By Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs

This week, we talked with Cmdr. Darrick Poe, deputy of the Navy’s Enlisted Plans and Policy Office, about advancement. He talked about this cycle, why quotas rise and fall, and ways Sailors can improve their chances to advance.

 “We have the spring navy wide advancement exam cycle, we have MAP, then we have the fall cycles, so those three opportunities are balanced in order to create opportunity for all rates in the Navy.”

“The best thing that a Sailor can do to improve their chance to advance is work hard, study hard, and be that technical SME down on the deck plates…”

Cmdr. Darrick Poe
Deputy of the Navy’s Enlisted Plans and Policy Office

MC2 Burleson: Welcome. I’m here today with Cmdr. Darrick Poe. He is the deputy of the Navy’s Enlisted Plans and Policy Office. We are here today to talk about advancements. Sir, thank you for being here today.

Cmdr. Poe: Thanks for having me.

MC2 Burleson: The E-4 through E-6 quotas are currently out. What do the numbers show for this cycle?

Cmdr. Poe: The numbers this cycle shows that we created opportunity for all rates in the Navy. Retention is higher this year then it’s normally been. So with higher retention, we’ve seen lower opportunity across the rates.

MC2 Burleson: Sir, what determines the rise and fall of advancement quotas?

Cmdr. Poe: Well, the rise and fall of advancement quotas is all determined by vacancies in the fleet, current and planned vacancies. So, we work closely with community managers down in Millington to identify what those vacancies are and set our quotas to make sure we meet the vacancies in the fleet to keep community health good.

MC2 Burleson: The meritorious advancement program is in its second cycle. How does that affect the quotas for those who take the test?

Cmdr. Poe: Well now with the meritorious advancement program, or MAP, we now have three opportunities in a given fiscal year for Sailors to advance. We have the spring Navy wide advancement exam cycle, we have MAP, then we have the fall cycles; so those three opportunities are balanced in order to create opportunity for all rates in the Navy. We work very close with the community managers to make sure that this takes place.

MC2 Burleson: Looking forward, what can Sailors do to improve their chances to advance?

Cmdr. Poe: The best thing that a Sailor can do to improve their chances to advance is work hard, study hard, be that technical SME down on the deck plates within their division and their work center. They can study, study, get in the book and be prepared for when the Navy wide advancement exam cycle comes around. And the third thing they can do, is seek out those mentors, that LPO, that chief that can help them and guide their career.

MC2 Burleson: Sir, that’s all I have for you today. Thank you for being here and answering the questions.

Cmdr. Poe: Thank you very much for having me.

MC2 Burleson: And thank you all for watching. Be sure to read our story on Navy.mil to get the full number of quotas for the E-4 through E-6 advancement exam.

http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2016/05/27/talking-advancement-with-the-deputy-of-enlisted-plans-and-policy/ U.S. Navy