Join Reserves if at Risk of Not Promoting?

[Stephen Hall]

I am currently an Active Duty O3 Supply Officer and considering a switch to the Navy Reserves. I want to stay Active Duty but fear not making O4.

I am at a crossroads here and I have heard two schools of thought:

1. If I join the Navy Reserves now I am told I will be likely to promote to O4 given I have a warfare device and active duty time/sea duty/deployments/qualifications/many things Reservists have a hard time getting.

2. If I stay Active Duty I may not promote to O4 given the current trends in my community (Supply currently promoting about 60%). Many who have "hit the wickets" are still not promoting.

I am thinking, why not just go into the Reserves, promote to O4 the less risky route, then rejoin AD several years later (or just stay Reserves)? I can easily do a similar DoD job I am doing now as an Active Duty member as a civilian/reservist. Thoughts?

Follow up: Can an Active Duty person who was passed up for promotion and separated join the Reserves? Thanks everyone!

-Stephen

 

[N4Life]

I know some who joined the Reserves and put on O4, last I heard Res O-4s were at 50% (2 years ago). So it is possible.

A Huge Warning, Do not get passed over twice on AD before joining the Reserves. You will be placed in the IRR and will be passed over in the Reserves.

I was in the same situation, DH tour, multiple warfare devices, deployments, DAWIA, but denied credit for 2nd op tour. The detailers 'tried' to get another op tour by the abovezone but I didn't receive credit. Informed that this would not affect my career in the Reserves as a second op tour wasn't a Reserve requirement so I stayed on AD as long as possible. A year or so after joining the Reserves, I learned that there is a rule that if you are passed over twice on AD, you're placed in the IRR and not SELRES. I was then passed over twice in the Reserves because I was IRR. Told multiple times had you been in SELRES you would have promoted. In comparison, a few officers I've worked with joined the Reserves after passing over once, went into the SELRES and promoted.

 

[Randy Daytona]

I know some who joined the Reserves and put on O4, last I heard Res O-4s were at 50% (2 years ago). So it is possible.

A Huge Warning, Do not get passed over twice on AD before joining the Reserves. You will be placed in the IRR and will be passed over in the Reserves.

I was in the same situation, DH tour, multiple warfare devices, deployments, DAWIA, but denied credit for 2nd op tour. The detailers 'tried' to get another op tour by the abovezone but I didn't receive credit. Informed that this would not affect my career in the Reserves as a second op tour wasn't a Reserve requirement so I stayed on AD as long as possible. A year or so after joining the Reserves, I learned that there is a rule that if you are passed over twice on AD, you're placed in the IRR and not SELRES. I was then passed over twice in the Reserves because I was IRR. Told multiple times had you been in SELRES you would have promoted. In comparison, a few officers I've worked with joined the Reserves after passing over once, went into the SELRES and promoted.

NO.

Half of the reservists I know - including myself - were passed over for O-4 on active duty. You go IRR for 1 (one) day then switch over to SelRes (Some type of law, why I don't know). Once you are a SelRes, you will get 2 looks at O-4. I know of only 1 person who did not promote to O-4 and that was due to extenuating circumstances and that person also did not do anything extra-curricular to get promoted. As for O-5 and O-6, I know several people promote to O-5 and O-6 on their 3rd looks. As a supply officer in the reserves, your future is bright - that said, once you leave SelRes, do not ever expect to get back on active duty for retirement - manpower watches your record like a hawk to actively prevent this (funding issues.)

 

[nittany03]

A Huge Warning, Do not get passed over twice on AD before joining the Reserves. You will be placed in the IRR and will be passed over in the Reserves.

BULL. SHIT. THIS IS BAD GOUGE.

Randy above speaks the truth. On the first O-4 board as a SELRES after you FOS twice, you will be in the tank as an "administrative in-zone" look, 2 YGs behind your old AC YG. Then you will get an AZ look the year after, if required. No idea about SELRES Supply's percentages. When I went up, URL SELRES were basically a "fog a mirror" shoe-in, but IDC was a freaking knife fight with like 50/50 odds. Bottom line, the RC promotion numbers have little or nothing to do with the AC promotion numbers. This was at the same time when, if you look at real numbers and not BUPERS fuzzy math BS, AC aviators were at or below 50 percent selection. But SELRES picked it up gratis. Not saying that's right or wrong, that's just how it was.

Here's the risk. The "3rd look" business only applies to O-4s and O-5s. FOS twice as a SELRES LT, and the Navy's done with you, period. No IRR, no nothing. Good news? You have two more years as a SELRES for a total of four looks at O-4. Unless the numbers game in your designator really sucks (which can happen, see IDC above) , you've got a fighting chance.

Also keep in mind that SELRES and IRR people go into the same promotion board tank. So if you get decent paper and participate as a SELRES (or even better, mobilize), you've got the IRR folks as, sad to say, cannon fodder. They may have made the best choice for their lives and families, and some of them may not care anyway, but their records are not going to be as strong as even Joe Average SELRES.

 

[Flash]

...As for O-5 and O-6, I know several people promote to O-5 and O-6 on their 3rd looks.....

We had one guy in my unit get promoted to O-5 on his 7th look.

And third what Randy and Nittany said about FOS and O-4 in the reserves.

 

[Pags]

We had one guy in my unit get promoted to O-5 on his 7th look.

And third what Randy and Nittany said about FOS and O-4 in the reserves.

Fourth. Stay active and see if you 2xFOS. If you do you'll get a nice severance check to go with your walking papers.

I didn't do SELRES but I still made O-4 in the IRR on my first look and I was AZNPC.

 

[N4Life]

Reserve Supply Corps O3s are manned at 150%, they can't take anymore. Per the Supply Corps Selected Reserve Career Counselor/Prgm Mgr and the Director of Pers-97, Career Transition Office (but what do they know) if you are passed over twice on active duty you are placed in the IRR. Repeatedly confirmed by various offices at Pers-9. You still get two looks for O-4, But who are they going to promote, the Officer in a billet doing monthly drills or the IRR sailor?

When I went up, URL SELRES

No idea about SELRES Supply's percentages.

Don't call BS when you can't tell the difference between URL and Supply.

alf of the reservists I know - including myself - were passed over for O-4

that was 14 years ago, I just got through the exact situation the OP is talking about.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Reserve Supply Corps O3s are manned at 150%, they can't take anymore. Per the Supply Corps Selected Reserve Career Counselor/Prgm Mgr and the Director of Pers-97, Career Transition Office (but what do they know) if you are passed over twice on active duty you are placed in the IRR. Repeatedly confirmed by various offices at Pers-9. You still get two looks for O-4, But who are they going to promote, the Officer in a billet doing monthly drills or the IRR sailor?



Don't call BS when you can't tell the difference between URL and Supply.

that was 14 years ago, I just got through the exact situation the OP is talking about.

16 years ago to be exact, but as CO a few years ago I was well aware of the regulations pertaining to being passed as we were accessing officers into my reserve squadron. It sounds like Supply is going through a strange time and the information you posted is an aberration - kudos for posting the up to date, specific data.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

To the OP... don't you have a mentor or a detailer who can answer these exact questions?

 

[N4Life]

There is another consideration. Stay AD and attempt abovezone. If you promote, all is good. If you are placed in the IRR, request the Voluntary Training Unit (VTU). You will drill like SELRES but will not receive pay. The benefit is you receive a FITREP and show active participation which looks good for your 2 (possibly 3) Reserve LCDR boards. With your accomplishments earned on AD, and active participation in the Reserves, I expect you would have a good chance of promotion. Then put in for SELRES.

 

[Stephen Hall]

To the OP... don't you have a mentor or a detailer who can answer these exact questions?

I do, but I find this forum to be quite an exceptional source of mentorship as well.

 

[Farva01]

NO.

Half of the reservists I know - including myself - were passed over for O-4 on active duty. You go IRR for 1 (one) day then switch over to SelRes (Some type of law, why I don't know). Once you are a SelRes, you will get 2 looks at O-4. I know of only 1 person who did not promote to O-4 and that was due to extenuating circumstances and that person also did not do anything extra-curricular to get promoted. As for O-5 and O-6, I know several people promote to O-5 and O-6 on their 3rd looks. As a supply officer in the reserves, your future is bright - that said, once you leave SelRes, do not ever expect to get back on active duty for retirement - manpower watches your record like a hawk to actively prevent this (funding issues.)

What about turning down promotion, e.g. O-5 and then going to SELRES? Is it still possible to pick up O-5 in the reserves?

 

[Renegade One]

We had one guy in my unit get promoted to O-5 on his 7th look.

We needed the dues...

 

[Flash]

What about turning down promotion, e.g. O-5 and then going to SELRES? Is it still possible to pick up O-5 in the reserves?

Transitioning to the reserves that late is not common, I haven't met anyone personally who has come in the reserves that late or who has turned down a promotion either so I can only guess what it would do for promotion to O-5 in the reserves.

Just curious, why would one do that? If you make O-4 in the Navy you are pretty much guaranteed to make it to 20 and one would take a big hit in retirement pay, ~20 less years of it, if you transitioned to the reserves. It just doesn't make a lot of sense with no extra info, unless you have an ex-wife you want to screw out of alimony payments (I have heard of that happening).

 

[Randy Daytona]

Transitioning to the reserves that late is not common, I haven't met anyone personally who has come in the reserves that late or who has turned down a promotion either so I can only guess what it would do for promotion to O-5 in the reserves.

Just curious, why would one do that? If you make O-4 in the Navy you are pretty much guaranteed to make it to 20 and one would take a big hit in retirement pay, ~20 less years of it, if you transitioned to the reserves. It just doesn't make a lot of sense with no extra info, unless you have an ex-wife you want to screw out of alimony payments (I have heard of that happening).

I have seen O-4's transition to the reserves when they were passed for DH and thus had no hope of making active duty O-5. They could jump to SelRes, play their cards right, get some cool billets to prepare themselves for the future (UAV's, etc) and make a run for O-6 - with an O-6 reserve retirement possibly being 2/3's higher then what they could make as an O-4 active duty - granted they are getting it 15 - 18 years later but you can live off of it.

Couple of other reasons would be to go to the airlines and get a seniority number NOW.

As you mentioned, an ex-wife taking 50% of your LCDR retirement leaves you with a ballpark of $22k per year - might as well skip active duty, go reserves, hope the wife gets remarried and takes your retirement off the hook and then you get all the reserve retirement at the end.