Ten Ratings Now Require More Time
April 27th, 2012
On November 16, 2009, Navy Recruiting Command officially kicked off a pilot program in an attempt to align a new Sailor’s initial service obligation with completion of his/her first operational tour. Because Sailor’s Projected Rotation Dates (PRD), Prescribed Sea Tours (PST), and the end of their active obligated service (EAOS) dates were all over the map; it made planning for a Sailor’s loss to a command a little precarious – at least until the Sailor would make a decision about re-enlistment, and often times that decision would come late.
The T+X Accession Program, as it is called, started with just four ratings that were scheduled to ship to boot-camp during Fiscal Year 2011. A Sailor’s enlistment obligation, instead of the hard and fast 4 year (48 month) enlistment, the formula “T+X” would be used to determine how long a Sailor’s obligation would be. The “T” in the equation is the average length in months of initial training (boot-camp, A School, etc.), the “X” is equal to the calculated length of the first operation tour for the rating enlisted. The initial ratings in the pilot program were Aviation Ordnanceman (AO), Electrician’s Mate (EM), Gas Turbine System Technician – Electrical (GSE), and Quartermaster (QM) – Ultimately, this (Read the rest of the article…)
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Joining the Navy? A Few Ratings to Consider
March 29th, 2012
Every couple of months or so, Navy Recruiting Command puts out incentives for recruiters and classifiers to try and fill specific needs. One of those incentives is the Admiral’s Accelerator Award (AAA). The AAA’s award provides for a Four-Day Special liberty, a Cruitcom’s Flag Officer Coin, and a flag letter.
Of course, any rating and program for which you qualify may be available when you go to MEPS to enlist, but those ratings and programs I will be listing below as a result of the current, short term incentive AAA, the chances are much better than average they will be available; well, until they fill up that is; so, get’em while they are hot.
For the third quarter, April – June 2012, the AAA defines certain rates and programs; those programs (along with Nuke and the Challenge Programs) for those who qualify, should be available when you go to MEPS, and they are;
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Active Duty Enlistment Incentives 2012 (Updated)
February 9th, 2012
Although our services continue to seek out applicants, many of you are finding it difficult, if not impossible, to join. With the economy what it is, and the services experiencing record breaking retention rates, it isn’t going to get any easier to find a way to serve your country as a Uniformed Member of our armed forces. The services standards for enlistment remain the same, but waivers for past indiscretions are much more unlikely, especially for past alcohol and/or drug offenses.
One indicator of how long the recruiting restrictions may last is to look at the scope of bonuses being delved out to those enlisting. When the manpower needs become more difficult to fill, the scope of ratings eligible for bonuses increases; likewise, when needs are “easy” to fill, the ratings eligible reduce. For instance the Loan Repayment Program, which in some previous years encompassed every rating, now, as of 1 Feb, just those enlisting into the Musician rating are potential benefactors.
I always recommend that you talk to a recruiter and get the right guidance based on your specifics, but don’t be surprised that if you require a (Read the rest of the article…)
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Recruit with Integrity Card
January 10th, 2012
Through a recent action by Navy Recruiting Command, it appears that reported instances of recruiter impropriety has risen to a point that a proactive, preventative action must be taken from the headquarter’s level.
Please note: Recruiter impropriety is a relatively rare occurrence committed by a very small number of those serving in the billet. The vast, overwhelming majority of Sailors who serve in recruiting proceed with the professionalism you should expect by members of our armed forces.
Beginning earlier this month, Navy Recruiters have been provided with “Recruit with Integrity” cards that must be provided to all applicants at their initial face to face contact.
The front of the card;
The card’s reverse; (Read the rest of the article…)
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FY-2012 LRP Ratings
December 1st, 2011
The Navy’s Student Loan Repayment Program (LRP) is an enlistment option, it is not something you can opt into after you have shipped to Recruit Training Command. Also, keep in mind that having the LRP program as part of your enlistment guarantee makes you ineligible for the GI Bill, until you reenlist for a second term and serve a minimum of 24 months of that term.
Last year, all the ratings were eligible for LRP at the time of one’s enlistment, but now, only the following ratings are eligible for the Navy’s Student Loan Repayment Program.
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FY-2011, A Record Setting Year
October 6th, 2011
Each year, congress mandates the number of Sailors that are allowed to be serving in the Navy. In a nut shell, the changes in mission requirements, Fleet retention, and that mandated end-strength number for 2011 ultimately drove the number of billets available for Navy Recruiting Command to fill for each of the Navy’s ratings in the last fiscal year.
Navy Recruiting Command’s active duty accession mission for FY-2011 was 33,400.
For the first year in the history of Navy Recruiting Command while attaining it’s mission, the percentage enlisted in the upper-mental group category was an astounding (Read the rest of the article…)
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Discharged Under DADT?
September 8th, 2011
Did you get kicked out of the service under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) law? After the day the law is repealed, expected on 20 September, you will be eligible to get back in.
Veterans with an RE-4 discharge code, if it was received solely due to DADT, will be treated the same as any other Veteran that received an RE-1/RE-R1; unless there was any other misconduct that was a basis for the discharge, and/or if the discharge was not characterized as honorable.
No preferential treatment will be provided. That means that just like all other qualified Veterans seeking reenlistment, (Read the rest of the article…)
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Military Retirement Under Fire
August 3rd, 2011
In 1986, the Department of Defense implemented the REDUX retirement plan for all those who joined the military after 01 August of that year. REDUX retirement provides a 2% per year for the first 20 years of service (Final Pay and High Three retirements provide 2.5%) which means if you decide to retire at 20 years of active service, you get 40% of your base pay in a monthly check for the rest of your life with a yearly adjustment (based on the CPI, same indicator used for Social Security adjustments) for cost of living. But with the REDUX retirement system, you get an increase to 3.5% for each additional year passed 20 and can get to 100% for 40 years. When REDUX was first implemented, those under the program did not have the option of choosing the High Three program like they can today.
I was a recruiter in New Jersey in 1986 when the REDUX plan was being implemented. Most applicants were oblivious to the change, as a matter of fact, most applicants didn’t know there was a retirement program of any sort, let along the details of it, but some did and the change mattered to them.
Recruiting in the mid-1980′s was about as tough as it could be. The parents of the applicants we sought were draft eligible during the Vietnam War – the last thing most wanted was to see their child join the military, but when the REDUX change was announced, Veterans were dragging (Read the rest of the article…)
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Afghan Military Enlistment
May 19th, 2011
During the 2011 Milblog conference, I had the privilege of asking Lt. Gen Caldwell, the Commander of NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan, a few questions about the recruitment of members into the Afghan National Army (ANA). In response, the General described the contributions of the United States Army recruiting personnel who were brought over to Afghanistan to assist in the formation and implementation of Afghan National Army Recruiting Command (ANAREC). During the round table, he also offered up the services of his speechwriter, Major Good. I took advantage by asking a few follow up questions that specifically addressed the requirements one must meet in order to join the ANA.
Not surprisingly, the requirements for joining the Afghan military are really not all that different from that of the United States military. The Afghan National Army has a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) where a basic literacy test is administered (we utilize the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)). The MEPS also has doctors and a medical staff that perform physicals, provided required immunizations and even make a determination whether the recruit is actually the age his or her documents indicate. There is an oath of enlistment, but it is taken during the second week of training with their kandak (battalion).
The Afghan National Army Oath (Female Officer Example): (Read the rest of the article…)
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Military Education Requirements
May 9th, 2011
With the use of the Department of Defense’s three tiered education evaluation system, the education requirements for joining the military can be very confusing and frustrating. Today, an Associated Press article questioned the DoD’s stance on those who receive a high school diploma via an online course. Before we discuss the article, I provided a brief explanation of each of the three tiers;
Tier I
In a nut shell, for a Tier I classification, a classification/credential that removes any education caps and allows for a service minimum ASVAB qualification score, you must have at least 75 percent of the credits earned towards your high school graduation requirements, per academic year, through classroom based (student-teacher environment), instructor-led learning experience. High schools, Home schools and Adult schools must be evaluated by the service’s educational specialist, and Post-Secondary credits (15 semester hours or 22 quarter hours of college credit) earned must be from an accredited degree granting institution listed in the current or applicable American Council on Education (ACE) Accredited Institutions of Post-secondary Education (AIPE) Directory. College credits earned through on-line internet courses from an accredited AIPE institution are acceptable as long as you are also attending classes via classroom instruction.
Use this link for a much more detailed explanation of Tier I credentials.
Tier II
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