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FORT KNOX, Ky. – Managing the careers and assignments of Soldiers is a complex, dynamic process that requires efficiency, flexibility, and precision.
The Enlisted Marketplace is a critical system, designed to streamline and enhance the way assignments and career progression are handled for enlisted personnel. By offering a centralized platform for Soldiers to explore, apply for and manage their assignments, Marketplace provides greater transparency and control over careers, and allows Soldiers to make informed decisions about where they want to serve, while also aligning their preferences with the needs of the Army.
This article will delve into how the Enlisted Marketplace works and will address some common questions Soldiers and their Families may have about the assignments process.
Why do Soldiers move so often?
Historically, enlisted Soldiers receive permanent change of station, or PCS, orders every one to three years (depending on the specific assignment) throughout their service.
For some Soldiers and Families, a PCS move to somewhere new is a welcome change, while others may prefer to stay at a location they like based on their personal preferences and situation.
But why is moving every one to three years built into Army life?
“Aside from reenlistments, one of the largest drivers of PCS rotations are overseas tours. For example Korea, or Kuwait, which are often one year unaccompanied” said Thomas Baxter, deputy chief of Operations Support Division at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, or HRC. “We have to continuously replace that manpower we have overseas.”
Other requirements that contribute to the cycle include vital assignments like Drill Sergeant duty, a two-year obligation, Recruiting duty, and Service School Instructors, which enable us to help form tomorrow’s Army, Baxter said.
“While those assignments are important for a Soldier’s career growth and development, they can require specific commitments and may not enable a Soldier to stay at their current duty location with their Family situation, etc.,” he said. “We also have a need for Soldiers to fill special assignments, so the Marketplace also revolves around those.”
Moving is a part of Army life, because the Army has jobs to fill around the world. The higher a Soldier rises in rank the more likely he or she will move more often.
Current Enlisted Marketplace Structure
An enlisted Soldier’s rank determines whether he or she will participate in Marketplace or go through another process to receive their next assignments.
For junior enlisted Soldiers this process typically takes place during reenlistment where they are provided options for assignments that are available.
The Enlisted Marketplace is generally for Soldiers from the rank of staff sergeant through master sergeant. Sergeants Major participate in a different process separate from Marketplace. “This is because of the nature of manning the most senior enlisted positions, which are always one-deep, including those selected via a centralized Army board process, such as battalion command sergeants major spots. Those spots must be filled, they can’t remain open,” Baxter said.
Currently, there are four Enlisted Marketplace cycles that take place annually.
“We originally attempted to do six markets a year for enlisted, but we quickly learned there wasn’t enough time to make it work, so we settled on four,” Baxter said. “Each of the markets overlap to ensure readiness for units.”
“Each Enlisted Manning Cycle begins with HRC identifying the most important vacancies in the Army to fill in accordance with the Active Component Manning Guidance and other Army Senior Leader priorities,”, said Lt. Col. Brad Hussain, modeling and requirements chief for the Force Shaping Directorate at HRC.
“We also have to balance the jobs going into a market with the qualifications of the prospective movers in the cycle. Obviously, we cannot put a lot of airborne jobs in a market if there are no airborne qualified NCOs at that skill and grade,” Hussain said.
While the most important vacancies are identified, HRC concurrently works to identify movers in a specific cycle, which relate to a Soldier’s Year Month Available to Move Date (YMAV). The movers and vacancies are then loaded into IPPS-A and Marketplace opens for them to begin selecting assignment preferences.
“After the market opens, we do something called ‘midcourse corrections,’ which means that we can tweak things with the market if needed,” Baxter said. “For example, an account manager may want to advocate to add a critical assignment that just opened, or maybe we have more Soldiers than anticipated that need key developmental assignments and we will add more in. All data in the Marketplace is live, it’s very dynamic.”
HRC aims to match Soldiers with assignment preferences as much as possible, but there are certain factors that can affect the Marketplace process. For example, Soldiers may be overseas and must return to an assignment in the contiguous United States, or a Soldier may be required to fulfill a key developmental assignment. The process is a constant balance between managing Soldier preference and career growth, while also ensuring readiness across the force.
Assignment Advice
For Soldiers who are participating in Marketplace, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure the best shot at getting a preferred assignment.
“Preference deeply through IPPS-A,” Hussain recommends. “Use the top-down preferencing ability to indicate desired locations and use the bottom-up preferencing ability to indicate where you do not want to go.”
Any assignment not given a manual preference will be treated as equally desirable and ranked between top-down and bottom-up preferences, he said.
There are times when a Soldier may want to move early.
“On the enlisted side YMAVs are automatically calculated,” Baxter said, “but if a Soldier has an assignment and they decide they want to move somewhere else early they can request a YMAV change through their chain of command.”
Routinely, those requests are made by submitting a Personnel Action Request, or PAR, in IPPS-A he said.
“I think there is a myth with Soldiers sometimes that it’s better to stay quiet and not reach out about their assignment concerns,” Baxter said. “If you want to stay at a certain location for a personal or career-based reason, you want to reach out. If we know, we can try to work with you on what you are wanting or needing in terms of your assignments. We always encourage Soldier feedback and information.”
Soldiers who have questions or concerns about their assignment are encouraged to reach out to their talent manager, who can assist them further, or direct them to the appropriate contact depending on the specific situation.
| Date Taken: | 02.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.06.2025 10:24 |
| Story ID: | 490237 |
| Location: | FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Enlisted Soldiers: Your Guide to the Marketplace, by Erin Sherwood, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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