Summary: Infantry and Armor are over strength. Log, finance, and signal corps are under.
Army wants 250 infantry, armor officers to transfer to support jobs
Army wants 250 infantry, armor officers to transfer to support jobs
Army wants combat arms officers to transfer to support jobs
- Thread starter Marauder06
- Start date
Friends son is just finishing with orders to Hood/Cavazos, promised a transfer to MI when he gets promoted to Captain.
Did he come in under the Branch Detail program?
Not familiar with that program.
He went in via OCS.
So Combat Arms branches, like Infantry , need large numbers of junior company grade officers (2LTs). Support branches, like MI, need more-senior company grades (1LTs and CPTs). So someone will branch say Military Intelligence, but detail to a branch like Infantry. The detail expires around the time the young officer is due to come out on the list for captain and/or go off to their Captains Career Course (AKA Officers Advanced Course) schooling.
I did a branch detail and IIRC so did @AWP
It sounds like the young officer you mentioned is doing a branch detail. In fact I don't know how he would be doing what he's doing without one.
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
Probably branch detail, this is common for all commissioning sources. Combat Arms branches need more officers early and then less officers later.
I was also an Armor detailed officer.
Finance Corps is so small and competitive, how did they become imbalanced? Too many people get out early? AG is kinda small but sometimes detailed officers don't want to move. I knew someone who was ADA who transferred to AG, which is pretty uncommon. She's also an O-5 now so it worked out.
Probably--military+money skillz is a profitable combination.
Also, my understanding is that Finance is actually a pretty competitive branch. Anecdotally, here at West Point there are only a couple of slots per year, and the people who want them typically REALLY want them and are REALLY competitive for them.
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
At VMI we had one guy maybe per year to branch finance. They were always guys who were in top 5 of the OML.
Another great thing about some of these support branches is that everyone needs them. Everyone. Including, and especially, top-level SOF outfits.
It's a lot harder to get into those kinds of outfits as a straight Armor or Field Artillery officer. Not that there are no slots for those fields--there are--but there is also a lot more competition. Fit and motivated Finance or Signal officer with some people skills can pretty much write their own ticket.
It's a lot harder to get into those kinds of outfits as a straight Armor or Field Artillery officer. Not that there are no slots for those fields--there are--but there is also a lot more competition. Fit and motivated Finance or Signal officer with some people skills can pretty much write their own ticket.
No, I was an E-5 who went to OCS. The Guard doesn’t branch detail.
If you sign up for branch detail, the you know what happens.
If you didn't and you're presented with "Signal or out" then I know what some folks are taking. I loved being a SIGO (SHUT THE FUICK UP!!!!!), but it isn't for everyone. If I were to go Combat arms back in the day, Armor or Artillery wouldn't appeal to me. If I have a blue cord and you're telling me that QM is the future, I'm probably telling you to get fucked and getting out.
I'll take a stab here and say my view isn't unrealistic. Counterpoints are always welcome.
If you didn't and you're presented with "Signal or out" then I know what some folks are taking. I loved being a SIGO (SHUT THE FUICK UP!!!!!), but it isn't for everyone. If I were to go Combat arms back in the day, Armor or Artillery wouldn't appeal to me. If I have a blue cord and you're telling me that QM is the future, I'm probably telling you to get fucked and getting out.
I'll take a stab here and say my view isn't unrealistic. Counterpoints are always welcome.
This isn't a new situation...when I was a company commander in 1989, three of my lieutenants received notice that they would be changing branches...I had a headquarters company, so I had lieutenants out the wazoo...MI was going to get one, Ordnance another, and one lucky bastard was picked for the Quartermaster Corps...they asked me what alternatives they had? I made a couple of calls to guys I knew that might know and the answer was pretty simple...embrace the suck or try to get SF...they embraced their own alternatives and got out...
After they reach the field grade ranks and they start to see the writing on the wall, many combat arms officers choose to go into functional areas that are way different than their basic branches. I know many Armor officers who went Strategist, and several Infantry types who went Strat Intel. Simulations is another FA that ends up with a lot of combat arms types.
But I think a basic branch swap as a mid-grade company grade is a much harder sell.
But I think a basic branch swap as a mid-grade company grade is a much harder sell.
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Go ahead and roll for self-loathing.
I actually know someone who did exactly that circa 2008-2009. Prior enlisted infantry turned infantry O, who had enough TIS to retire and used almost exactly those words when asked to more administrative track (unclear whether it was actually re-branching to AG).
I would anticipate more of that.
Max points if you referenced a 20-sided die, right @racing_kitty? Otherwise, that's strong work.
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
I don't know. At Squadron level, the S4 is usually the hotshot pre-CCC Captain. Or at least that's how it was in 2-1 AD when I was there. Not a single logisitician in that squadron. And every Combat Arms BN was the same. Similar with S1 role, except guys were either detailed from AG or temporary until we got an AG officer. The AG officers weren't always great. The chick who replaced me committed adultery and the SCO had full knowledge and did nothing.
Honestly AG had a lot of middling types. So the motivated ones can get places very fast.
There are enough motivated combat arms guys that could be great support officers but the Army forces a medical retirement on them. One of my friends is Deputy G1 at 25th ID, he was going places until he broke his foot falling out of a perfectly good airplane. Took a year to be able to walk and the Army tried to med board him. Like me he was put in a SQDN S1 role after his PL time so he was trying to reclass. Got his med board delayed and then got declared fit for duty with a permanent profile. But that was a two year fight.
