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FITREP 101
- Thread starter BOMR822
- Start date
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Any rater gets a RSCA the first time he writes paper on a Navy Officer of that grade. I had to figure out how to establish that for my Army O-6 boss at Space Force since we were light on USN Officers and I was the first one to get a FITREP there (O-4 Periodic). I spent a lot of time walking him through the nuances of USN FITREPs and RSCAs (even though I'd resigned as a LCDR and the paper didn't "really matter"). The trait average paperwork is tracked by PERS by SSN.
BT BT
To the OP, @squorch2 raised a lot of good points if you're an aviator headed to your first squadron. Early FITREPs are tracking accomplishments and establishing your upward progression to superstar future CO or also-ran. Engage with DHs (Admin O in praticular) and ask them to discuss how to craft solid FITREPs, and even better, how the rankings are established. In that you'll see that individual average and RSCA/Summary Group Average are all that matters.
In your first tour, prior to your High Water FITREP, you should be keeping track of quals in the aircraft, ground jobs, and other indicators of how the DH and Front Office perceives your performance and, more importantly, potential. A lot of JOs confuse performance with potential. FITREPs are the CO's signal to selection boards (and before that, the detailers in dolling out shore orders) about your potential for DH, CO, and beyond.
This is all to say, you need to understand what your FITREPs are and are not communicating about you. You don't need to be kissing the CO's ass, but if they barely know who you are, it shouldn't be surprising when you leave with an MP.
That last thing, and we've said it before, think if a fitrep as a prediction (based on the writer's professional judgment, opinion, whether they like you, whatever you want to call it) more than a report card.
A students should be A students in the future, sure, but try to put that thought aside. Spoiler: life's not fair.
A students should be A students in the future, sure, but try to put that thought aside. Spoiler: life's not fair.
This goes to an age-old debate (which came up in my RILC class long ago) of whether, if an officer has openly said they are getting out, do you give them the FITREP that they earned, or do you give them the FITREP that will help another (theoretically in this example not as great) officer stay in and/or help the RS manage their RSCA?
There's a debate? You give it to the guy who needs it and dont waste it. As others said, it's not a report card but a predictive report...why predict something that doesn't matter?
When myself and another guy on the boat got 2xFOS the Air Boss came and asked if I was ok with a declining FITREP because the other guy wanted to pursue a career in the reserves when I wasn't that interested. I said "of course!" and the other guy got the good paper. He's now either an XO or CO of a VR and I have nothing to do with the reserves. Even with that paper I made O-4 in the IRR on my first look.
Well, as you rightly mentioned, the debate at RILC (as I recall… been a few yrs) mostly centered on “What if the person later decides to come back in?” The context was also about sailor Evals in addition to O FITREPs (which I get are different paperwork animals and have different purposes). Like, your best sailor opted not to re-enlist but they are young’ish still and you don’t necessarily want to harm their chances at re-enlisting/ commissioning.
it's all in the name - it's a report on your fitness for command and beyond.
Halo effect is an SOB. (Path dependency too)
Meh, pick the horse that's still running the race. You only get so many EPs so why waste them on a maybe? Someone who is getting out and the comes back in needs to live with the consequences of their "choose your own" adventure lifestyle.
Spekkio
He bowls overhand.
It's completely okay to write something in block 42 like "A top EP performer, but rated lower due to member's desire to separate and to control my RSCA."
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For the RS, the FITREP 500 is an exercise in managing a finite amount of opportunity. Those who have signaled that they're no longer pursuing the next career milestone will naturally take a backseat to those who are.
There’s two different versions of that. One is leaving doors open to folks early in their career (for aviation types, first sea and first shore). The other is at DH where COs have to pick a winner fairly early (along with PERS’s help) to set someone up for a long #1.
In my shore tour I left as #2 of 27 (with a soft breakout as #2 of forty something O3s) even though I had signaled my intention to get out. The front office told me they thought I’d make a good DH and beyond and wanted to leave me options. I almost exercised that last year with COVID but still ended up putting in a DPM. Regardless, I genuinely appreciated it and told them so in the debrief.
In my shore tour I left as #2 of 27 (with a soft breakout as #2 of forty something O3s) even though I had signaled my intention to get out. The front office told me they thought I’d make a good DH and beyond and wanted to leave me options. I almost exercised that last year with COVID but still ended up putting in a DPM. Regardless, I genuinely appreciated it and told them so in the debrief.