Creating a Position

In this activity, we will familiarize ourselves with the process of creation of a new position.

In Defense and Security, the goal of a position is critical to ensuring a desired level of readiness. The position facilitates the assignment of an actual person, but it also allows the force planners to ensure the required skills, qualifications, jobs and equipment (FMPO) are provisioned for and allocated.

A military organization is typically hierarchical, and therefore tends to have a number of Privates (or equivalent) reporting to a squad commander. A few squad commanders would then report to a platoon commander, and so on. Another key trait is that to ensure a uniformly baseline trained and equipped soldier, positions assigned to a force element are generally based on a standardized template. The template is typically described by a job/role specification.

One method of managing positions that reflects the two traits mentioned is by creating a template position (that is a template from which all force element assigned positions are going to be created from). In this exercise, we will create such a template.

You will learn how to do the following:

• Create a position
• Describe the role of qualifications and jobs in the force structure

You are a Force Planner assigned to the Central Personnel Management Cell. As part of your standard tasks, an order has been issued to assign two positions, named IDS20-00 Company Commander, to the Force Element IDS20-00. One Position will also be designated as the Chief Position and the other as Deputy Chief.

Learn how to:

• Explain why and how a position template is assigned to a Force Element