Can a prior service 18B become an 11A in the National Guard?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 May 2019 18:48:27 -0400

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2019 7:21 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 May 2019 19:21:19 -0400

Sure...why not?

Response by CPT Nicholas D. made May 15 at 2019 8:17 PM

CPT Nicholas D. — Wed, 15 May 2019 20:17:03 -0400

Absolutely. A Soldier cannot be commissioned in the Special Forces Branch. Even Special Forces qualified enlisted Soldiers are not able to directly commission as an 18A. So if an enlisted SF Soldier chooses to pursue an officer appointment, they are required to do so in one of the “Basic Branches.” The National Guard has a lot of great opportunities for continued military service as an officer.

Now if that Former 18B/current 11A gets lost on land nav courses and can’t shoot expert on their M4... you can dig deeper into your suspicions.

Response by COL James Stevens Roach made May 15 at 2019 8:17 PM

COL James Stevens Roach — Wed, 15 May 2019 20:17:06 -0400

I started my career as an 11A (Infantry Officer) and finished as an 18A (Special Forces Officer). It is clear to me that an 18B SF NCO would have all the subject matter expertise to make a magnificiant 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry. But each state's National Guard Operates independently, and the question would be if the had a serious shortage of young infantry officers, then they would be willing to admit more NCOs and soldiers into commissioning programs...

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made May 15 at 2019 10:34 PM

MAJ Javier Rivera — Wed, 15 May 2019 22:34:17 -0400

Yeah, seen it many times from all 18 series.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2019 11:46 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 May 2019 23:46:48 -0400

Yes :)

1st OCS/ROTC, then basic branch IN. Too easy

Response by SGT John Rydquist made Jun 13 at 2019 1:16 AM

SGT John Rydquist — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 01:16:13 -0400

With college and OCS yes