Greetings everyone, I've been DA Selected to go be a AIT Platoon Sergeant at Ft. Bliss, I know this is a new thing, and i've been asking around and I can't seem to get any good answers. Can anyone tell me please, I know HRC did a DS background check on me and I passed. Do I have to go to DS school for this? Is there an extra pay for doing this duty? Any kind of answer would be a lot of help so atleast I now what to expect. Thanks in advance.

SSG B

SSG B, from what I have been about the Platoon Sergeant for AIT, there is no extra pay like the Drill Sergeant Duty. Similar in job yes in a way, AIT however unless it is OSUT (sp) is not very strict, your there to mentor and mold from what I have been told. Now the Platoon Sergeant in AIT thing is new so I could be getting my info from leaders that do not know for sure. I was DA selected for Drill Sergeant Duty... it's ok though not like I had a life anyway

The way it is working here at Ft Gordon is the Platoon SGTs have in essence taken the place of the senior drill sergeants. AIT instructors now are squad leaders which are like drill sergeants. They are the ones that wake them up in the morning and do PT with them. You do not go to drill sergeant school and you do not get special duty pay for either position either. This was a way for the Army to save money, (have NCOs doing the same job without sending them to school for it or paying them special duty pay). The platoon sergeants here put in long hours though.

The idea behind the implementation of the AIT Platoon Sergeant as opposed to the Drill Sergeant is to provide Soldiers with the ability to follow orders given by an NCO wearing a beret just as they would if the orders were given by a Drill Sergeant. That’s how it was explained to me by an upper echelon TRADOC CSM. Take it as you will.

I believe it is because AIT Drill Sergeant duty was much easier than BCT or OSUT duty because of the difference in work hours and the fact that the Soldiers have been trained in basic Soldiering tasks and values. Certain members of TRADOC noticed this and removed all of the AIT DS’s from the equation. Thereby saving the Army a lot of money on incentive pay, and a lot of time/money training DS’s to do a job that a high speed SFC can do. You will not have to attend Drill Sergeant School. It will be a challenging and rewarding job as you will be given a chance to mold the future leaders of our great Army on a grand scale.

does anyone know the rank structure of these AIT platoons, as in are SGT's squad leaders and SSG's sections sergeants?

I would like to thank everyone for their response, it kinda gave me some idea of what to expect. Here is the thing, like kyl3's question..what is the rank structure of the AIT platoons? I can't be a squad leader because these are instructor positions too. I am a logistician not an air defense artillery soldier. On the aspects of leadership and basic soldier skill mentoring the MOS should not matter but if squad leaders are also instructors what slot am I going to hold? I'm kinda excited but at the same time weary because I am a transporter and i'm stepping into the Air Defense Artillery world.

The rank structure is quite simple. If you have been selected to be an AIT PSG then you will simply do that job. THe instructors on the "Platform" are the ones that are your squad leaders. They can be either SGT/E-5 or SSG/E-6. Just remember that you are the one that was selected to be the PSG. You will work your a$$ of if you don't have good battle buddies. Take it from I just came off the trail of a grueling 3 years!!! Hope this helps.

SFC Rob pretty much nailed it.

I've been serving as an AIT platoon sergeant for nearly nine months now. DA Selected.

Typically your instructors will serve as your squad leaders and you of course are the platoon sergeant. You'll have your 1SG as well.
I have noticed that each command manages the scenario a bit differently depending on location etc. There is also an AIT Platoon Sergeant course that you should attend. I attended at Fort Jackson, but from what I understand the course is also now offered at Fort Lee and Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

The Army's official reason for removing Drill Sergeants from the AIT environment was in an attempt to replicate the operational Army. Sounds great on a Powerpoint slide, but I truely believe they also saw the benefit in not training Drill Sergeants and paying them Special Duty Assignment pay.

At my duty location we as Platoon Sergeants are expected for the most part to perform all the same duties and functions that the Drill Sergeants performed (with extra pay). As we all know Platoon Sergeants do not receive SDAP. I've had CSM's tell me that I shouldn't expect any SDAP because my job here in the IET environment is no different than serving as a Platoon Sergeant in the Operational Army. That's complete and total bullshit (but typical in today's Army). I've served several years as a Platoon Sergeant in the operational Army and I don't recall working 14 hour days typically 6, sometimes 7 days a week out in the Operational Army as a Platoon Sergeant. Before anyone says it, yes I could be in Iraq. You're 100% correct, I've been there a few times already and have no problem going back. Please save that lecture for someone else.

Anyway ultimately you should make your form your own impressions of the program and a lot of that will be dicatated by your command and their policies.

Good luck out there.

quote:

Originally posted by SFC Slaughter:
I truely believe they also saw the benefit in not training Drill Sergeants and paying them Special Duty Assignment pay.

+1

Plus they have mroe bodies to send downrange- they can use less PSGs than DS, since 'the squad leaders can take up the slack.'