How does the manning cycle work for Officer PCS moves?

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 11:30:37 -0500

<p>I'm a new Warrant Officer and have yet to experience this process because it's so new, but I'm trying to understand it better.</p><p> </p><p>When an Officer (or Warrant) is due to PCS in the next quarter, HRC will send out a list of all projected vacancies.  The Officer then prioritizes the list based on desire, development, or other.  HRC will then take that list and use it to help select the right people for the right assignments.  I don't know yet how well that works, but seeing my peers who are going through this process shows me that it's not much more beneficial than using ASK.  One of my friends prioritized an interpost transfer (here at Hood, there are many slots for just about any job).  His choices were overruled, even though the vacancy list showed two vacancies opening up.  Obviously it's cheaper for the Army to allow him to stay here and swap to another BDE, but the move also benefitted him for professional growth because it would have provided a deployment and different mission focus than a BCT.  So that makes no sense.</p><p> </p><p>Another example I saw is someone who prioritized their list, then was assigned to number 15 out of 31 assignment choices.  This sounds like the prioritization was completely ignored unless miraculously, 15 happened to be the highest preference of all his peers on their preference list.  It sounds like branch just put out this list, then selected whoever they wanted for every assignment anyway.</p><p> </p><p>My last problem with this process is that 80-90% of all assignments are 36 month assignments.  A few of the exceptions are hardship tours, nominative assignments, and YS taskers, but if almost everyone in force is on station for about 36 months, or 48 if they change things, isn't my list going to be the mostly the same list every time it's presented to me?  Factoring for the exceptionally short assignments and assuming retirings and other discharges, the assignment list should only fluxuate by about 10-15% (just guessing, no data points to support).  Should I just plan for the fact that whatever I see on that first list is going to be (mostly) the same on every list I'm given until I retire?</p><p> </p><p>Does anyone know of a method to change where I fall on the manning cycle?  I'm interested in nominative positions, special assignments, YS taskers, just about anything, but I don't know where to go and find out what, if any, types are available and fit my window.  Is it possible to shrink my window?  I want to PCS as early as possible, even on a hardship assignment, but I don't even know if I am still allowed to PCS at 24 months, let alone earlier.</p>

Response by CW4 William Van Almsick made Nov 21 at 2013 10:47 PM

CW4 William Van Almsick — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 22:47:12 -0500

A couple of thoughts.<div><br></div><div>A lot of commands have changed their name and some new acronyms and policies have been added in the 15 years since I retired but there is still one thing that will work for you. <br><div><br></div><div>Be proactive with your branch assignment officer.  Call him/her, email him/her.  Let them know what you want.  That lets them know that you are being proactive with your career.  Ask what's available and would be a good fit for you at this point in your career.</div></div><div><br></div><div>Be realistic when you tell them where you want to move to or what job you are looking for.  As a WO1, don't ask for the Taj Mahal.  They will just laugh.   Don't be afraid to ask your assignment officer what a good job would be for you.  A job that you have the skill set for, can excel in, and get the attention of the promotion boards.</div><div><br></div><div>A short story.  In 1991, I was a senior CW3 approaching my time to PCS from a stateside assignment.   I wanted to go to Germany so I called my assignments officer.  He had a great need to fill slots in Germany and he was very happy that I was helping him meet that need.  He was so happy that he was going to let me pick my assignment.  When I mentioned a VIP unit, he gave me the best advice of my career.  He told me that at that point in my career, the VIP unit assignment would not look good for my upcoming CW4 promotion board.  Instead, he guided me toward another assignment that turned out to be the best assignment of my career.  He warned me that it would be a challenging assignment but he thought that I was up to the task, as least according to my OER's and commander's recommendations.  The absolute best assignment of my career andI had no problems getting promoted to CW4.</div><div><br></div><div>Moral of the story......go for the hard, challenging assignments.  If you give 100% in challenging assignments, you will not need to worry when the promotion boards meet.</div><div><br></div><div>Hope this helps.</div>

Response by MAJ Bryan Zeski made Nov 25 at 2013 11:54 PM

MAJ Bryan Zeski — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 23:54:42 -0500

I agree with what Chief Almsick said, but would also add that you have a significant amount of influence as to where you go "next." You can work with your local chain of command to find places and positions where you want to go - and then work with the appropriate G1s for the posts in question and ask THEM to work the orders process.

HRC is like most other organizations - they have a million things to do, and a million things going on. If you (and your G1) hand them everything they need to fill a spot somewhere that needs to be filled, with all the appropriate i's dotted and t's crossed, they are not going to go out of their way to undo it. Unless there is a significant need somewhere else, they will usually just sign off on it and off you go! I usually start working my "next" assignment about one year to one and a half years out.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 27 at 2013 9:10 AM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 09:10:35 -0500

Ed,

I have yet to see a list published by HRC or Branch Manager (BM) that shows available positions...it has always been a one-on-one discussion with the BM. Depending on his/her workload, the BM will contact the WO about 6-8 months out from available move date to discuss next assignment opportunities.

Key is the communication between the WO and BM...a dialog should be opened and ongoing to discuss career progression and assignments, knowing the Army needs take precedence over preference.

John

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 8 at 2013 4:36 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 16:36:21 -0500

Ed,

CW4 Hinnant hit it right on the head. Even the list that comes out, is only of places that your BM (Branch Manager) is trying to fill. The days of a beautiful long list of available assignments are over FOR NOW. I would contact your BM and ask him/her this question but understand that they typically will not move you until after about 28 months unless they have to move you for some other reason. Sorry Brother... I wanted to PCS too but this is our NEW LIFE... FOR NOW.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2014 2:53 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 14:53:12 -0500

Congrats!!

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2014 4:03 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 16:03:27 -0500

Great responses...and I completely agree, you have to be proactive with your Assignment Officer (AO) and keep him/her in the loop as to what your long term goals are. Some other food for thought, the AO's do actually spend a lot of time determining assignments and some of the branches on the HRC Website actually post them, and I have copied them to this thread:
Manning Guidance
Needs of the Army and BranchSkills and Experience
Deployment Considerations/Dwell Time
Tour Equity
Officer's Professional Development &
Professional Development of Peers
Married Army Couples Program (MACP)
Regionalization
Exceptional Family Members (EFMP)
Personal Considerations
Best Fit versus Best Qualified I have removed some of the considerations that are pertinent to my branch, but the fact is that the AO's have to manage within these constraints as well. Manning guidance changes for every assignment cycle...your buddy may not have been allowed to stay at Ft Hood and move to a different Brigade/Battalion because HRC used those positions for other Warrants that needed the experience. I also highly recommend that you go to the DA PAM 600-3, find your branch chapter, and delve into what assignments you need to get to in order to be competitive for future boards. Here is the link to the DA PAM: http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/p600_3.pdf. The ability to manage your career is in your hands- and this is a great first step! I hope this helps!

Response by CW5 Sam R. Baker made Sep 15 at 2014 2:31 PM

CW5 Sam R. Baker — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 14:31:39 -0400

Way back in the day when we had manning cycles before, we had this little green fill in the dot document called an officer preference statement, then it went to an online format where you selected bases and duty preferences. 9-11 happened and then everyone tried to stay locked into assignments due to the number of deployments and the like. I know several officers who had the opportunity to go from WO1 to CW4 on the same installation, however they were deployed an awful lot.

The manning cycle is no different now then it was 20 and 30 years ago, we just as a service lost touch with it for a generation in the Army due to the "war on terror". Now with garrison Army breathing down the backside we are back to training and PCSing for the variance of assignment and growth in the ranks. The enlisted guys never really stopped.

So the heart burn of having to communicate with the branch and the assignments officer have come full circle yet again. It has always been my recommendation you give them a 10 year plan and several courses of action you would like based upon your family and your own goals and desires. Something in the options you present should be acceptable to the Army and your branch.

As for a database with open assignments and positions, HRC sees that and I do not think they will ever post it for consumption. You can search databases and ask around to find assignments, but there are always more assignments than authorizations when we start talking joint and the like. MTOE units are set, if there is an opening, you usually know it. The TRADOC and Broadening ones are the hard ones to find and usually you have to break the concrete or clue out from under someone to get it.

Good luck in your search, I advised of my upcoming PCS, I sent a duty and a geographical preference email to HRC. I requested Bragg, Stewart, Rucker, Korea and Honduras. I received none of those assignments and was presented Hawaii, Drum and Kansas and not to my choosing.

Just know this Wobbly One, the more rank you get, the less options you have, it is not like the old days where perception was you have done your time and get what you want.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2014 1:43 AM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 01:43:22 -0400

I'm new to all this as well, but my understanding is that career progression gets the most consideration. At least for my branch. So if you understand that in choosing your preferences, you should be able to project the assignment you'll get regardless of how you rank order them. For MI, if you are currently in a FORSCOM assignment, chances are your next assignment will be to INSCOM if there is availability and nobody in front of you that needs it for the next promotion. But I agree that being in contact with the BM is the best course of action. Knowing what considerations they factor in and how they see your career, in conjunction with how you see it, should help in getting the best assignment for you and the Army. Or at least let you know that your desires aren't just being ignored for no reason.