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SOAR Card

SOAR Card

ARNG OCS Form 156-4 · concise leadership card; counseling detail on the DA 4856

Situation → Observation → Associate & Assess → Reinforce

Record what you observed and map it to ALRM. Long counseling narrative belongs on the paired DA 4856. Lane / OPORD criteria notes: FLER Training Aide.

ObsSustains 0/3Improves 0/3Assess —

Header: OC, event, eval type, position

Header

Printed on the PDF header.

DEVELOPMENTAL = coaching focus. ASSESSMENT = graded eval. SPOTREP = single notable event (pair with Positive/Negative Spot).

GARRISON / FIELD for lane or duty evals. POSITIVE / NEGATIVE SPOT with Event = SPOTREP. OC SELF EVALUATION when the OC authors the card.

Position the OC held for this observation. Must match the printed form dropdown.

Squad / Platoon / Company / State — in that order.

S — Situation

Mission factors that influence the OC or the mission.

What day on the training strip.

Distance of mission and direction / terrain.

Which mission/eval of the day.

Mission type the OC was leading.

Weather impacts the OC faces.

OPFOR / enemy size opposing the mission.

Other challenges outside weather/enemy — morale, prior feedback, constraints.

O — Observation

Facts only — what you saw, heard, or confirmed. Do not associate yet.

0/600

Keep concise — this prints in a small box. Detailed in-brief & counseling go in the paired DA 4856.

0/2000
FACTS ONLY. Bullet what you saw/heard/confirmed. • Keep a timeline (Order out → WARNO → OPORD → SP…) • Mark assumptions or clarifying questions with (?) • Do not associate attributes here yet • Note effects on the unit when you saw them

Leadership behaviors using action words. Focus on the OC, outcomes of their behaviors, and effects on the unit. Speculating or associating doctrine belongs in Associate & Assess — not here.

A — Associate & Assess

Up to 3 sustains and 3 improves. Link ACTION → RESULT → doctrine.

Pick at most three sustains and three improves — more overwhelms the OC. Each discussion links an observation to a unit/mission effect and an ALRM attribute (who the leader is) or competency (what the leader does). Selecting one shows the ADP 6-22 blurb.

Sustains — positive effects on the unit

ACTION → RESULT → DOCTRINE. At most three.

Sustain 1

0/280
1. ACTION — name the specific thing the OC did. Pull it from your Observations; don't credit something you didn't see. 2. RESULT — the positive effect on the unit or mission because of it. 3. DOCTRINE — pick the attribute/competency above that this shows (its ADP 6-22 definition is shown right there once selected).

ACTION (from observations) → RESULT (positive effect on the unit/mission) → DOCTRINE (ALRM attribute/competency).

Improves — developmental needs / negative effects

ACTION → RESULT → DOCTRINE. At most three.

Improve 1

0/280
1. ACTION — name the specific gap or missed action. Pull it from your Observations, not a general impression. 2. RESULT — the negative effect on the unit or mission because of it. 3. DOCTRINE — pick the attribute/competency above this points to. Frame it as teaching, not punitive — say what right looks like going forward.

ACTION (from observations) → RESULT (negative effect on the unit/mission) → DOCTRINE (developmental need).

R — Reinforce & Recommend

Validate a strength; give actionable guidance. Develop with the OC.

0/700

Praise or correction that reinforces the right behaviors. Use doctrine language, not vague encouragement.

0/750

Room for context that does not fit the discussion boxes — still concise; long counseling narrative goes on the DA 4856.

  • Excellent: Strengths in a preponderance of observed attributes and competencies.
  • Proficient: Meets the standard in a preponderance of observed attributes and competencies.
  • Capable: Developmental needs in a preponderance of observed attributes and competencies.
  • Unsat: Fails to meet the standard in a preponderance of observed attributes and competencies, or a character / care issue.

OC and Senior TAC signatures are collected on the printed copy.