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FORT DRUM, N.Y. – With the U.S. Army announcing the changes to the force structure in modernizing the warfighter, comes change to certain military occupational specialties (MOS). The 10th Mountain Division (LI) career counselors have made it a special priority to foster an environment of preparedness as our Soldiers begin their transition.
One MOS that is a part of the Army’s restructure is the cavalry scout or the 19D. The cavalry scout acts as the eyes and ears on the battlefield to obtain information about the enemy, allowing for commanders to make knowledgeable decisions for their troops.
Although cavalry scouts are not completely going away, the Army will look to reclassify many of the positions as it continues to be an overcrowded MOS and there are plenty of underserved positions that need to be considered.
Career counselors are factoring in the serious decisions currently being made by 10th Mountain Division Soldiers as they consider how this will impact not only the rest of their careers as well as their families, future, and promotion potential.
Master Sgt. Jason Hughes, senior retention operations noncommissioned Officer for the 10th Mountain Division, said he believes that leaders at all levels can ensure this transition is as stable as it can be.
“(We) as leaders are taking a very interactive and dynamic approach to making sure that the Soldiers are taken care of through multiple avenues,” Hughes said. “We (are talking) about having massive change all at once, extremely quickly.”
Having 10th Mountain Division leaders stay engaged and remaining extremely cognizant and delicate with this personnel shift will not only help to minimize the uncertainty that comes with it but help to keep our Soldiers at ease.
Hughes said he believes the moment the order came to begin implementing this revision the 10th Mountain Division got to work on how to action this properly.
“(The Army has) a large population of people that feel like that they don’t have enough information to make an informed decision,” Hughes said. “But for the most part we have overcommunicated with that population and Soldiers to where there (are) no secrets at this point.”
Leaders at all levels know this is a significant event that is a cause for uncertainty right now. Above all, our Soldiers and their families are the most important. The 10th Mountain Division’s wants Soldiers to feel that their options are before them and there are leaders within the brigades who want to help ease those tensions.
Having engaged leaders, informed Soldiers, and included family members by holding town halls and information sessions helps to bridge the gap into the unknown. The 10th Mountain Division’s Career Counselors understand that this is not a one-size-fits-all event.
“When we add the human dimension to this, we’re dealing with real-life people,” Hughes said. “We have to take the number out of the Soldier and look at these Soldiers as individuals, as people, with families not only with spouses but with children.”
Understanding that Soldiers are people first will help career counselors guide Soldiers to make those decisions without feeling like they will regret it later. Taking this approach has allowed for the 10th Mountain to have great success as Soldiers continue to navigate what feels like the unknown to many.
“Every time I talk to a Soldier, it’s a unique approach. It’s a dynamic approach,” Hughes said. “Not every situation is the same. That is not something I can cookie cutter.”
Due to the resounding engagement of 10th Mountain Division career counselors, of the 451 calvary scouts within the division, the Army has been able to voluntarily reclassify 50 Soldiers They have also reenlisted 82 of those Soldiers to change their MOS with the other 319 still working with career counselors to make the choice that fits their lives and career goals going forward.
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| Date Taken: | 05.09.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2024 11:19 |
| Story ID: | 470777 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 10th Mountain Division (LI) Career Counselors Change Approach To Army Restructure, by SSG Brittany Washington, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
