How long can any one service member stay at one base?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 23:30:28 -0400

Wondering cuz I have been here at fort drum for 4 years and I over herd parts of a conversation about how how the army can only keep u for so long at a duty station and move u after so many years but I didn't catch that number

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Jun 3 at 2014 11:38 PM

SGM Matthew Quick — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 23:38:47 -0400

Care to clarify?

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Jun 3 at 2014 11:51 PM

SGM Matthew Quick — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 23:51:53 -0400

Not true...have you requested to go anywhere? Army Career Tracker?

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jun 3 at 2014 11:56 PM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 23:56:08 -0400

Well that is nice to know if you want to stay at Fort Drum. I was at Fort Hood for 3.5 years and my branch manager said, "you need to go" while others holding the same rank and position have been at Hood for over 5 years.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jun 4 at 2014 2:43 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 02:43:17 -0400

I was able to pull of an entire enlistment at NSGD Sugar Grove, WV, Great Place for 4 years but that is an exception rather than the rule. Most tours 3 yrs but there are some that are 2 and 1. If you did an accompanied tour at NSGA Adak, AK it was 2 years, Unaccompanied was 1. Diego Garcia is isolated duty and unaccompanied so it is only 1 year.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jun 4 at 2014 3:15 AM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 03:15:55 -0400

Do you have a family? You can go to Korea with your family, and you normally can choose your return station or at least I did but I did not have my family there. You might like Korea as it is beautiful, there is so much to do, and the shopping is endless.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 4 at 2014 6:42 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 06:42:45 -0400

Once u get here to fort drum it seems u get stuck. My buddie has been here 5 1/2 years and I know a 1sg that has left then came back after leaving a few times. But most of his years wer here. I jus need to get outta here. This place will drive u crazy. But I will say I have had lots of good training.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 4 at 2014 6:02 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 18:02:01 -0400

Call/email your branch manager, that's what they are there for. How long someone stays at any particular duty station has a lot to do with so many different things. If you are ready to leave send an email to your branch manager, wait 72 hours for a response, if you don't hear back, call your branch manager.

Response by SSgt Gregory Guina made Jun 4 at 2014 6:09 PM

SSgt Gregory Guina — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 18:09:10 -0400

By the time I retire next year 16.5 years will have been spent on Camp Pendleton. I do have deployments out of here but most of my time has been here.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 4 at 2014 8:22 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 20:22:42 -0400

Technically, that is incorrect. The army can keep you at a base your entire career. However, they will typically, at a minimum, move you to a different MACOM every few years. An example: As a PSYOPer, I could stay at Fort Bragg, in theory, 20 years, and retire. However, if I did so, I might be in a PSYOP group (sorry - MISO Group now) for 3 years in a BN. Then, they move me out of that group over to the 82nd, USASOC, or the JFKSWC, or somewhere else outside of my normal command. I then stay there for a few years, and then come back to the PSYOP group. All those units are located at Fort Bragg (common knowledge and you can even look it up). I never left Bragg, but I changed MACOMs - technically counting as a "same station PCS". Other MOSes, will typically move every 3 - 4 years, though, I have had Soldiers who were at a base for 6 or 7 years - with a MACOM change.

Response by SGT Logan Griffith made Jun 5 at 2014 2:51 AM

SGT Logan Griffith — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 02:51:23 -0400

I spent 6.5 years stationed at Fort Huachuca, AZ. I could have moved to bragg or drum or Korea but figured there wasn't much point in moving from one deploying unit to another.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 5 at 2014 3:32 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:32:28 -0400

I had an NCO who did 8 years he was in the Army at Fort Hood. He never PCSed.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 5 at 2014 3:35 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:35:22 -0400

In the Air Force, I have seen people kept on one base their entire careers. It differs based on need, rank, security clearance, and so forth. There is nothing that say they can't keep you on a base if the need is there.

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Jun 5 at 2014 3:46 PM

LTC Paul Labrador — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:46:24 -0400

Assignments are based on many factors: your MOS, your rank and experience, personal needs and requests (to include career path), time left until ETS/Retirement and the infamous needs of the Army. At the larger bases with numerous and mutliple types of resident units (ie FORSCOM, TRADOC, Joint, etc) it is entirely possible to PCS between units and never leave the base. Typically however, the Army tends to keep people at a current assignment for about 2-3 years. This is likely to expand to 3-4 years in order to reduce the costs of PCSs.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 5 at 2014 6:49 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 18:49:51 -0400

I was stationed at ANDREWS AFB for 9 years.

Response by SGM (R) Antonio Brown made Jun 5 at 2014 10:56 PM

SGM (R) Antonio Brown — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 22:56:08 -0400

I was on Ft Stewart from 2004-2011. I was a PSG, OPS NCO, 1SG, and BN OPS NCO.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2014 12:07 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 12:07:51 -0400

There is no set number of years they can keep you on a base. There are a set number of years they have to keep you at a base (stabilization), after that time is up they can move you, but they dont have to. Four years isnt long to be stationed somehwere. I'm at 20 years this year and have only been to three duty stations. I was at Fort Bragg for 11 years prior to my PCS late last year.

Response by SSG Lance Shamer made Sep 2 at 2014 11:50 PM

SSG Lance Shamer — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 23:50:55 -0400

I have been at Drum for over 8 yes now with no end in sight.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Sep 3 at 2014 1:02 AM

SFC Mark Merino — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 01:02:03 -0400

It's called the 18th Airborne curse. It you raise a stink, you will find yourself on orders to Korea with a return trip to Drum. Back in the 90's that seemed like standard SOP. Don't you appreciate the 3 weeks of nice weather every year?