Every Soldier Counts: Part 2 – The Role of the Battalion S1 in Manning a Brigade in Today’s Force Reductions

by MAJ Christopher L. Moore

Editor’s Note: This is the second article of a three-part series on how company command teams, battalion S1s, and brigade S1s sync their efforts to properly man brigade combat teams as the Army reduces its end strength.

The battalion S1 plays an integral role in the effective manning of a brigade in today’s force reduction. The battalion S1 serves as the linchpin of human resource (HR) services in the brigade. As a battalion’s senior HR professional, the battalion S1 must provide updated HR support to the company command teams. Conversely, the battalion S1 collects and reviews HR data from company command teams before it is consolidated into local brigade databases and Army-level HR systems. As the only HR officer in each battalion, the battalion S1 ensures his or her battalion’s HR data is collected in a correct and timely manner from the company command teams and then properly annotated in brigade and Army-level HR systems. The S1 also provides these teams with recommended means to mitigate administrative and medical readiness issues that can adversely affect the available/deployable status of Soldiers.

As the Army continues to reduce its personnel end strength from the wartime high of 569,000 to a prewar level of 490,000 or possibly even lower, the battalion S1’s role in providing company command teams with updated HR information is crucial.¹ It is the responsibility of battalion S1s to monitor the Human Resource Command’s (HRC’s) website for military personnel (MILPER) and all-Army activities (ALARACT) messages that are pertinent to their units. Truly effective battalion S1s then glean the data most important from the source document and send a concise message to their company command teams in the form of an email or daily consolidated message from the battalion operations section, depending on the unit standard operating procedure (SOP).

A prime example of a message that directly affects a battalion’s personnel is one listing the details of an upcoming separation board. It is the duty of the battalion S1 to dissect a message of this importance and push the most important details to the battalion and company command teams. These details usually include the population targeted by that board, the date of the board, and pre-board requirements such as board notification counselings, complete the record evaluation thru dates, and updated photos. With these details company command teams and the battalion command team can prepare their formations for the impending impact of these types of Army-level actions.

The battalion S1 must conduct meetings, weekly is preferable, with company command teams to ensure that each Soldier’s available status is properly coded in the Electronic Military Personnel Office (eMILPO) system — https://emilpo.ahrs.army.mil/. With the current available status of each assigned Soldier, along with the gains and loss rosters from the various automated Army HR systems, the battalion S1 can formulate the status of the battalion’s current and projected available strength. This enables the battalion S1 to provide the battalion command team an accurate picture of the battalion’s current and projected available strength, to include any personnel concerns.² These concerns are typically centered on undermanned weapon crews or low density military occupational specialty (MOS) shortages.³ Any of these concerns that cannot be resolved internally, generally by cross-leveling personnel, are reported by the battalion commander in the monthly unit status report (USR).

Accurate availability data in eMILPO provides all echelons — from battalion to U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) — a common manning picture for each unit. The battalion S1 is charged with ensuring that each Soldier’s availability is accurately entered and updated in eMILPO as required. This is accomplished by thoroughly understanding the personnel status data provided by the company command teams during the unit’s personnel sync meetings. Once each Soldier’s availability status is verified, the battalion S1 section accurately annotates the availability/non-availability status of each Soldier in eMILPO in accordance with the Army’s Manning Guidance.⁴ The availability/non-availability codes are used by brigade S1s, division strength managers, and various HR professionals throughout the Army to determine the personnel readiness status of units.

After the battalion S1 reviews their Soldiers’ available/non-available status codes, they can determine which issues most negatively impact their Soldiers’ availability. Some of the most common issues that negatively impact Soldiers’ availability are medical/dental readiness, outdated DD Form 93s, outdated record briefs, and incomplete family care plans. Each and every one of these issues can be mitigated through aggressive adherence to the Soldier Readiness Process (SRP). The battalion S1 coordinates through the brigade S1 for support from their garrison’s finance, HR, legal, medical, and dental agencies/directorates at least biannually to conduct the SRP to validate assigned Soldiers’ availability. It is during the SRP that Soldiers identified as non-available are assigned follow-up appointments to either mitigate the issue that has made them non-available or determine if they are to be separated from the Army. Consistent planning and execution of the SRP is crucial to maintaining the personnel readiness of any unit. By identifying Soldiers that cannot attain an available status, battalion S1s can work with their chain of command to separate these Soldiers and request Soldiers that have the required skill sets and available status to meet their unit’s mission.

As the battalion’s senior HR professional, the battalion S1 serves as the linchpin of HR services and personnel readiness in brigades. They are the HR leaders that provide crucial HR support to battalion and company command teams and ensure that Soldiers’ availability status is correctly reflected in the Army’s HR systems. It is this HR support that ensures that all available means are leveraged to secure Soldiers’ availability against controllable issues, such as medical/dental readiness, outdated DD Form 93s, outdated record briefs, and incomplete family care plans. The battalion S1’s efforts preserve the battalion’s and companies’ personnel readiness and contribute immensely to their mission readiness.

Notes

¹GEN Raymond T. Odierno, “Planning for Sequestration in Fiscal Year 2014 and Perspectives of the Military Services on the Strategic Choices and Management Review,” House Armed Services Committee, First Session, 113th Congress, Washington, D.C., September 2013.

²FM 1-0, Human Resources Support (Fort Jackson, S.C.: U.S. Army Soldier Support Institute, April 2010) 3-5.

³Ibid.

⁴ALARACT 293/2012, “HQDA EXORD 10-12 ISO the HQDA FY13-15 Active Component Manning Guidance,” Pentagon Telecommunications Center, HQDA, Washington, D.C., October 2012.

MAJ Christopher L. Moore is currently serving as the S1 for the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, Ky. He is a graduate of the Intermediate Level Education program (common core and qualification courses), Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Adjutant General Captains Career Course, Fort Jackson, S.C.; Adjutant General Officer Basic Course, Fort Jackson; Brigade S1 Operations Course, Fort Leavenworth; Postal Operations Course, Fort Jackson; Basic Instructor Training Course, Fort Jackson; Military Transition Team training, Fort Riley, Kan.; and Recruiting Commanders Course, Fort Jackson. MAJ Moore earned a master’s degree in human resources development from Webster University.