Effective Date
[Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title V, § 557(b)], Nov. 18, 1997, [111 Stat. 1750], as amended by [Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title X, § 1066(c)(1)], Oct. 5, 1999, [113 Stat. 773], provided that: “[Section 4318 of title 10], United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall apply with respect to drill sergeant trainee classes that begin after the end of the 90-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 18, 1997].”
Reform of Army Drill Sergeant Selection and Training Process
[Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title V, § 556], Nov. 18, 1997, [111 Stat. 1749], provided that:“(a)In General.—The Secretary of the Army shall reform the process for selection and training of drill sergeants for the Army.“(b)Measures To Be Taken.—As part of such reform, the Secretary shall undertake the following measures (unless, in the case of any such measure, the Secretary determines that that measure would not result in improved effectiveness and efficiency in the drill sergeant selection and training process):“(1) Review the overall process used by the Department of the Army for selection of drill sergeants to determine—“(A) whether that process is providing drill sergeant candidates in sufficient quantity and quality to meet the needs of the training system; and“(B) whether duty as a drill sergeant is a career-enhancing assignment (or is seen by potential drill sergeant candidates as a career-enhancing assignment) and what steps could be taken to ensure that such duty is in fact a career-enhancing assignment.“(2) Incorporate into the selection process for all drill sergeants the views and recommendations of the officers and senior noncommissioned officers in the chain of command of each candidate for selection (particularly those of senior noncommissioned officers) regarding the candidate’s suitability and qualifications to be a drill sergeant.“(3) Establish a requirement for psychological screening for each drill sergeant candidate.“(4) Reform the psychological screening process for drill sergeant candidates to improve the quality, depth, and rigor of that screening process.“(5) Revise the evaluation system for drill sergeants in training to provide for a so-called ‘whole person’ assessment that gives insight into the qualifications and suitability of a drill sergeant candidate beyond the candidate’s ability to accomplish required performance tasks.“(6) Revise the Army military personnel records system so that, under conditions and circumstances to be specified in regulations prescribed by the Secretary, a drill sergeant trainee who fails to complete the training to be a drill sergeant and is denied graduation will not have the fact of that failure recorded in those personnel records.“(7) Provide each drill sergeant in training with the opportunity, before or during that training, to work with new recruits in initial entry training and to be evaluated on that opportunity.“(c)Report.—Not later than March 31, 1998, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate a report of the reforms adopted pursuant to this section or, in the case of any measure specified in any of paragraphs (1) through (7) of subsection (b) that was not adopted, the rationale why that measure was not adopted.”
