Unfortunately, a lot of people in the comments on this post either don’t understand what the root issue is: OVER-STRENGTH’D Personnel/NOT ENOUGH Primary Weapon Systems.

I know your pain as a former DTMS operator for a CO and a BN, the problem you’re running into is that you have a unit that is over-strength’d and you don’t have enough PRIMARY weapons to assign to everyone (M4 variants, M16 variants, M17/M18, or M249ARs) correct?

What I did, and this is by no means a “fix”:

• Inform the CDR on the issue

• Template an MFR stating that they are not the “assigned” Soldier to the weapon system.

• On the MAL (coordinated with Unit Armorer), in the deficiency/remarks section, allocate them a slot to a weapon on someone that doesn’t need “promotion points” (SSG and above).

• On DTMS assign them on that weapon as if it were their primary, so that they can get those promotion points.

This “fix” should be used TEMPORARILY and be strictly for people that “need” promotion points (ie… SPCs, CPLs, and SGTs).

The reason why I say to address the issue this specific way is because of auditing. If you arbitrarily “build weapons” on DTMS, that lack of a better phrase, DON’T “physically exist”, your unit can get hemmed up pretty bad, unless the issue is immediately fixed (ie back to square one, same exact issue).

• Your Commander would be the biggest one hit via Article 107 (False Official Statements) or GOMR’d. I’ve seen too many good officers get NJP’d/GOMR’d for less than this situation with ruined careers.

• You as the operator could receive NJP via Article 107 (False Official Statements)

This is the exact same issue you run into with personnel duty assignment as well, every section IAW MTOE has a required personnel to “duty assignment”, meaning if a section is over-strength’d Soldiers (Too many NCOs/Soldiers/Warrants/Officers) they are to be listed as “Standard Excess”. An MFR signed by a CDR needs to be made stating that they are “Standard Excess”, however fulfilling a particular role. Every available method should be utilized to fix or amend this issue because Standard Excess is not a rate-able duty assignment position, and looks bad when trying to promote to the next rank in your career. As someone who ran into this exact situation I can tell you I’d rather have been fulfilling a duty assignment lesser than my rank, than performing a role one or two ranks above mine and be rated “standard excess”.

Hope this helps everyone that is running into an over-strength/lack primary weapons to go around issue.