MSRT selection process?

SigmaWolf77

MARINE
Verified Military
Joined
Oct 11, 2018
Messages
14
Hello everyone, so I'm having a hard time finding out what the selection process is for the coast guard's MSRT. In fact there really isnt much of anything online about them.

I know they have their requirements for entry into their A&S (ie. 50 push ups, situps, 1.5 mile run, etc ) posted, but there is absolutely nothing online about them aside for SOFREP type articles. No mission stories, no books, no selection information except for one reddit post I saw.

Does anyone know if its swim centered like BUDS?

I spoke to several recruiters who knew very little about them but said the best suggested route to get there was to be a boarding officer for a few years and staying in good shape.

This is something I am considering now since I'm moving to Florida and am currently a government contractor electrical engineer with a clearance, prior service enlisted Marine.
Theres a lot of coast guard action with drug interdiction down there and I am currently working with a recruiter to join as a reserve commissioned boarding officer for a few years then planning to go active to try out for the MSRT DAS (direct action).

Does anyone have any recommendations on their selection prep? Anyone know anything about them?
Any information is greatly appreciated.
 
I spoke to several recruiters who knew very little about them but said the best suggested route to get there was to be a boarding officer for a few years and staying in good shape.

I'll say that you will......better said...you should be a veteran OF, and be an expert IN, VBSS - in the USCG or "OTHER" LEA, well before you apply for the MSRT, along with any civilian high speed shooting course you can attain prior to attending either USCG B.T.O.C. or USCG A.T.O.C.

I taught BOTH schools for the USCG as a civilian contractor at Courthouse Bay SMTC

BTOC

ATOC
 
I'll say that you will......better said...you should be a veteran OF, and be an expert IN, VBSS - in the USCG or "OTHER" LEA, well before you apply for the MSRT, along with any civilian high speed shooting course you can attain prior to attending either USCG B.T.O.C. or USCG A.T.O.C.

I taught BOTH schools for the USCG as a civilian contractor at Courthouse Bay SMTC

BTOC

ATOC

Thank you, I will be looking for civilian training courses in the Patrick Air Force base area soon.

I will definitely be making my goal clear to the recruiter that I would prefer to get into a job that would allow me to get a lot of time in as a boarding officer and ask about any sort of training I can volunteer for as a reserve commisioned officer.

I understand that I will have to go active and drop a package but I want some time to develop all the skills you mentioned and be a solid candidate.
 
Sounds like you have a good goal in mind and have a great education behind you. You are literally on the 25yd line of a 1000yd goal and have a few years to go in that pursuit. Please keep us updated.

Many, many Coasties (and I mean that with all due respect to hard charging ~on the water LEO's~ that work alongside DHS) that are assigned to TACLET's all across the world are WAITING for INVITATIONS to attend selection to try to join MSRT. I gave you the info.

When I say civilian schools, I mean high speed self defense schools as well as slow down NRA slo-mo schools. The regular Navy / Coast Guard has a, let's just say, waaaaay different way of running their day to day conventional ranges in that, I mean ~ if the barrel of your rifle comes 1" from NOT being pointed downrange, you will be escorted FROM the range. Get used to the different ways RSO's run ranges.
 
Sounds like you have a good goal in mind and have a great education behind you. You are literally on the 25yd line of a 1000yd goal and have a few years to go in that pursuit. Please keep us updated.

Many, many Coasties (and I mean that with all due respect to hard charging ~on the water LEO's~ that work alongside DHS) that are assigned to TACLET's all across the world are WAITING for INVITATIONS to attend selection to try to join MSRT. I gave you the info.

When I say civilian schools, I mean high speed self defense schools as well as slow down NRA slo-mo schools. The regular Navy / Coast Guard has a, let's just say, waaaaay different way of running their day to day conventional ranges in that, I mean ~ if the barrel of your rifle comes 1" from NOT being pointed downrange, you will be escorted FROM the range. Get used to the different ways RSO's run ranges.

Those regular range guys would freak in a CQB scenario.
 
Disclaimer: some of this information may be somewhat dated as I was in the Coast Guard from 2013-2016, but it may still be useful in some way.

First off, your Coast Guard recruiters will be little to no help to you in giving you information on specialized teams such as MSRT. The vast majority of the Coast Guard has very little experience or incounters with these groups and there isn't always a clear way of getting there even once you are in so unless one of the recruiters has a gold TACLET badge or PSU insignia, don't expect them to know much about that side of things.

The Coast Guard Specialized Forces groups consist of TACLETS, MSST teams, MSRT, and PSUs (Port Security Unit, what I was in). When I was in, the best way to get on one of these teams was to be either a Bosun's Mate (BM) or Maritime Enforcement Specialist (ME). The BMs typically drove the boats while the MEs did the actual boardings. This was not always the case, but in general you would at least need to be a Boarding Officer to be considered for, at the time, a D.O.G. (Deployable Operations Group) assignment. When I went through ME A school there were generally a few TACLET and MSST selection spots offered to those with the highest academic and PT scores, but this was not always the case.

Now, unless something has changed drastically, the Coast Guard does not enlist you with a rating or MOS already assigned. You will go in as an E1-3 and be sent to your unit after Basic as a non-rate. Once you prove yourself and become qualified at your unit you will put your name on an A school waiting list for what ever rating you choose. In 2013 ME was hard to get. The rate was still relatively new and some people waited for several years for an open seat. The upside to this system is that you will be able to actually see what each rate does in the fleet and be able to talk to people once you are in about how to best go about getting on a TACLET or MSST and eventually try out for MSRT.

In summary, get in, do your time and knock out your quals, and talk to as many people as you can to figure out the best way to get where you want to go.
Hope this helps and I wish you luck in achieving your goals.
 
I see from your intro post that you are interested in the PSUs for some reserve time. DM me if you want to know more about those units, day to day, deployments, training opportunities and such
 
I see from your intro post that you are interested in the PSUs for some reserve time. DM me if you want to know more about those units, day to day, deployments, training opportunities and such

How open is the USCG to crosstraining? Say you are coming up on the end of your first enlistment and like many young Americans, expectations didn't meet reality. What does it take for the USCG to allow you to strike for a new rate?
 
How open is the USCG to crosstraining? Say you are coming up on the end of your first enlistment and like many young Americans, expectations didn't meet reality. What does it take for the USCG to allow you to strike for a new rate?

There's several factors with this.
1) Generally to strike from one rate to another you just need to have aquired the quals that everyone in your rate is required to have in order to be considered "fully" operational and have served the requisite time in rate to give back what they put in to you financially. For ME when I was in I had to have two years opeational time as a ME before I could look to striking or transferring banches.
2) The nice thing about the USCG is that you get a chance to see all the rates in action and what their day to day and actual jobs look like before you decide on a rate. You go in as a non-rate so you have a couple years in the fleet before you have to make this decision. Makes buyer's remorse less likely in most cases.
3) Quals and Rates are seperate beasts in the USCG. With the right dedication and enough pushing any rate can get any qual. Qualifications more than rate decides what a USCG SM ends up doing for the most part. I knew cooks who had got Boarding Officer qualed and spent most of their career doing VBSS ops.
 
There's several factors with this.
1) Generally to strike from one rate to another you just need to have aquired the quals that everyone in your rate is required to have in order to be considered "fully" operational and have served the requisite time in rate to give back what they put in to you financially. For ME when I was in I had to have two years opeational time as a ME before I could look to striking or transferring banches.
2) The nice thing about the USCG is that you get a chance to see all the rates in action and what their day to day and actual jobs look like before you decide on a rate. You go in as a non-rate so you have a couple years in the fleet before you have to make this decision. Makes buyer's remorse less likely in most cases.
3) Quals and Rates are seperate beasts in the USCG. With the right dedication and enough pushing any rate can get any qual. Qualifications more than rate decides what a USCG SM ends up doing for the most part. I knew cooks who had got Boarding Officer qualed and spent most of their career doing VBSS ops.

Do PSU personnel do VBSS ops?

The ROCI program I'm looking at is for Officers and I was informed that Officers dont necessarily have rates but get assigned to units and train accordingly. Assignments are selected at commissioning and the highest qualified (PFT/education/background) choose 1st. Commitment for a reserve contract is 4 years and I would probably select to go to a PSU, meanwhile still able to train as recommended on the tactical skills at a school out by Orlando after my day job. I feel that as with other units, the ones I'm keeping in mind would prefer to see a couple of years of leadership before considering me for any sort of selection as an officer. I dont mind the wait and it gives me plenty of time to get comfortable with whatever I will be learning/need to learn. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and I'm a special kinda slow.
 
No, PSUs do not conduct VBSS. They are considered the green side of the USCG, so they do more infantry type training (patrolling, react to fire drills, ECP ops, etc.), especially in shoreside division. Waterside does much of the same but underway of course.

Yes, they will want to see some leadership billets before considering you for selection, but be warned any "leadership experience" gained as an officer in the USCG will be managorial fluff pieces that do not reflect any sort of actual leadership work done, especially in the Specialized Forces units. All actual leadership, hands on training, and actual operations will be handled by your enlisted personnel you are allegedly "leading". USCG is very enlisted and qual driven. Our Tac Coxswains (E4-6) told our CO (O-5) to pound sand multiple times, especially during deployment, because he told us to do stuff that was outside of our regs, operational limits, or in general something the Coxswain felt uncomfortable with executing. This mindset that the Coxswain in charge of the vessel is the final authority on everthing related to his boat is one that is nurtured and encouraged in the USCG and is supported all the way up the chain.
 
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