The Way to Promotion and Pay

In war, peace & preparedness, the U.S. Army's rules for promoting officers have run on steel-straight rails: promotions to the grade of general officer, temporary or permanent, are made solely on the basis of selection; promotion to grades lower than general were based solely on seniority.

But during the last six months increasing complaints have come from Regular officers that the seniority principle is being kicked around in most unmilitary fashion. Chief beef: in many instances a Regular finds himself outranked by a reservist who is far & away junior to him.

Last week the War Department gave sympathetic ear to the complaints, issued a decision that "future temporary promotions of Regular Army officers to the grade of colonel will be determined on a basis of selection. The system may eventually lead to the extension of the policy of selection for temporary promotion to all grades and in all components during the present emergency." No longer could synthetic fire-breathers of the Organized Reserves leapfrog lightly over their Regular brethren.

Added the Department: "In selecting those to be promoted, obviously great weight will be given to character and leadership. The extensive maneuvers scheduled for this summer and fall will provide an unusual opportunity for officers to demonstrate qualities of leadership under field conditions. Physical and mental vigor will be essential qualities in determining selections for command duty. General efficiency and age will, of course, be considered." In plain English: no longer could old fuddy-duddy Regulars, for the emergency's duration at least, count on being promoted by the mere passage of time.

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