Advisor♦ SVP♦ Legal Advisor, Interagency OGC

(DOS, DIA, NSA, NGA, DLA, etc)♦ Exchange Officer♦ Fellowship // IIHL Faculty

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** This list is not exhaustive. Broadening assignments will depend on the individual officer, her/his assignment pattern and career goals.

♦ SJA♦ RDC♦ Corps / MACOM / ASCC Branch Chief

♦ DSJA♦ GO-Level CJA♦ COCOM Legal Advisor♦ Special Operations Legal

Advisor

♦ Joint Staff Legal Advisor♦ USALSA / OTJAG Branch Chief♦ Director, CLAMO♦ Dept. Chair/ Professor/ Associate

Dean, TJAGLCS♦ Chief, TCAP / DCAP♦ OCLL

♦ PPTO ♦ Faculty (USMA, CGSC)♦ Director, DIILS♦ DA OGC♦ DOD OGC♦ Director / Deputy, CDD/ FCD/

TDD

** Operational jobs may also be broadening, depending on the officer’s assignment pattern.

LTC Potential Broadening Assignments

LTC Potential Operational Assignments

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♦ OCLL♦ USALSA/ OTJAG Action Officer♦ SVP♦ Cyber/ Intelligence Legal Advisor♦ Legal Center Action Officer♦ AXO

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** This list is not exhaustive. Broadening assignments will depend on the individual officer, her/his assignment pattern, and career goals.

♦ BJA/RJA/GJA/CJA♦ DSJA♦ OIC, Field Office♦ Corps / MACOM / ASCC Action

Officer

♦ Division Chief, Corps/ Division/ Installation

♦ SDC♦ Special Operations Legal

Advisor♦ COCOM Legal Advisor

♦ CGSC (Army / Joint) / Civilian LLM♦ Foreign CGSC (French, Italian, etc…)♦ Congressional Fellowship♦ IIHL Fellowship / Faculty♦ Joint Staff Legal Intern♦ TJAGLCS Associate Dean

♦ TJAGLCS Professor♦ TCAP♦ DCAP♦ Faculty (USMA, CGSC)♦ Exchange Officer♦ PPTO Plans Officer

** Operational assignments may also be broadening, depending on the officer’s assignment pattern.

MAJ Potential Operational Assignments

MAJ Potential Broadening Assignments

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Common Errors

• MSAF Date• Type of OER• Missing SHARP language• Missing Signatures• Profile Misfires• Potential Comments in the Rater

portion

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Writing Effective OERS

• Write with a theme and message• Know when officers you rate are in the same

zone of consideration (use your board zone slide as reference)

• Consider the relationship between a box check and narrative comments

• Your profile and/or quantification comments– do your numbers (an OML?) hold up at the end of an evaluation cycle?

• Rated Officer participation

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New OER: Rater Narrative

• What they did, how they did it, impact on organization (Leadership Requirements)

• Not a list – add the “so what?”• Use quantifiables where applicable and

appropriate (including duties and responsibilities description) (example)

• Think Lawyer/ Soldier/ Leader• Avoid Discussion of Potential– focus on

Performance

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Quantifying…• Duty description• Effectively (and intentionally)

distinguishing officers within…• Office/ Organization (best CPT in…)• Top __% of CPTs? Judge Advocates?• Officers, regardless of rank?

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OER: Senior Rater Narrative• Focus on potential• Distinguish officer from the pack

• “Best at . . .”• Larger pool = more powerful• Smaller pools still effective

• Provide reviewing body with a perspective on fit within cohort

• Top ___ or Top X% (1%? 5%? 10%? 30%?)

• Brief but clear message• Use precise, active language

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The image your language portrays:

• Captains- teamwork, strong writing & speaking, core legal discipline excellence, leadership (including informal)

• Majors- leadership, ability to influence beyond the OSJA/ Field Office, initiative, trust, systems and stewardship, expertise

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What does your language portray?

• Lieutenant Colonels– leadership, initiative, development of subordinates, trust, expertise, ability to influence and advise senior leaders, effective coordination across organizations, anticipating issues with strategic impact, vision, organizational stewardship

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OERs: Bottom Line

• Make each phrase count – quantify where appropriate (check your OML at end of cycle)

• Avoid trite phrases OR reusing old OERs • Make the time to do it right (it will take

more time with the new system)• Seek second opinion and/or call PPTO• You are writing a lasting record • Be the honest broker – it is your duty

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Career Counseling/ Management Tools

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SCHEDULE

RANK BOARD DATE PROMOTION PRIMARY ZONE (PZ)

MAJ

MAR 2015 Date of Rank: 1 SEP 08 – 31 AUG 09

MAR 2016 Date of Rank: 1 SEP 09 – 31 AUG 10

MAR 2017 Date of Rank: 1 SEP 10 – 31 AUG 11

LTC

JULY 2014 Date of Rank: 1 APR 08 – 31 MAR 09

JULY 2015 Date of Rank: 1 APR 09 – 31 MAR 10

JULY 2016 Date of Rank: 1 APR 10 – 31 MAR 11

COL

JULY 2014 Date of Rank: 1 APR 09 – 31 MAR 10

JULY 2015 Date of Rank: 1 APR 10 – 31 MAR 11

JULY 2016 Date of Rank: 1 APR 11 – 31 MAR 12

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RC Judge Advocate Career Model JAGC’s Career Development Objective: The Army and the JAGC develops, employs, and retains broadly skilled Judge Advocates. Broadly skilled Judge Advocates are capable of performing successfully in any core legal discipline, at any location, in roles appropriate for their grade. Broadly skilled Judge Advocates provide the JAGC with officers capable of accomplishing today’s mission and succeeding in an uncertain future. Generally, Judge Advocates who fail to achieve a diversity of experiences will fail to satisfy JAGC’s Career Development Objective and therefore undermine their opportunities for promotion and advancement. However, while Judge Advocates primarily perform functions within the core legal disciplines, they may from time to time pursue non-legal assignments approved by JAGC leadership.

AssignmentsYear 1 8 14 20 30Rank 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL

Seniority Company Grade Assignments Field Grade Assignments Senior Leader Assignments

GoalBroadly develop within core legal disciplines. Varied assignments. Diverse duties.

Utilize core disciplines, develop specialized expertise, lead.

Lead and develop Judge Advocates, provide legal counsel to senior leaders, apply specialized expertise.

Duties

TPU JA:•Junior LOD and SJA section positions (e.g. Admin and Civil Law, Claims, Contract and Fiscal Law, Int’l and Op Law, Legal Assistance, Military Justice)•Brigade JA

IMA JA:•Company Grade positions at Army Centers and Schools, Active Component Division or Garrison units.

ARNG JA:•Junior SJA section positions (same as TPU)•Defense Counsel

TPU JA:•SJA Section Chief•CJA for BDE level unit•Senior Defense Counsel•Int’l Law Officer•USALSA, OTJAG, TJAGLCS (LOD-E)

IMA JA:•Section Chief at Centers & Schools, Active Component Division or Garrison units

ARNG JA:•Brigade JA or CJA for BDE level units•SJA Section Chief•Senior Defense Counsel

TPU JA:•GOCOM SJA/CJA at Division or Corps level•LOD Deputy/Tm Ldr•Military Judge•Regional Def. Counsel•Int’l Law Officer•Joint Assignments• Professor TJAGLCS

IMA JA:•SJA or DSJA•Professor USMA

ARNG JA:•DSJA, State Joint Force HQ•GOCOM SJA/DSJA•Military Judge

TPU JA:•O&F Sustainment or Training Command SJA•Senior Military Judge•LOD Commander•Joint Assignments

IMA JA:•SJA or DSJA•Appellate Judge, USALSA•TJAGLCS; XO, OTJAG

ARNG JA:•SJA•Senior Military Judge•State Judge Advocate

Education: Continuous professional and personal developmentSelf-develop Grad / Post Grad education & Degree, State CLE, Professional Reading (military, legal, history, doctrine), Military Leadership, Professional Writing/Publication

Prof. Mil. Educ.

OBCDCC

Required

Airborne, Air Assault, JATSOCOptional

JAOACRequired

ILE-AOC, ILERequired

SSCOptional

TJAGLCS Short Courses and JAGU Distributed Learning Opportunities

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Questions?