454:, DOPMA is "the root of all evil in this ecosystem" and binds the military into a system that honors seniority over individual merit. Kane argues that the resultant inflexibility causes tremendous attrition in the officer corps since officers have little control over their careers, but it has persisted despite numerous efforts towards reform. Perhaps the most controversial provision is the "up or out" policy. Even Nunn, the sponsor of the bill, argued that it was needlessly expensive to force officers through the ranks and to rid others unnecessarily. However, the Department of Defense and the House insisted on those provisions being included. Other changes to the DOPMA that have been recommended to Congress include adoption of an "up or stay" personnel policy, greater use of
446:
created reasonable and predictable expectations of when an officer would be eligible for promotion. However, it also had unintended effects. The legislation has been criticized for creating a system that results in high turnover, frequent moves, and relatively short careers. Some of the assumptions underlying DOPMA have proven false. For example, the services' prediction that most career officers would elect a 30-year career was more optimistic than reality. By 1990 the average officer retired after 24 years of service at the age of 46. DOPMA has also proven difficult to implement. Since its inception, the services have repeatedly sought suspension of key provisions of DOPMA grade tables to manage drawdowns and force increases.
280:
that growth, Congress passed the
Officer Grade Limitation Act (OGLA) in 1954, which established grade tables for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force, limiting the percentage of officers who could serve in the rank of major (and naval equivalent) and above. The OGLA also limited the number of voluntary retirements of senior officers at the 20-year mark out of concerns that there would be an exodus of officers once they met minimum retirement eligibility criteria. The retirement limitations were later repealed because of the military's assurance to Congress that the majority of career officers would elect to serve until they reached the 30-year mark.
35:
247:, the US Army and US Navy had different philosophies governing the promotion and retention of officers. The army maintained a seniority system based on tenure; promotions occurred only if there were vacancies at the next higher grade. Congressionally imposed limits on the size of the army officer corps and extremely low turnover (resignations, retirements, and dismissals) caused a significant logjam in promotions developed during the interwar period. In 1940, Army Chief of Staff General
301:
next board ("above zone"), typically held a year later. Officers who are not selected "above zone" (twice fail promotion) are required to separate from the service; retire if eligible; or, by exception, continue to serve until retirement in their current grade but never again be considered for promotion. At the discretion of the services, a small number of promotions may go to exceptional officers ("below zone") who are promoted one or two years ahead of their cohort.
292:, combined many of the provisions of both the OPA and the OGLA. The DOPMA established a "sliding scale" grade table, which authorized a relatively higher number of field grade officers during periods of personnel reductions. That makes promotion opportunities increase significantly during times of growth but decrease more slightly during drawdowns.
461:
DOPMA also removed the distinction between
Regular and Reserve commission types on active duty. Regular officers no longer had tenure and were subject to future Reduction in Force (RIF) ejections from active duty. However, previously commissioned Regular officers who resigned their commissions before
267:
In the aftermath of World War II, Congress drafted legislation that attempted to address three (sometimes competing) objectives: create "uniform" rules for officer management between Army and Navy (and later Air Force), promote a "young and vigorous" officer corps, and retain the capacity to rapidly
258:
During World War II, Army promotions up to lieutenant colonel were decentralized and delegated to commanders in the field. That was in contrast to the Navy, which first introduced an "up or out" system in 1916. The Navy also instituted a centralized selection system, which it maintained even during
300:
The DOPMA "system" generally provides two opportunities to advance to the next rank. Officers typically will go before selection boards in cohorts based on the year they were commissioned. The majority of officers are promoted "in zone" (or "primary zone"); officers not selected will go before the
279:
The OPA's emphasis on remobilization capacity drastically altered the composition of the armed forces. In 1945, there was approximately one field grade officer for every 208 enlisted personnel; by 1950, there was approximately one field grade officer for every 78 enlisted personnel. In response to
445:
The DOPMA's attempt to balance competing personnel objectives resulted in mixed success. The DOPMA achieved
Congressional goals to create uniform promotion outcomes, standardized career lengths across the services, and regulated the number of senior officers as a proportion of the force. It also
462:
retirement still faced the numerous penalties for resigning: ineligibility to fill any government job for 180 days after leaving the service, requirement to accept an indefinite
Reserve commission, etc. Reserve officers on active duty simply requested release from active duty with no penalties.
309:
policy established targets for selection to the next grade as a percentage from the surviving cohort. Desired promotion rates and reporting requirements of service board results are regularly published by
Department of Defense. Current promotion guidelines are as follows:
272:), the OPA extended the "up or out" system across the military and required officers to go before promotion boards at set times based on cohorts, normally based on year of commissioning. The OPA also ended the practice of appointing Army officers into specific "
449:
Others feel that changing conditions since enactment of the legislation require reform. While the promotion system is predictable, it allows the services little flexibility to reward and manage its top performers. According to author and economist
230:" personnel management strategy (requiring officers who failed selection for promotion to be removed from the service). Although it accomplished many of its intended goals, many provisions and consequences of the legislation remain controversial.
436:
The DOPMA was designed to apply to "line" officers and made specific exceptions for military lawyers, doctors, nurses, and other professionals. Such officers tend to be managed in significantly different ways, based on custom requirements.
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304:
Congress desired "due course" officers (those selected in the primary zone) to be promoted within set windows based on time served in the current grade and cumulative years of service. While not specified in the DOPMA,
276:", giving the Army greater authority to move personnel to different functions and change organizational designs. OPA also authorized the services to grant voluntary retirement at 20 years of commissioned service.
268:
remobilize if necessary. In 1947, Congress consolidated Army and Navy officer management legislation into the
Officer Personnel Act (OPA). With the encouragement of the Army (notably by General
255:, purged the senior officer ranks to create vacancies for junior officers. Congress granted further authority to cull the ranks in July 1941 with the passage of the Army Vitalization Act.
172:
288:
By the 1970s, Congress desired to consolidate the OPA and the OGLA as well as clarify other legislation governing officer management. The DOPMA, introduced by
Senator
226:
The DOPMA created stable and predictable career paths, institutionalized relatively short careers compared to private industry, and mandated the military adopt an "
829:
854:
223:
authorized to each service, created uniform regulations governing promotions, and codified rules regarding separation and retirement of officers.
159:
167:
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17:
376:
773:
566:
564:
306:
273:
677:
393:
496:
731:
Peter
Schirmer; et al. Challenging Time in DOPMA: Flexible and Contemporary Military Officer Management (Report). p. 61.
540:
133:
572:
455:
147:
844:
830:
U.S. Code, Title 10, Chapter 36, "Promotion, Separation, and
Involuntary Retirement of Officers on the Active-Duty List
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59:
216:
199:
89:
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34:
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573:"The Defense Officer Personnel Management Act – the Army's Challenge to Contemporary Officer Management"
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154:
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passed in 1980 that for the first-time standardized officer personnel management across the
106:
479:
248:
541:"What is an Army but the Soldiers? A Critical Assessment of the Army's Personnel System"
838:
220:
810:
Harry J. Thie. Future Career
Management Systems for U.S. Military Officers (Report).
576:
244:
208:
182:
98:
485:
The Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980 - A Retrospective Assessment
701:
649:
Challenging Time in DOPMA: Flexible and Contemporary Military Officer Management
458:, and decreasing the number of officer skills managed in the "line" category.
18:
Knowledge talk:Articles for creation/Defense Officer Personnel Management Act
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129:
756:
Towards a U.S. Army Officer Corps Strategy for Success: Retaining Talent
42:
534:
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United States federal defense and national security legislation
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676:
Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) (2009).
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Future Career Management Systems for U.S. Military Officers
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Army Officer Shortages: Background and Issues for Congress
825:|TOM:/bss/d096query.html THOMAS (Library of Congress)
678:
DODI 1320.13 "Commissioned Officer Promotion Reports"
575:. School of Advanced Military Studies. Archived from
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85:
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54:
41:
200:
90:
196:Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA)
797:
741:
633:
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597:
523:
8:
774:"The Military Machine as a Management Wreck"
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219:. It established ceilings on the number of
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28:Defense Officer Personnel Management Act
539:Halter, Scott (January–February 2012).
471:
26:
754:Casey Wardynski; et al. (2010).
7:
646:Peter Schirmer; et al. (2006).
855:United States Department of Defense
251:, with the permission of President
205:Tooltip Public Law (United States)
95:Tooltip Public Law (United States)
25:
772:Andrews, Fred (5 January 2013).
703:, Congressional Research Service
322:Minimum time in previous grade:
33:
239:Interwar years and World War II
1:
171:on November 17, 1980 (
158:on November 30, 1979 (
69:December 12, 1980
60:96th United States Congress
871:
217:United States Armed Forces
441:Consequences of enactment
424:21 to 23 years of service
403:15 to 17 years of service
361:3.5 to 4 years of service
340:1.5 to 2 years of service
335:Lieutenant (junior grade)
296:Rules governing promotion
213:United States federal law
113:
32:
683:(Report). Archived from
400:/ (LTC/LtCol/Lt Col/CDR)
382:9 to 11 years of service
337:/(1LT/1stLt/1st Lt/LTJG)
284:Consolidation into DOPMA
325:Target selection rate:
144:Committee consideration
713:Harry J. Thie (1994).
482:; et al. (1992).
319:Promotion conditions:
307:Department of Defense
148:Senate Armed Services
140:) on October 22, 1979
845:1980 in American law
798:Bernard Rostker 1992
742:Bernard Rostker 1992
634:Bernard Rostker 1992
622:Bernard Rostker 1992
610:Bernard Rostker 1992
598:Bernard Rostker 1992
524:Bernard Rostker 1992
377:Lieutenant commander
346:All Fully Qualified
221:field grade officers
185:on December 12, 1980
571:McKenzie, Thurman.
107:Legislative history
29:
690:on March 22, 2011.
394:Lieutenant colonel
253:Franklin Roosevelt
662:978-0-8330-3948-4
434:
433:
270:Dwight Eisenhower
192:
191:
160:Yeas: 87; Nays: 0
16:(Redirected from
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421:/ (COL/Col/CAPT)
379:/ (MAJ/Maj/LCDR)
331:First lieutenant
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358:/ (CPT/Capt/LT)
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249:George Marshall
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55:Enacted by
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655:. p. 9.
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579:on 2013-04-08
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781:. Retrieved
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685:the original
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636:, p. 13
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605:
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581:. Retrieved
577:the original
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526:, p. 89
502:. Retrieved
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266:
263:OPA and OGLA
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245:World War II
242:
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195:
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183:Jimmy Carter
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165:
152:
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126:S. 1918
117:
46:(colloquial)
583:4 September
553:4 September
504:4 September
166:Passed the
153:Passed the
839:Categories
783:12 January
466:References
356:Lieutenant
118:Introduced
86:Public law
73:1980-12-12
761:(Report).
720:(Report).
398:Commander
343:18 months
243:Prior to
228:up or out
81:Citations
66:Effective
452:Tim Kane
290:Sam Nunn
274:branches
130:Sam Nunn
43:Acronyms
427:3 years
419:Captain
415:Colonel
406:3 years
385:3 years
364:2 years
352:Captain
234:History
211:) is a
201:Pub. L.
120:in the
91:Pub. L.
71: (
659:
495:
209:96–513
207:
155:Senate
122:Senate
99:96–513
97:
759:(PDF)
718:(PDF)
688:(PDF)
681:(PDF)
653:(PDF)
544:(PDF)
489:(PDF)
373:Major
168:House
50:DOPMA
785:2013
657:ISBN
585:2013
555:2013
506:2013
493:ISBN
430:50%
409:70%
388:80%
367:95%
194:The
58:the
146:by
128:by
124:as
841::
776:.
563:^
546:.
531:^
514:^
138:GA
787:.
665:.
587:.
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508:.
417:/
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333:/
198:(
175:)
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136:–
134:D
132:(
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20:)
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