How does someone go from Army National Guard enlisted to Active Army officer?

2019-03-26T00:07:50-04:00

I joined the guard so I could work my current job, train as a infantryman, and hopefully have the chance to deploy as one while working on a bachelor's degree in order to meet officer requirements.

What would be the best way to become a active officer this route?

I also plan on taking as many schools as I can (airborne, ranger, air assault, etc.) and also having the dream as partaking in SFAS in the future. If possible I would like to stay infantry as that is why enlisted 11B in the first place to know what it's like for a infantryman before becoming a officer.

Response by SFC George Smith made Mar 26 at 2019 12:25 AM

2019-03-26T00:25:20-04:00

Not Sue About the Officer Side Of The House, But There Was An AR something 210 that Covered Reserve Components Going Active for 3 to 5 years.
I Used It in 1982 to go Active... Wish I had Just reverted and Gone Back Active... It Complicated Re-Enlistments For The Following 10 Years...

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Mar 26 at 2019 1:21 AM

2019-03-26T01:21:41-04:00

PVT Private RallyPoint Member A huge task it is that you are assuming.

What career guidance people have you sought guidance from?

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:35 AM

2019-03-26T05:35:21-04:00

http://www.ocsfoundation.org

you'd find this of interest, the forum pages are quite good...also, elaborate on any associates thus far, what majors you'd wanted, grades, GPAs,.specific course titles, esp STEM stuff...you should realize also that, if you go in whether warrant or commissioned, you'd be expected from.day one to get masters, minimum, even if only part time, look at the Wikipedia pages on USAF AFIT, as well as Naval Postgrad Schhol (NPS), all adds can have warrants and commissioned apply, A FIT has also.let senior Army and USAF NOW finish their PhDs there, I've seen YouTube videos on that...also, I don't know if other svc are allowed.to.use it yet, maybe not, however I've seen stuff on that, look up the Wikipedia page on Common College.of the AD (CCAF), relate your interests, hobbies, reading tastes, sports incl martial arts if any, the more you relate, the more I and others can suggest, ok? Anne I realize you want Army, however, when I was at USAF OTS, I wasn't prior enlisted, I'd been 3 yrs Army ROTC, prior enlisted guys I knew there had a far easier time adapting, many were from other svcs, and don't ignore the warrant possibikity, Army WOCS for rotary or fixed wing flight only needs high school, so relate.if you did any SO credits then, alsk, what type of civilian work generally, what level.of supervision you've done, the more you explain as is said, the more can be suggested, I have an interest in such career/Eric questions, no rush, whenever convenient....

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Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:36 AM

2019-03-26T05:36:38-04:00

And ARNG has their own part time OCS programs, I'd seen stuff on here about them, I'm unsure how they handle warrants...would.you have any flight interests at all? Just wondered....

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:39 AM

2019-03-26T05:39:36-04:00

http://www.uopeople.edu

I don't know if the svcs, VA, or industry accept them, they're not regionally accredited, they're DEAC approved, which is lower level, however, they charge no tuition, only admin and exam fees, don't assume, check before you'd try them, I've read good things, they had a Vatican endorsement, they have comp sci (CS), health sci, bus admin, massive and bach, and an MBA, ask first, and be sure, I just mention them as a possibility, ok?

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Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:42 AM

2019-03-26T05:42:08-04:00

http://www.excelsior.edu

I got a 2nd bach in math thru them, a friend got his bach in math, and went Navy PCS using it, they privatizked, they were part of NYS govt then, the cave know them, call them, they've been around a long tkme, they have a toll free, numerous vet grads, Navy has an as arrangement with them to accredited the Navy Mic enlisted school is read about for a block.of credkts, they have their own pictures exam

www.excelsior.edu

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:42 AM

2019-03-26T05:42:39-04:00

It's similar to.CLEP, though seoarate, their exams I hit the send key accidentally....

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:42 AM

2019-03-26T05:42:59-04:00

http://www.tesu.edu

They're NJ govt run....

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Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:43 AM

2019-03-26T05:43:19-04:00

http://www.charteroak.edu

They're ST govt run....

www.charteroak.edu

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:44 AM

2019-03-26T05:44:23-04:00

And if you stay ARNG, most states to affiliate their colleges with ARNG for tuition wavers of some type, ask where you are if they do, you might well luck out....

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:47 AM

2019-03-26T05:47:41-04:00

Look.also.at.VMI, the Citadel, the junior military colleges,.and, esp, the state maritime colleges, esp if there's one where you are...also look up USMC platoon leaders course (PLC), which is less well known than the ROTCs, and also the Army, Navy, and USAF academy prep.schools, you'll see Wikipedia pages on all of them, or articles doing searches, trust me, look them up, if you need help, just ask, I'm here, ok!

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Mar 26 at 2019 5:49 AM

2019-03-26T05:49:03-04:00

There are multiple routes to becoming an officer on active duty.
-ROTC: requires joining ROTC while in college and competing for an AD slot upon graduation.
-OCS: requires enlisting onto AD and competing for OCS.
-Direct commission: requires having a degree in hand and moving into a branch with critical shortages.
-West Point: requires outstanding grades, fitness, and major sponsorship/advocacy.

If you plan on staying in school, I would recommend joining ROTC and going that route.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:50 AM

2019-03-26T05:50:41-04:00

And call.DANTES or Amer Council on Educ (ACE) to get your mil transcripts, ask DANTES about their exam program, it might be run with CLEP,.I'm unsure....

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 26 at 2019 5:54 AM

2019-03-26T05:54:53-04:00

And I know you want Army, I'm just trying to make you aware of other possibilities to keep in mknd, ok?

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Mar 26 at 2019 9:38 AM

2019-03-26T09:38:18-04:00

The best way for you would be ROTC in college. Since you have an MOS, you can skip the first two years and join in your Junior Year. If you aren't on scholarship, you can still drill with the Guard in the Simultaneous Membership Program. So you can use your GI Bill, any state tuition assistance, and get paid to drill as an E-5 while you are SMP. Additionally, when you commission, you still keep your TIS and get paid as an O1E, which is as much as $700 more pay. As long as you don't request a Guaranteed Guard and Reserve Commission, you then compete for active duty slots with the rest of the Cadets when you commission you senior year. While you can put Infantry on your wish list, your branch on active duty is the needs of the Army. As an active National Guard soldiers, most states have funds for Air Assault. Ranger School is much harder to come by, but if you don't get it before hand, they push it pretty hard after you complete you BOLC, especially if you stay Infantry. Airborne is usually impossible in the Guard, with a couple of exceptions, but should be fairly easy to pick up after you Officer BOLC.

You can't apply for SF Selection as an officer until you are a senior 1LT promotable and have had command experience. That usually means you're a CPT before you can apply. Be aware that the only officer position at Company level in Special Forces is Detachment Commander, so you aren't at the operational level very long.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 26 at 2019 2:15 PM

2019-03-26T14:15:40-04:00

How many credit hours do you have for your degree? The answer might reveal the best course of action.

Response by SGT Michael Smith made Mar 27 at 2019 7:54 AM

2019-03-27T07:54:07-04:00

OCS packet.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2019 10:52 AM

2019-03-27T10:52:06-04:00

It definitely sounds like you've been drinking from the kool-aid and don't even know what these things are. Slow down, you're putting the cart before the horse.
Join the Army. Ask to stay 11B and ask for Airborne out of the deal. If you can pass RASP after, do that too. If not, no big deal, not everyone is meant to be a Ranger.
Enroll in college and attend OCS when you finish. The rest will come.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2019 1:15 PM

2019-03-27T13:15:23-04:00

I enlisted 11b in the MT National Guard in 2014 and commissioned active Army in 2018. There are a couple of routes that you can take to get there. But, no matter which route you take to commission, you are not guaranteed your job of choice. You will be ranked against other cadets or candidates, and whoever ranks highest gets their top choices. (Infantry has been highly selective over the last five years) If you do get Active Infantry, you will have a good shot at getting Airborne, Air Assault and Ranger School slots.

- ROTC at the college you plan on attending. With ROTC, you have two options to commission Active Duty. You can pursue an Active Duty Scholarship (the way I did it), or you can participate in the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP).

If you do the Active Duty scholarship, the Army will pay for either all of your tuition or all of your room and board, and you will compete with other cadets across the country (based on GPA, PT scores, schools, COER ratings, extracurriculars) to earn an Active Duty commission. You can not do the Active Duty scholarship and stay in the National Guard to drill every month; so you'll have to get a conditional release from your state's NG and become a USAR cadet.

If you choose the SMP Program, you will be able to drill with your NG unit to get a paycheck every month and gain experience. Typically, your CO will put you in a position where you shadow a PL or a staff position, but they have no obligation to do so. Just like with the Active Duty Scholarship, you will compete with other cadets to earn an Active Duty commission. The catch to the SMP program is the regular Army doesn't pay for your tuition or room & board while you are in college. Sometimes, your state's NG will offer college scholarships, and you may be eligible for the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) when you commission; so there are ways to get your school paid for anyway.

- Federal OCS. Federal OCS is highly competitive to gain a slot for, and it's a very intensive 14 week course at Fort Benning. It covers much of the same instruction that you receive through other commissioning sources (OPORDs, TLPs, Counseling Process, small unit tactics, military history, etc.).

- State OCS. I'm least familiar with this route, but I do know that it exists in several NG units... You drill MUTA 6 or MUTA 8 every month and complete OCS at drill over the course of 18 months. During AT of the first year, you go to OCS Phase I at a NG post in a region nearby and get smoked for two weeks. During AT of the second year, you go to OCS Phase II at a NG post in a region nearby and cover leadership and tactics. To me, this seems like the most difficult way to commission for NG folks.

Good luck! Let me know if I can answer any questions for you off-line.

Response by 1LT Mike Schelp made Mar 28 at 2019 7:26 AM

2019-03-28T07:26:49-04:00

I was prior service enlisted Infantry and got commissioned Infantry through OCS. One bit of advise is GET YOUR BACHELORS DEGREE. You can get commissioned with two years of college, but you will be at a huge disadvantage without 4 years. This is true with either ROTC or OCS. I tried the ROTC route first, but saw nearly everyone getting guard and reserve assignments.

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Mar 30 at 2019 12:56 PM

2019-03-30T12:56:37-04:00

ROTC is probably the best way to do it. As a current Soldier in the NG, you can do a non-scholarship contract and compete for active duty. Infantry is one of the most sought after active duty officer branches so to be competitive, your grades, your APFT score, your campus and camp evaluations, and your overall performance will play a role in determining your OML score. Active duty Infantry is also the best way to knock out many of those schools. ROTC programs also have certain opportunities for cadets to attend Airborne, Air Assault, and more. Good luck.

Response by LTC Tom Ryan made Mar 31 at 2019 2:30 PM

2019-03-31T14:30:39-04:00

Lots of "separate and distinct COAs" to get commission. I went to Ft Benning OCS as a College Op about a gazillion years ago, and got Infantry. My Son went to OCS as College Op about 3 Yrs ago and got Infantry. About the only thing that has changed was they are a lot tighter with Airborne slots now. He went thru Ranger School as a "Leg Ranger" and managed to walk into Airborne School later while he was waiting around Ft Benning for Stryker Ldr Course. If you get Infantry they will make sure you get a Grrrr Ranger School Slot, tremendous command pressure to go. You need a Bachelors Degree to pursue this COA.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2019 10:17 AM

2019-04-05T10:17:27-04:00

As a former ROTC instructor, I would recommend you go that route. There are scholarships that are guaranteed to keep you in the National Guard or army reserve, but you can also use the army national guard SMP program and have the opportunity to compete for active duty. If you already have a bachelors degree, go talk to an Army recruiter and tell them you want to go straight to OCS.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 10 at 2019 9:35 PM

2019-07-10T21:35:35-04:00

I would say the path of least resistance would probably be ROTC. I enlisted in the reserve in 2014 and commissioned into the active duty army last year. There are quite a few ins and outs with going that route but it's totally doable.

If you're wanting more info, private message me and we can talk about it.

Response by CPT Brad Wilson made Jan 26 at 2020 11:16 AM

2020-01-26T11:16:26-05:00

The easiest way is to contract with ROTC your junior year of college to get commissioned and ask for Infantry If you are not a full time student then do a direct commission when you graduate

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 26 at 2020 1:31 PM

2020-01-26T13:31:08-05:00

ROTC, SMP program is your best route.