Human resource (HR) professionals are responsible for executing fundamental competencies that allow for the effective functioning of the military force and the operations of various scales. In the area of providing HR support, the professionals accomplish such competencies as manning the force, offering HR services, coordinating personnel support, and conducting planning and operations. Manning the force is among the four fundamental competencies of HR personnel in support operations. It affects personnel aspects of building and maintaining the combat power of an organization. It encompasses Personnel Accounting and Strength Reporting (PASR), Personnel Information Management (PIM), and Human Resources support to replacement operations. In addition, it includes relevant human resources support to casualty operations, and Personnel Resource Management (PRM).
The importance of the competency of man the force entails in the ability successfully execute the subordinate essential functions mentioned previously to assure the uninterrupted inflow of soldiers to the battlefield as well as the provision of accurate and reliable data to relevant stakeholders. It is the responsibility of human resource professionals to ensure that the personnel is ready to implement their missions, that there is a high level of accountability, retention, and strength reporting, as well as the dedication to the ongoing and error-free personnel information management.
Among the four key functions mentioned above contributing to the success of man the force competency, it is crucial to discuss Personnel Information Management (PIM). It entails a set of relevant procedures and applied technologies that HR professionals use for tracking and organizing data about the workers within an organization. This means that HR personnel will regularly collect, store, display, disseminate, and reconcile relevant HR information about personnel and units. The information regarding personnel management can provide essential data to commanders, soldiers, and families. The competence includes and distributes the information products that are relevant to manning and sustaining soldiers and the systems that aid them on the battlefield. Therefore, commanders, HR professionals, and planners depend on PIM as one of the methods during the performance of their missions.
It is essential that HR professionals are competent with PIM systems and relevant databases implementation to understand that critical functions and tasks are conducted and processed. For example, in large-scale military operations, commanders are expected to ensure that HR professionals have cross-training across all systems of human resources. Despite the certain expectations for units to operate in disconnected, degraded, or disrupted communications environments, HR personnel must place an emphasis on Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network connectivity when arriving in a theater to conduct the necessary tasks and functions that HR professionals implement. Significantly, when it comes to collecting and managing information regarding HR databases, systems, and other information networks and equipment necessary for performing HR missions.
In the context of operations, since an enemy’s ability to disrupt the communications and command and control various elements increases significantly, effective PIM implementation becomes more complicated for HR personnel. This is especially relevant in instances when the enemy targets mission command nodes and critical infrastructure. Therefore, it is necessary to protect the mission command nodes through establishing, operating, and maintaining connectedness to HR data and voice communications to increase the effectiveness of HR operations. Strengthening the access to HR systems along with the provision of access across all echelons and commands is imperative in both large- and small-scale operations.