Over 10K US Army Soldiers promoted under COVID-era policy have not completed training requirements

A new report reveals that more than 10,000 noncommissioned officers (NCOs) in the United States Army who were promoted under a COVID-19 era policy still have not completed the schooling requirements for that promotion.

According to Military.com, 52,000 NCOs were promoted under the supposedly temporary policy which waived the requirement to attend leadership academies before promotion eligibility. 20 percent had still not attended the required training.

The Select, Train, Educate, and Promote Policy (STEP) was adopted in 2016 and required all NCOs to attend schools before being eligible for promotion. Before that the Army allowed "conditional promotions." The new policy was supposed to ensure that an NCO was "appropriately trained as a leader" before they were promoted.

Under the COVID-era policy, exemptions were given to the STEP requirements, but the NCOs are supposed to be demoted if they are not in compliance with the regulation within a year of getting promoted. However, a large number of demotions at one time could cause larger issues for military planners.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Army said they "are conducting a review of all Soldiers with exceptions to the STEP [Select, Train, Educate and Promote Policy] policy prior to suspension." The statement added, "As we align policies we will ensure that we are taking care of Soldiers, informing commanders, units, and Soldiers of the changes, and correcting any actions that are counter to the suspension of the STEP policy."

In December, Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer told Miliary.com that they "decided STEP will remain suspended and have not determined a timeline for reimplementation." He added, "Our goal is to ensure our soldiers' careers do not suffer from factors outside of their control."

The military relaxing promotion standards is the latest attempt to maintain a sustainable force size. In June, it was reported that Leaders did away with the requirement of having a high school diploma as well as relaxed some physical fitness standards, and is currently set to hit its lowest levels since 1941, before World War II, due to recruiting problems.