U.S. Army Europe's retention program is starting off strong this year and has met all requirement numbers for guiding Soldiers into continuing active duty service or transferring into the Reserve component.
The retention team here at USAREUR headquarters is lead by Sgt. Maj. Michael Kouneski, who has been the senior leader of the program for more than two years.
"[We] did an exceptional job for the first quarter of fiscal year 15," said Kouneski. "The command achieved mission in all categories with 121 percent in the aggregate for the active component and 124 percent for the reserve component. "
He also explained that the program is key for not only keeping Soldiers in the Army, but also for keeping service members here in Europe to support the USAREUR mission at full capacity.
Kouneski credits this accomplishment to the support of senior leaders throughout the Army Europe commands and to his noncommissioned officers filling the retention roles in each unit.
"I've seen some incredible accomplishments from the great career counselors within this command. It is only through the exceptional leadership support that allows my team to be so effective."
Looking to keep the trend going, Kouneski also has a message for Soldiers who are looking to speak with a counselor in the future.
"It is not about trying to get everyone to reenlist or retire. However, before you make that decision, talk with your leadership and create a backup plan then go see your career counselor."
---
U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51-country area of responsibility to advance American strategic interests in Europe and Eurasia. The relationships built during the more than 1,000 theater security cooperation events, held in more than 40 countries each year, lead directly to support for multinational contingency operations around the world, strengthen regional partnerships and enhance global security.
Social Sharing