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Practice Notes
You, the GOSC, and the JAG Corps Assignments Process
By Chief Warrant Officer Five Tammy E. Richmond
Transparency breeds legitimacy.1
Since 1775, the most frequently asked question within the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps has nothing to do with the law—it is, in fact: “Where are you going next?” This topic increasingly occupies the thoughts of most of the JAG Corps as the summer personal-change-of-station season approaches, yet for many of us, the assignment process may be shrouded in mystery. Even after working directly for our general officers over the past few years and understanding the General Officer Steering Committee (GOSC) process, I did not truly appreciate our process until I observed the GOSC this year and talked to my counterparts in other branches to compare our process to theirs. In the spirit of increasing transparency, I am sharing what I learned.
Logistics2
For the uninitiated, the GOSC is the leadership engagement during which senior leaders finalize assignments for the formation. The GOSC reviews assignments for judge advocate majors through colonels, legal administrators (except new accessions and nominative assignments), and chief and command paralegal NCOs. The process all starts with synchronizing four general officers’ calendars, which is no easy task—especially at the beginning of Article 6 travel season. Five to seven GOSCs begin in mid-October and normally finish discussions right before Thanksgiving. For this most recent cycle, the Personnel, Plans, and Training Office (PPTO) scheduled one GOSC (to validate leadership teams) for half a day, while they scheduled all other GOSCs for a full day. Within a few days of each GOSC, PPTO meets with The Judge Advocate General (TJAG) and the Deputy Judge Advocate General (DJAG) to brief the progress, highlight any issues, and obtain TJAG’s approval3 on some assignments that are unlikely to change throughout the remaining GOSCs.
The career managers try hard to get as many people as possible the assignments they request, but their primary focus is ensuring that talent is as equally dispersed as possible across the JAG Corps.
The Room Where It Happens4
This cycle’s first GOSC started with opening comments from DJAG, followed by training from the JAG Corps’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to help us to recognize thinking traps5 and avoid them.6 At the end of the training, DJAG asked everyone in the room to share something we value that affects our decision-making but isn’t necessarily evident from looking at our records or uniforms. For example, if you look at a leader’s records, you might assume they value assignments in certain units or geographical areas, but those assumptions would be faulty. We all expressed that it did not matter whether we shared an assignment history with someone, what was more important to us was that they were a good team-player. This intangible quality would not be reflected in writing in someone’s assignment history. This prompt by DJAG spurred us on to identify and discuss biases or preferences that went beyond assignment history. This discussion caused us to slow down and be wary of those thinking traps or personal biases and preferences, which served as an additional level of accountability.
Once DEI training was complete, the committee dove into the assignment slate beginning with colonels (COLs) and staff judge advocates (SJAs). The PPTO chief kept the process on track by reminding the committee where they need to be by the end of each GOSC. These targets do not rush decision-makers; rather, they mean there are fewer or shorter breaks and longer days to make sure the GOSCs stay on the projected timeline. For most positions, PPTO lists at least two, but sometimes more, possible fits.
Personnel, Plans, and Training Office groups assignments by major command or field operating agency, such as U.S. Army Forces Command, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, U.S. Army Legal Services Agency, The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, or the Office of The Judge Advocate General. A separate reference list details dual-JAG Corps couples so the GOSC can place them in a reasonable commuting distance when possible. Factors such as Married Army Couples Program (MACP),7 Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP),8 or other special circumstances are listed in the career manager’s notes to facilitate discussion. These items are available in hard copy, and each individual’s service record brief9 was on a large monitor for reference during the discussion.
For this and other sessions, DJAG ensured everyone in the room knew they could speak up at any point to share relevant information. The GOSC consists of DJAG, The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School commander, the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency commander, and the Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Law and Operations, but the chief of PPTO, deputy chief of PPTO, and all career managers are in the room even when they are not briefing their population. Your Regimental Command Sergeant Major and I are only required to attend the GOSC while discussing our respective populations, but we are invited to attend all of them. The Judge Advocate General’s executive officer also attends sessions as the schedule permits.
Career Managers and Assignment Slating
It is difficult to appreciate just how challenging the assignments process is until you see it in action. One career manager told the GOSC, “There are any number of qualified people to put in some of these positions. I picked one of several that fit into the overall puzzle, but you may know of a better fit for the position or a better position for the person.”10 Their ability to advocate for each person without being personally tied to the outcome was impressive.
The career managers come to the process thoroughly prepared. They are deeply familiar not only with the preference sheets from the field, but with the hundreds of hand-written notes in the margins from countless calls coming in after the sheets were due. They also had an incredible amount of knowledge about individual movers in their population and why some assignments were a better fit than others. The career managers try hard to get as many people as possible the assignments they request, but their primary focus is ensuring that talent is as equally dispersed as possible across the JAG Corps. The addition of the Office of the Special Trial Counsel made this goal incredibly challenging this year.
General Officer Investment
If you add it up, the Army spends a significant amount of time to get JAG Corps assignments right. Because this is such a significant focus during this season, I reviewed the schedules to see just how long this process took. My review revealed that, on paper, PPTO scheduled the GOSCs for forty-three hours, with an additional seven hours for PPTO assignment meetings with TJAG and DJAG. That is what the calendar shows, but many of those assignment meetings went way over the allotted seven hours. Also, this does not include any follow-up meetings PPTO had with DJAG or any of the one-stars to resolve emerging issues.
Anecdotally, I have found that no other military branch comes close to this level of involvement with assignments. Many JAs might wonder about the substance of the discussions that take place; I know I have. While I cannot disclose specific details, I will say I was impressed with the thought put into individual assignments. Everyone did their homework prior to each GOSC to make sure they knew about the position and the individuals being considered. Here is what stood out to me: performance, potential, reputation, and assignment history all matter; exceptional circumstances are almost non-negotiable and it is okay if no one knows who you are.
Past performance, potential, reputation, and assignment history were all important during the discussions. I could not say whether one factor stood out as having more weight than another; it was all about finding a balance, understanding the person’s stated needs and desires, mitigating risk to the mission, and capitalizing on talent. For example, when presented with a recommendation for someone who did not perform well in a key assignment in the past, but the individual had exhibited potential and earned a great reputation, the GOSC was willing to assume risk by placing them in another key position. But, the GOSC also mitigated that risk by placing a team around them to account for the area where they had previous performance issues. Obviously, it is up to the individual to empower and motivate that team effectively, but the GOSC absolutely provided second chances when warranted.
When looking at assignment history, not one member of the GOSC required an officer to leave a particular legal discipline or geographical area. Instead, there was a robust discussion of personal goals versus concern for future career progression. Additionally, members focused on opening opportunities to those who may not have had the chance to serve at that location or in that capacity. As GOSC members evaluated those factors, they often asked career managers to reach out to individuals directly to clarify certain points or ask the individual to prioritize requests regarding their assignment.
While it can be a challenge to balance the Family First concept with the needs of the JAG Corps, some circumstances are practically non-negotiable to the GOSC. For example, when the career manager highlighted ongoing medical treatment for a JAG Corps member or a dependent that required continuity of care, members needed no additional information before agreeing with the assignment. These situations were in addition to the normal EFMP process, and there were far more than I could have imagined.
The GOSC also went to great lengths to support high school stabilizations and place MACP couples together. The number of all these situations combined with a fairly small population means the puzzle will almost never fit together perfectly. This is where our leaders identify where they are willing to assume risk with decisions like leaving a position vacant or asking an individual to do something outside of their stated preference.
There was at least one situation where no one in the room knew the senior judge advocate under consideration. Nothing unusual happened to cause the rare circumstance; the individual simply had not crossed paths with anyone in that room during their career. The individual still got a great assignment. Why? Because the GOSC talked to people who knew the individual (superiors, peers, and subordinates) and one of the general officers made it a point to reach out directly to the individual. I have heard many times, “I won’t ever be considered for X because none of the general officers know me.” That simply is not accurate. Do not avoid the Corps’s leaders, of course, but it is okay if there has not been an opportunity to cross paths yet.
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General Officer Steering Committee vs. AIM2 Marketplace
When the Army first introduced the Assignment Interactive Module 2.0 (AIM2)11 a few years ago, I was excited about the possibilities and hopeful the JAG Corps would find a way to participate while retaining TJAG’s authority over assignments. After three years of learning about AIM2 and talking to counterparts in other branches, I am confident our process is better. Don’t get me wrong; I would still love a system that helps create the initial assignment slate based on preferences so career managers are not pouring over hundreds of preference sheets to match people to positions. However, I believe our senior leaders’ level of involvement in the assignments process does a much better job of managing talent and eliminating bias than AIM2 ever could.
The AIM2 system does not consider the intangible qualities and attributes we value, such as reputation and character. Moreover, even though AIM2 allows units to conduct interviews and talk to references, the process is not conducive to the thorough discussions that take place during the GOSC process. I am mindful that interviewing is a skill and making a good impression—although important—is learnable. Although statistics to validate this assessment are impossible to obtain, I truly believe we are at least on par or better than the larger Army at matching people with their preferences while simultaneously making opportunities available to everyone. Some of my counterparts in other branches have asked how we avoided AIM2, a question usually prompted by their belief that they can better manage their population without it. Moreover, AIM2 is also a time-intensive process for the user to manage; users must constantly monitor their account and readjust their list based on available assignments during the open period.
What I Learned
The career managers have a difficult job, much tougher than I previously gave them credit for. Not only are they trying to slot a small population against positions while managing MACP, EFMP, high school stabilization, career progression, skills and experience, personal preference, and a variety of assignments, but also, they are inevitably going to disappoint people because not everyone will get their top preference.
The JAG Corps is fortunate to consist of many talented individuals. As a branch, that is a positive fact because it increases flexibility to take on new missions like Office of the Special Trial Counsel (organizational growth) as well as place someone in a challenging position in an area of the law entirely new to them (individual growth). Unfortunately, it means some of those talented individuals may end up with positions or locations they are not thrilled about. As I heard on a podcast recently, “Just because you weren’t the right fit, doesn’t mean you weren’t qualified.”12 There are any number of reasons you might not be the right fit for a position or location. Sometimes it is because someone else needed that opportunity or it is a matter of timing within your own career. Sometimes it is because, despite how talented you are, there is someone else who is equally or possibly more talented. Rest assured though, the “right fit” is not determined on a whim; it is the result of an extensive and deliberate assignments process.
Returning to the concept of transparency, knowing how a process works increases faith in the entire system and makes participants more confident in the fairness of an outcome. Gratitude for the dedication and hard work of those advocating on our behalf makes us more receptive to considering a career move or assignment that was not necessarily what we had in mind. And, comparing our thoughtful, fastidious JAG Corps assignment process to one that leaves more to chance makes us appreciate what we can contribute as we chart our careers under the guidance of career managers and JAG Corps senior leaders. I encourage you to ask questions about the function of GOSCs wherever you are assigned; your leaders may have experiences that illuminate the process even more. If you have ideas or thoughts that might be beneficial, share them! You can do so anonymously through the Virtual Suggestion Box13 on MilSuite or JAGCNet. From what I have experienced so far, all our senior leaders have been receptive and open to trying new ideas, and they are happy to give credit to whomever suggested it.
I am thankful to have learned more about it, and I hope reading this has helped demonstrate that it is a difficult process, executed fairly and as transparently as possible.
Now, when you and your colleagues inevitably ask, “Where are you going next?”, you will feel more confident that the answer will come from the GOSC’s careful deliberation and consideration for your personal needs, your career and professional growth, and your organization’s talent distribution plans in mind. TAL
CW5 Tammy Richmond is the 12th Regimental Chief Warrant Officer of The Judge Advocate General’s Corps at the Pentagon.
Notes
1. John C. Maxwell (@TheJohnCMaxwell), Twitter (Oct. 11, 2016, 12:00 PM), https://twitter.com/TheJohnCMaxwell/status/785872806244474882.
2. One quote, often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, offers “[t]he amateurs discuss tactics: the professionals discuss logistics.” Logistics Quotes, AZ Quotes, https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/logistics.html (last visited
Feb. 1, 2023).
3. See 10 U.S.C. § 806 (detailing The Judge Advocate General’s (TJAG’s) authority to direct judge advocates’ (JAs’) duty assignments); see also U.S. Dep’t of Army, Reg. 27-1, Judge Advocate Legal Services para. 7-1 (24 Jan. 2017) (describing the function of the active Army and Reserve Component General Officer Steering Committees (GOSCs) as it pertains to mobilizing and assigning Reserve Component JAs). Note that a Reserve JA must apply to a GOSC, whereas active-duty JAs receive an assignment through the GOSC process when they become available for reassignment.
4. After finishing this article, you, unlike the tragic Aaron Burr, will not have to wonder what goes on “in the room where it happens.” See Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Room Where It Happens, on Hamilton, An American Musical, Original Broadway Cast Recording (Atl. Recording Co. 2015).
5. See, e.g., Thinking Patterns, Army Ready & Resilient, https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/ard/R2/Counterproductive-Thinking.html
(last visited Feb. 1, 2023) (discussing how to avoid thinking traps and
pursue more productive thinking patterns). Thinking patterns can help
quickly process the huge amounts of information we encounter and allow
us to arrive at timely decisions. Every virtue casts a shadow though and
thinking patterns can become traps leading to faulty decisions and bias
when we are not aware that we are engaging in them.
Id.
6. The JAG Corps Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s mission is “[t]o provide leadership and direction in the formulation, execution, and management of policies and practices that foster a diversity, equity, and inclusion environment consistent with the core values of the [Judge Advocate Legal Service].” Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,
JAGCNet, https://www.jagcnet2.army.mil/Sites/DivInc.nsf (last visited Jan. 27, 2023). For additional background information on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, see Karen H. Carlisle et al., The JAG Corps’s DEI Council Established, Army Law., no. 3, 2021, at 28.
7. Married Army Couples Program, U.S. Army Hum. Res. Command (Aug. 17, 2022), https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Married%20Army%20Couples%20Program (explaining the Army program’s aim to assign married couples together when possible).
8. [Exceptional Family Member Program] Overview, U.S. Army Med. Dep’t, https://efmp.amedd.army.mil/ (last visited Jan. 27, 2023) (explaining the Army program that identifies Army dependents with exceptional medical needs to ensure availability of proper care and support services).
9. This will become the Soldier Talent Profile in the future. See Talent Management, Integrated Pers. and Pay Sys. (July 22, 2022), https://ipps-a.army.mil/talent/ (detailing how the new Soldier Talent Profile will enhance Army talent management).
10. This statement is based on the author’s professional experiences as the JAG Corps Regimental Chief Warrant Officer and first-hand observations of the GOSC process.
11. Nicole Hawk, Five Things Army Officers and Units Should Know about the Assignment
Interactive Module,
Def. Visual Info. Distrib. Serv. (May 14, 2019), https://www.dvidshub.net/news/322367/five-things-army-officers-and-units-should-know-about-assignment-interactive-module. For an overview of the Assignment Interactive Module 2.0 (AIM2) Marketplace, see Assignment Interactive Module 2.0 (AIM 2.0), Hum. Res. Command (Apr. 4, 2017), https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/assets/directorate/OPMD/What%20is%20AIM%202.pdf.
12. Re:Thinking with Adam Grant, Reese Witherspoon on Turning Imposter Syndrome into Confidence, TED, at 16:28 (Oct. 25, 2022), https://link.chtbl.com/eBt9UqMU.
13. Jim Steddum, JAGC Virtual Suggestion Box, MilSuite (Oct. 16, 2017), https://www.milsuite.mil/book/docs/DOC-352968.