This is a total thread jack, but how did he get pulled back into JAGC as an O5? From my understanding he left the Navy as a SWO (I think O3). The reserves are weird I know, but a cursory glance at the JAG recruiting page doesn’t seem to indicate that you can pulled directly into the reserves as an O5. If I’m fucked up on my understanding I’m glad to learn, but on face value there seems to be fuckery afoot.
We had a reserve JAG at my last command and according to him no, the USNR only takes JAGs who had done active duty time as JAGs. He said that a long time ago (20 or more years) they did take a few DCO JAG folks who had done no active time but their unfamiliarity with the particulars of military and conflict law was a serious impediment to effectively using them so they stopped. Probably explains why I knew at least half a dozen lawyer Intel DCO's who commissioned in the 90's, none could get in as a JAG though some wanted to.
That said, the USNR DCO program has long been an easy way for (some) folks who want to get a commission without going through any sort of OCS or any other military training before raising your right hand and throwing on a uniform. Training follows commissioning but I am not aware of an easier way to get a commission in the US military for at least some of the jobs like Intel, IP and a few others (docs and chaplains are another ball 'o wax). In my personal experience usually USNR DCO's fell into one of three categories, sometimes a mix of them; 1- Civilian experts (civilian Intel O's, etc), 2 - Prior service, usually with some applicable civilian experience, 3 - Political types. I personally only ran into 2 or 3 of the political types when I was in the reserves but was aware of more than a few from both sides of the aisle to include among others the President's former Chief of Staff, a President's son and a former Deputy National Security Advisor who took military leave because he was deploying to Iraq as a Intel O (as a LT or LTJG), with a SEAL team of course.
So why does the Navy Reserve bring in DCO's like that? I think it is a two way street, the DCO's get to serve and put it on their resume and the Navy gets folks who will hopefully have their backs in the political world at very little 'cost' to the service. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. For folks who have relevant experience sometimes they bring them in at a higher grade but I am not aware of any that came in at O-5 unless they were a doc.
Getting back to this guy though, his entry rank and designator experience are out of the norm even for USNR DCO's and JAG's from what I know.