// The Field Manual
Regulation, in plain English.
Short, sourced writing on NCOERs, OERs, and counselings, cited by paragraph, written by someone with years on the rating chain. No vibes. No inflation. Just what the regulation actually says.
NCOER Duty Description: Part III Sets the Baseline, Part IV Shows the Impact
A generic Part III hides whether your NCO did the job or exceeded it. Quantify the scope, people, dollars, equipment, dispersion, special emphasis, and every Part IV bullet shows the delta. With NCOER Part III examples across two MOS lanes, and why a bullet that only restates the baseline is Met by ¶3-11a.
Read →The Army's New Combat Field Test: All 7 Events, the 30-Minute Standard, and What Failing Costs You
AD 2026-07 gives 24 combat MOSs a second annual test: 7 continuous events in ACUs and boots, pass/fail on one 30-minute clock, no age or sex norming. The event sequence, the MOS list, the separation triggers, and the two lines that change your NCOER, all cited to the source.
The Tape Test Is Dead: The Army's New WHtR Standard, Explained
AD 2026-13 killed the screening tables, the tape test, and the AFT exemption. One ratio decides it now: waist ÷ height, under 0.55. What died, your protections, and the measurement procedure from the new DA Form 5500, all cited to the source.
Far Exceeded vs Exceeded: The One Discriminator DA PAM 623-3 Actually Draws
Exceeded is immediate impact. Far Exceeded is immediate impact AND enduring effect: ¶3-11a(3) vs (4), verbatim. Plus two popular tier myths, debunked: unit scope is not a tier signal, and neither is “100%.”
Read →NCOER Achieves Bullet Examples: 9 Bullets With the Tier Reasoning Shown
Met, Exceeded, and Far Exceeded Achieves bullets, each with the ¶3-11a reasoning underneath, formatted to the two-line rule. Learn the calibration, not just the copy-paste.
Read →NCOER Leads Bullet Examples: 9 Bullets With the Tier Reasoning Shown
Met, Exceeded, and Far Exceeded Leads bullets across all five FM 6-22 components (trust, influence, example, communication), with the ¶3-11a reasoning under each one.
Read →NCOER Develops Bullet Examples: 9 Bullets With the Tier Reasoning Shown
Met, Exceeded, and Far Exceeded Develops bullets, environment, Prepares Self, Develops Others, Stewards the Profession, with the ¶3-11a reasoning under each one.
Read →NCOER Character Bullet Examples: 9 Bullets With the Tier Reasoning Shown
The block is five components wide, Values, Empathy, Warrior Ethos, Discipline, Humility, not an Army Values checkbox. Nine bullets with the ¶3-11a reasoning shown.
Read →NCOER Presence Bullet Examples: 9 Bullets With the Tier Reasoning Shown
Bearing, holistic Fitness, Confidence, Resilience: the AFT score is never the story. Nine Presence bullets across all three tiers with the ¶3-11a reasoning under each.
Read →NCOER Intellect Bullet Examples: 9 Bullets With the Tier Reasoning Shown
Agility, Judgment, Innovation, Tact, Expertise: thinking shown as decisions with outcomes, not “technically proficient.” Nine bullets with the ¶3-11a reasoning shown.
Read →Forbidden NCOER Language: The “Potential” Rule Every Rater Breaks
“Has potential to be a future First Sergeant” is a rater writing in the senior rater’s lane. AR 623-3 ¶1-40c says so. The forbidden phrases, the lane split, and three before/after rewrites.
Read →How to Respond to a GOMOR: Your Rebuttal Rights Under AR 600-37
The rebuttal window, the two filing options, and what a statement may contain per AR 600-37, plus the mistakes that waste the one reading you get before the filing decision. Not legal advice; get counsel.
Read →Article 15 Statement and Appeal Guide: Your Rights Under AR 27-10
Demand trial or accept the proceedings? Defense, extenuation, mitigation. One appeal, five calendar days. The Article 15 process as AR 27-10 lays it out. Not legal advice; call TDS first.
Read →DA PAM 623-3 ¶3-11a Explained: The Four NCOER Tiers in Plain English
EXCEEDED or FAR EXCEEDED? The single most-Googled NCOER question, answered straight from the paragraph. All four tier definitions verbatim, the Far Exceeded markers, and why the “¶3-12c” cite you see everywhere doesn’t exist.
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