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Your questions and concern are a valid and honorable one. I am sure there are numerous leaders struggling with this same issue. First this is probably not the answer you are going to want or like but it is probably the course of action that will get you the most bang for your buck.
WARSTORY:
Anytime a senior leader told me I had to do something that was their desire but not mandatory I bucked the system and just said “No!” They could put me on crap detail or whatever they wanted and I would comply and make my case for their violations afterwards which typically was very embarrassing for them. Now the flip side was anytime a Leader came to me and said “Hey, I need your help with this. Can you help me out?” My answer was typically “Yes” How can I help. I just wanted to be asked if it was something that was optional for me to do. When you take an optional event and turn it into a mandatory event usually you get push back. Put yourself in their shoes. Do you want someone telling you an option is a requirement and trying to shove it down your throat? Keep in mind their compliance is optional until the mandatory possession date.
Thoughts
Here is my take on the issue. ALARACT 202/2008 states that the mandatory possession date for the New ASU items is 4th Quarter, FY 2014. So I see that as the July, August, September timeframe. It does not state when in the 4th Quarter Fiscal Year.
So in my humble opinion you cannot force a Soldier to buy the items ahead of the mandatory deadline. However you might consider conducting a counseling that basically is a formal request asking the Soldier to get the uniform early or provide you a plan with how they plan to have the item by the mandatory date. You could also inform the Soldiers that you or the unit will begin an inspection of the ASU on or about a specific date in the 4th QTR FY. Coordinate this date with your 1SG and Local IG just to make sure they will have no issues supporting your efforts.
Potential Example Counseling
The counseling might look something like this.
_____________{INSERT RANK/NAME}, this counseling is to request your professional assistance with regard to a significant issue that is impacting the ability of our ______{INSERT ELEMENT SIZE SQUAD, PLATOON, ETC). to complete its mission and/or is adversely impacting morale of the element. Specifically you do not possess ______________{ INSERT Clothing or Equipment For Example: the complete Army Service Uniform (ASU). The mandatory date to have this _________{INSERT CLOTHING OR EQUIPMENT} is No Later Than ________{INSERT DATE FOR EXAMPLE 4th QTR FY 2020}.
While I cannot require you to purchase these/this item(s) ahead of the mandatory possession date, I am requesting from one professional to another that you obtain this Clothing/Equipment in order to assist the unit in accomplishing its specific missions that require this Clothing/Equipment. For example: __________{INSERT MISSION FOR EXAMPLE: Funeral Detail}. Without this Clothing/Equipment I cannot fairly task individuals assigned to our _________{INSERT ELEMENT SQUAD, PLATOON, COMPANY, ETC.} as higher HQ has dictated that such activities will only be accomplished by individuals who have the new Clothing/Equipment. This can lead to perceptions that the workload is not being distributed fairly and could impact the morale of the team. I fully understand that your current Clothing/Equipment is still valid until the mandatory possession date.
I also understand that purchasing this item could potentially be a financial burden. There are methods in which we might be able to reduce this hardship. For example we maybe be able obtain paperwork through the supply sergeant to purchase the Clothing/Equipment through a monthly payroll deduction {ENSURE THIS INFORMATION IS VERIFIED}.
Should you choose to wait until the mandatory possession window, I fully understand. However I want to make you aware that you must have the Clothing/Equipment No Later Than ______{INSERT DATE/TIME). I or the unit will conduct an inspection to ensure all members of the element have the required Clothing/Equipment at this time. Failure to have the specified Clothing/Equipment by ______{INSERT DATE/TIME) for the _____{INSERT ELEMENT SQUAD, PLATOON, COMPANY, ETC.} mandatory inspection could result in administrative action and/or punishment under the UCMJ.
Regardless of your decision I need you to provide me with a decision on when you plan to purchase the required Clothing/Equipment. I also need to know if you envision any financial difficulty with regard to this situation so that we can get out in front of this issue before the mandatory date. We will incorporate your responses into the Plan of Action for this counseling.
I greatly appreciate your time and consideration regarding the contents of this counseling.
Summary
Now there are a couple of things to keep in mind. If you have a Soldier ETSing during the mandatory timeframe or the 1st QTR of 2015…are you really going to make the Soldier go out and buy over $500.00 worth of Clothing/Equipment? That they will likely never use or at the most use once/twice! Make sure your actions are reasonable and rationale. I would also encourage you to coordinate this action with a Senior Leader (Platoon Sergeant/1SG) and the IG.
Reference Information.
Link: http://www.army.mil/asu/alaract.html
ALARACT 202/2008
8. THE ARMY WILL PLACE THE NEW ASU ITEMS IN THE SOLDIER’S CLOTHING BAG FOR INITIAL ENTRY SOLDIERS IN 4TH QUARTER, FY 2010. THE MANDATORY POSSESSION DATE FOR THE NEW ASU ITEMS IS 4TH QUARTER, FY 2014.
Double Check
I have also sent this information to one of our SME’s for a double check just to make sure I have not missed anything and that I am on track. If anything changes you will get a follow up email.
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Comments
Xochilt Torres
My chain of command is putting out a new uniform for pt but the soldiers have to purchase this new uniform and it’s not the pts issued from the beginning it’s more of a squadron uniform , so my question is can they make me buy it , will I get in trouble if I don’t ?
Mark Gerecht
No, the command cannot force a Soldier to buy clothing that is not part of the official issued items. They can make your life difficult in other ways, but you cannot be punished for not buying one. $10 or $15 to one Soldier could mean the difference of having gas or food for his family that pay period.
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Charles
Thank you for the response CSM! Not really the answer I was looking for, but it is what it is! I just feel that buying the ASU actually shows that you are commited to the Army and to the mission when it comes to funeral detail, because the same dudes keep getting screwed with it, because these NCOs refuse to buy them because they know they will be put on the detail.
Mark Gerecht
Charles,
I totally understand your position and where you are coming from because I have been in the exact same position. I fully agree that individuals that do not pull their weight or are perceived not to be pulling their weight can really bring down the team. However if they are going to ETS, then I fully understand it makes no sense for the Soldier to buy a new uniform they will more than likely never use again and most likely will never be able to sell it for the amount of money they invested in the uniform. However, I believe the unit has options to gamefully employ these Soldiers in other duties. Here are some thoughts:
1. Consider sitting down with the Soldiers individually and in a professional manner discuss the issue with them. Something like SGT Smith, I need your assistance and support on a sensitive issue. Basically ask the Soldier to look at the issue from the perspective of the other Soldiers that are stuck pulling a lot of duty because the pool of Soldiers to participate in funerals is limited because of the uniform requirement. Ask the Soldier to look at the issue from the point of view of the others Soldiers who are picking up all of the funerals. You have nothing to lose because the worst answer they have is “NO”, the best answer is a “YES”. Like I said in the above post when I was given an order to do something that was optional and my leaders tried to make it mandatory I rebelled because it was wrong. If I was asked to help or support I usually responded in a positive manner. All I wanted was to be treated with dignity and respect. No one wants to be bullied or given an illegal order but most people will response to a request for help or assistance. Now you are asking them to spend a large chunk of change for something they may never use again so the acceptance rate might be low, but getting one or two of these guys is better than zero.
2. The next option might be to consider finding other duties for these Soldiers to pull. For example maybe there is another post wide duty that requires manpower for support and does not require the new uniform. Use these Soldiers to pull these types of duty. It might even be possible to exempt the funeral detail from all other duty rosters in the company and battalion then assign the Soldiers without uniforms to pick up the slack on the duty rosters. The goal is to spread out the duties and responsibilities equally so everyone is pulling their weight or equal share.
3. The company may even be able to coordinate with other units in the battalion or potentially another battalion. When units coordinate like this it is usually possible to find suitable details and duties for the Soldiers that are not capable of pulling duties with mandatory specified requirements. For example: When I was in the Personal Reliability Program (PRP) I was required to pull a two man duty that required me to have a security clearance and be certified to decode and encrypt specific electronic messages. Soldiers that did not have a clearance were assigned other duties to ensure each Soldier in the unit pulled their weight. When I was assigned to a Field Artillery unit, once a year we would enter a phase called “Red Cycle.” Basically this was our post support cycle. During this time the unit was basically responsible for funeral details, color guard, flag detail, range control, post guard duty, etc. It was fairly easy to make sure every Soldier pulled their weight. In some cases there were specific requirements like your uniform requirement. We even had a height requirement for the Color Guard. Naturally on Soldiers meeting the criteria could pull the designated duty but this did not prevent the remaining Soldiers from pulling other duties that balanced out the work load.
Consider looking at alternatives that would allow Soldiers who participate in details requiring specific uniforms or other mandatory requirements like a “Security Clearance”, are removed from all other duties within the company and battalion. Then ensure that the remaining members of the unit that do not have the specific skills for these limited duties are placed on company, battalion, and/or post details in which the Soldier is fully qualified to participate. The key to these actions is to ensure that your actions are not punishment and legal and professional. If you have any concerns, contact the local IG or JAG and have them review the proposed program.
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