Under a new Navy policy announced Thursday, sailors with failing fitness assessments on their records will receive a clean slate that allows them to remain in service.
According to Rear Adm. James Waters III, Director of Service, Planning and Policy, the shift marks the beginning of a Navy-wide campaign aimed at improving recruitment, retention and attrition so that the 2023 ultimate strength target can be achieved. Part.
“This obviously affects attrition so it’s relevant, right? If we don’t segregate crews based on past PFA failures, we can reduce attrition,” Waters told reporters on Wednesday. “But through all the analysis of this campaign plan, it came through the realization that we did not want to punish sailors for gyms being closed during the pandemic.
The policy, dubbed by the Navy as a “one-time reset,” requires all active duty sailors and those in the Navy Reserve who want to stay and move forward in the Navy to have zero PFA failures by 2023 and a It means that you will be able to return to work. Retention and promotion recommendations. This policy does not apply to other programs that assess his past PFA failures. This includes officer commissioning programs, selection or review committees, and special assignment reviews.
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The Department of Advancement will stop processing administrative segregation officers due to past PFA failures. For enlisted personnel, their command will issue special assessments to reinstate eligibility for retention and promotion, according to Navy management messages.
“We hope this reset will balance the challenges seafarers have faced preparing and completing physical fitness assessments throughout the pandemic, and will allow experienced and talented seafarers to remain in the Navy,” said Waters. Told. “We believe this reset will allow up to 1,500 seafarers who might otherwise have left to remain in service. Requirements and standards remain constant.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has led the Navy to conduct one PFA instead of two each calendar year. Waters said he currently has no plans to resume two of his PFAs in the 2024 academic year.
The Navy has surpassed its fiscal year 22 retention target and is now surpassing its fiscal year retention target, The Navy Times previously reported. The service met his 22nd year active enlistment target, but fell short of his recruitment target for active and reserve officers and reserve enlistees.
As a result, the Navy faces a “challenging” recruitment environment due to a low propensity to serve, fewer potential recruits eligible to serve, and the current competitive labor market. I understand. Challenges like this require the Navy to implement “course corrections” like this new policy, he said.
Other initiatives launched in recent months aimed at improving retention and recruitment include enlisted high tenure thresholds to ensure that seafarers who cross the high tenure threshold remain in service. This includes suspending tenure for two years.
The Navy also launched a pilot program in December to allow sailors with low scores on military qualification exams to remain in service as part of the military’s vocational aptitude battery. This change means that prospective sailors who score between the 10th and 30th percentiles on the AFQT will still be able to join the Navy as long as her score on the ASVAB individual line is high enough to qualify for the Navy Rating. increase.
“We have to stay efficient,” Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro told sister publication Defense News during a Dec. 8 trip. For example, serve at sea and motivate them. Reward them in terms of promotion or the nature of it, not just from a financial point of view, but from a mission point of view. ”
