SELRES and general reserve opportunities

[Uncle Fester]

Thanks for the info fester. So, the SAU is not an option for FTS? If not, I guess they just throw you at some desk job for FTS if changing communities is not possible?

EDIT: damn "the man" for killing -77

No, it's an option. We've got FTS guys there now. I don't know how many other flying billets there are for an E-2 FTS FO, but I know guys go to TSW staff in Ft Worth, or CNAFR in Norfolk, etc. If I knew then what I know now about FTS, I definitely would have pursued it.

 

[Gatordev]

Thanks for the info fester. So, the SAU is not an option for FTS? If not, I guess they just throw you at some desk job for FTS if changing communities is not possible?

As Fester said, that particular SAU has FTS billets, so that makes it viable. But at the end of the day, regardless of community (within CNAFR), when/if you get picked up for FTS, they expect your first tour to be as a DH at a command. That may mean as a RDH at a TRACOM SAU, a DH at a RAG SAU, or as a DH at an operational squadron (obviously out for you now with -77 being gone). So, generally speaking, your first FTS tour shouldn't just be flying a desk on a staff. That fun comes later.

Also, you might find out that in the reserves are run by airline pilots, especially with the drive to do tons of flexible support M-F... it's basically the only job out there where they can take off extra weeks at a time and not get fired... as a NFO (and in a non flying unit) coming in M-F would just piss my civilian boss off. My civie employers support reserve service but when you are doing your 2 weeks AT, then wanting a couple of days off every month to to whatever the flavor of the month support the reserve O-6s have dreamed up (which is cyclical and repeats every 2-3 years BTW).

It really depends on the unit. No doubt more of a potential issue for FW squadrons, but not all. It also can depend on who the unit is supporting and how their working model is set up. Regardless, you'll probably be wanted to be there more than just two days a month, but at the end of the day, talk to the unit and find out their requirements.

 

[subreservist]

There is some change of designator gouge in chapter 9 of this instruction (you'll have to search for the appropriate MILPERMANs it references).

Getting a billet as a junior officer (O4 and below) is pretty easy. But if you want a specific billet because you are really trying to perform a role in a specific opportunity it can be challenging. So if you're trying to be O6 or above in the reserves, don't listen to me!!

The reason I say it's easy is because there are more billets than people. You may not find a billet near you, but as a JO, we qualify to be cross-assigned (where the Navy pays to fly, house, car to go wherever for a DWE) and you still train at the NOSC closest to you. I'm currently cross-assigned and I love it! I get to go to ATL on the Navy. Some have argued that it impacts your FITREP, but it really doesn't (I got an EP). Your FITREP is driven by the job you're doing for the unit, not if you're cross-assigned or filling a certain billet. You want good paper, you need to be the guy everybody knows (but not necessarily see). So the Muster/Resked Officer is a good gig...so is writing Unit Awards, etc...none of these have to do with your billet.

My first "billet" was as Flag Historian. It didn't mean anything in my month-to-month role. But I got a NOBC out of it just because I had the billet (it was actually slated to be filled by a warrant officer; 6410 I think...but I put in for it because I wanted the location).

Once you make O5, you have to pay out of pocket to get to DWE, unless you're fortunate to have a billet close to you (or work for an airline...lol!). That's really when the billet game truly begins.

And, as a JO, in spite of the "crackdowns", you can still stay IAP for quite a while, but you're better off not doing that if you want to stay low on the MOB radar.

 

[RHINOWSO]

Ideally if you aren't in a flying unit, you want one that allows liberal "flex drilling", aka drill from home.

Basically the USNR is like being a lawyer - you count up your 4 hrs and get paid for a day. So talking on the phone, emailing, doing USNR work outside of DWE is billable (or should be if your unit doesn't do flex drilling).

 

[Gatordev]

Although the unit will need to be properly funded to make that a regular occurrence.

 

[nittany03]

Basically the USNR is like being a lawyer - you count up your 4 hrs and get paid for a day. So talking on the phone, emailing, doing USNR work outside of DWE is billable (or should be if your unit doesn't do flex drilling).

If the unit is funded. Otherwise the work still needs to be done, and you're doing unpaids. Oh, and the "work from home" thing, paid or unpaid, has gained significantly more ass-pain recently. You can't do it without additional training and routing paperwork for a "telework authorization."

It's like when CTO tells you "yeah, cross-assignment is fine; everyone does it and the Navy will pay." Depends on the command and its funding levels; you could be caught cooling your heels at your local OPSUP unit when there's no money to fly you to your cross-assigned billet.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Rhino is talking about RMPs, and they're very closely watched nowadays as there was a tendency in some units to abuse them, by both individuals and the command.

There's not really a single answer to "how the reserve works" because every unit does things vastly differently depending on their funding and mission. The ACCLW SAU does mando DWEs 3-4 times a year, but otherwise we're pretty much never together in one place. Since the mission is Fleet/FRS support, we generally don't do much on the weekends, because there's generally not much requirement for support on weekends. On the other hand, I've seen OSUs that only work weekends because their tasking is covering 'outside normal working hours' periods for their AC counterpart (VP flying weekends, for example). I briefly drilled with a Maritime Expeditionary Security unit that had a DWE every month and unless you were dead or in hospital, you were expected to be there. So when you're looking at a Reserve unit, one of the main things they'll look at is how much time you can give them, based on their drill requirements, mission, how far away you live, your civilian work requirements, etc. Another example, there's lots of airline guys at the VRs, not least because they can take a plane to Sigonella for a week at fairly short notice. Hard for a guy who's a manager at GE to do that.

 

[RHINOWSO]

I forget the terminology of the reserves for getting paid, but I was in units were you could resked your 48 DWE drills when you worked during the month on the TPS reports for the skipper, random last minute pop up GMT that needs to be done yesterday, or stuff related to your job. So in one unit where I had a fairly significant job interacting with the AD (only working M-F), I had to do lots of work during the week - phonecalls, telecons, emails, etc, etc. I wasn't gonna do an hour a day of USNR work for free. I did get some ADTs to make up for some of the extra work too, which was nice. The units I was in had some RMPs but I never got any, we'd get enough ADTs to slather around to those who needed (or wanted) them.

Basically I showed up at unit DWE 4 drills a year - Sat PRT weigh in, Sun PRT execution, 1 drill each day, twice a year. The rest of the time I was actively engaged doing things (and getting appropriately paid for it) instead of staring at the 4 walls, reading the paper, or spending 0730-1030 figuring out where to go for lunch at DWE.

It was probably the best USNR desk gig I could imagine, but like all things it was too good to last. Probably because it made too much sense.

Point being the USNR is like the military, but you have to get paid. Your skipper calls up saying "hey, can you do this?", the first questions is "is it funded?". And you have to make the risk / reward analysis if it's worth pissing off your civilian job (if you aren't an airline guy or full time reservist who just jumps from paying gig to exercise to paying gig to MOB and back).

At least that was my experience. Then there is the ever present MOB possibility to hand out basketballs in Africa or inventory toilet paper rolls in Asia. No thanks.

 

[Gatordev]

I forget the terminology of the reserves for getting paid, but I was in units were you could resked your 48 DWE drills when you worked during the month on the TPS reports for the skipper, random last minute pop up GMT that needs to be done yesterday, or stuff related to your job. So in one unit where I had a fairly significant job interacting with the AD (only working M-F), I had to do lots of work during the week - phonecalls, telecons, emails, etc, etc. I wasn't gonna do an hour a day of USNR work for free. I did get some ADTs to make up for some of the extra work too, which was nice. The units I was in had some RMPs but I never got any, we'd get enough ADTs to slather around to those who needed (or wanted) them.


It was probably the best USNR desk gig I could imagine, but like all things it was too good to last. Probably because it made too much sense.

FWIW, what you describe as how you did your drills is very illegal, which is probably why it was "too good to last." For those reading this thread, they should not expect a similar arrangement at their command. RMPs from home? Yes. IDTs? No f'in way.

 

[Randy Daytona]

The Navy Officer Occupational Classification System consists of 4 parts:

1) Designator / Grade
2) Subspecialty (SSP) - identifies post graduate education or significant experience. By definition, a Master's Degree rates a SSP.
(2000 series is Political Science, 3000 series is Management, 4000 is Applied Sciences, etc)
3) Naval Officer Billet Code (NOBC) - General occupational duties (8696 is NATOPS officer, 8675 is dept head, etc)
4) Additional Qualifications and Skills (AQD) - (1315 is the designator for SelRes naval aviator but the AQD is refined DV-3 is H-60F, DJ4 is P-3, etc)

Beyond a designator, having SSP's, NOBC's and AQD's on your records will assist in getting a billet through APPLY.

 

[CoyoteK]

FWIW, what you describe as how you did your drills is very illegal, which is probably why it was "too good to last." For those reading this thread, they should not expect a similar arrangement at their command. RMPs from home? Yes. IDTs? No f'in way.

I thought I signed a telework agreement not too long ago that allowed me to do IDTs from home. I may be misremembering the verbiage in the agreement. Either way, my NOSC skipper has allowed me to do IDT from home via telework.

 

[nittany03]

I thought I signed a telework agreement not too long ago that allowed me to do IDTs from home. I may be misremembering the verbiage in the agreement. Either way, my NOSC skipper has allowed me to do IDT from home via telework.

IDT as in your standard drill weekend, or "IDT" as in additional work needed to be done in between, which are actually RMPs?

 

[CoyoteK]

I have done several regular DWEs from home with the telework agreement on the up-and-up (as far as I knew anyways). My cross assigned command is back east and there is no value in going to the NOSC and trying to do work with poor internet and limited terminals when I have a dozen fitreps/ evals to write and submit. I don't imagine the skipper would be pleased if I tried to make a habit of that but I have used it on occasion when it made sense. I assumed it was pretty standard practice with officers and senior enlisted folks.

 

[Gatordev]

IDT as in your standard drill weekend, or "IDT" as in additional work needed to be done in between, which are actually RMPs?

I'm not sure if Nit was typing fast or not, but this seems confusing. I'm not saying it's wrong, I just don't understand what he means. An IDT is a regular (as in no more than 48) drill. Telecommuting can be done by Additional Drills, which would be a RMP.

I assumed it was pretty standard practice with officers and senior enlisted folks.

Standard practice and what's legal can be two different things. But if you're earning IDTs and not RMPs (which are printed on the same sheet as IDTs) while at home, everything I've seen over the last 7 years says that's not really kosher.

 

[subreservist]

I'm not sure if Nit was typing fast or not, but this seems confusing. I'm not saying it's wrong, I just don't understand what he means. An IDT is a regular (as in no more than 48) drill. Telecommuting can be done by Additional Drills, which would be a RMP.

Standard practice and what's legal can be two different things. But if you're earning IDTs and not RMPs (which are printed on the same sheet as IDTs) while at home, everything I've seen over the last 7 years says that's not really kosher.

I'm siding with Coyote. My unit allows this, as well. Everyone can't just up and do it...but it is allowed to drill (actual drill from your 48) at home via the telework agreement. It just has to make sense why you're doing it. Anything where you need a dedicated computer/internet to get work done (i.e. evals/fitreps) is a good reason. All units are not allowed to do this...it's case-by-case based on NOSC review.

It's particularly useful for CDRs and above who aren't able to get billets at a NOSC near them (as they can't cross-assign to get to drill on the Navy's dime).