The Road Ahead: 12 Things Soldiers Can Expect in 2009

Maya Alleruzzo / AP
A soldier from 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment stands guard during a visit by the commander of U.S. troops in northern Iraq to Mosul, about 225 miles northwest of Baghdad on Dec. 10.

The Road Ahead: 12 Things Soldiers Can Expect in 2009

Staff reports
Posted : Saturday Jan 3, 2009 11:26:44 EST

From a new commander in chief to a revamped method of PT, soldiers will see a slew of changes in 2009. Some might make Army life tougher. Some might make it easier. But there’s no doubt it’s a packed agenda as the Army’s active and reserve forces shift gears in Iraq and face likely increased action in Afghanistan, along with keeping up with the day-to-day demands of running the service and meeting the needs of families on the home front. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:

1. NCO promotions
The new year kicks off this month with 4,400 soldiers expected to be promoted in the sergeant ranks, 800 more than January 2008, Army officials said. And the pace isn’t supposed to let up, with a total of 51,000 noncommissioned promotions forecast through the year.

In January, senior NCO sequence numbers and mid-ranks cutoff scores call for 11 advancements to sergeant major for the Regular Army, 78 to master sergeant, 690 to sergeant first class, 1,307 to staff sergeant and 2,275 to sergeant.

Promotions to sergeant will come from a pool of 16,466 eligible corporals and specialists, and advancements to staff sergeant from a group of 16,280 promotable sergeants.

2. Stop-loss and dwell time
The thorn of stop-loss and stop-move policies that has been sticking soldiers since the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq isn’t going away anytime soon, according to the Army’s senior personnel manager.

more...

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/01/army_whatsahead_010509w/%2e