In the Army Officer Corps, do Mustangs get promoted faster or differently then regular Officers? What are the typical promotion timelines?

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 21:19:23 -0400

Commission, Army, Mustangs

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Oct 1 at 2016 12:47 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 00:47:55 -0400

Yup, I'm a 'Stang. It may be a touch different in the Navy. They start out with year group, but based on numbers, end strength, glide slope, or whatever, the zones are not necessarily one year. They've been 9 months and they've been 15 months during my time. Also everyone has a linial number which puts you in pecking order even though you have same date of rank, etc. Staff corps zones are set at whatever the line officer zone is. So don't know if it's similar to AF or AR. One thing, being a Mustang has no relevance on the zone you're in. It can help with above zone selection if the prior ENL gig really plussed you up in capability and your other characteristics make you the cream on top. It has happened before. However my experience is it's pretty much a wash given the stuff that has to be unlearned.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 1 at 2016 7:29 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 07:29:20 -0400

I'm prior Navy, selected for school by the Army. I had 6 years TIS for pay over everyone in my year group which was a lot of money (at least to me!). Like 2LT James Montgomery states, the promotions are now based on year group and TIS but especially for ordinance corps it's not unusual for below the zone (BZ) promotions. A CPT with prior service should be experienced enough to distinguish himself from his peers and I've seen double BZ promotions for some of the support branches.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 1 at 2016 10:45 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 10:45:09 -0400

In a word no. As stated previously it is based on TIG and the needs of the service. Mustangs in my opinion make better officers because they understand both side of the dynamic that we call the rank structure. However being a mustang I may be a little bit biased.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Oct 3 at 2016 11:15 AM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 11:15:04 -0400

I know two previous-service officers. One was a fellow pilot training instructor pilot and the other is my daughter. The IP was treated and rated like all the other lieutenants in the squadron. The main difference I saw was the previous-enlisted IP having more ribbons than his peers (he'd been to Viet Nam and won a Bronze Star). He promoted on time to Captain, but I lost track of him when I left the unit. I'm sure I served with other previous-enlisted officers over the years, but I didn't see any clear difference in their performance or promotion rates. You'd only know it if you saw them in a dress uniform and noticed an enlisted good conduct medal or a Navy qualification badge that was silver instead of gold.
Daughter had 12 years in the ANG and was a SSgt when she resigned. About 10 years later, she entered the Navy Reserve Nurse Corps as a Lieutenant (O-3) because of her education (Nurse Practitioner). She was promoted to Lieutenant Commander last year. Her time in active and inactive reserve has already put her close to 20 years for retirement. I think her experience and training as an NCO helped her with leadership skills she applies in her Navy Reserve and civilian jobs now.

Response by SSG Ray Murphy made Oct 3 at 2016 12:03 PM

SSG Ray Murphy — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 12:03:25 -0400

Had a Bn Cdr in Germany, 2/6 IN that considered himself a mustang based solely on the fact that he was enlisted, SSG, before going through OCS for commission. His call-sign was Mustang 6 as the BC. He retired as a LTG, LTG Weisman. Good dude.

Response by CH (COL) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 4 at 2016 7:11 AM

CH (COL) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 07:11:33 -0400

No. A 2LT is a 2LT is a 2LT.

Response by BG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 4 at 2016 7:15 AM

BG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 07:15:51 -0400

Theoretically, there should be no difference based upon source of commission. You don't see lot of us Mustangs make GO simply because the additional enlisted years mean you are more likely to age out before making GO. If you go to the OCS Hall of Fame at Ft. Benning, they have plenty of pictures of OCS officers who made COL or above.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 4 at 2016 9:23 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 09:23:40 -0400

No, we are treated exactly same except for higher pay at ranks O1 through O3 if we had enough enlisted time to qualify for the "E" pay scale.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 4 at 2016 9:38 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 09:38:49 -0400

The short answer to your question is no. Promotion is based of individual performance that indicates potential to succeed at the next rank and their branch (MOS) needed 'x' 'number of promotees based on requirements (vacant slots across the service in that job at that rank).

The officer promotion system is based on the 1980's Defense Officer Professional Management (DOPMA). This provides a fixed progression for the officer promotion timeline. The only time anyone is promoted ahead of their peers is if they are selected below the zone to the next rank, whereas their peers would be selected to the next rank during their primary zone the following year.

If someone has demonstrated their potential to succeed at the next level, AND their file is stronger than the top candidates for promotion in the year ahead of them, then the individual will be selected below the zone.

The Army Humans Resources Command homepage has a great YouTube video that explains exactky how the selection board is run, scoring files, promotion requirements (slots), and selecting candidates below the zone. It's the best I've seen on brining clarity to the promotion board.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 4 at 2016 1:46 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 13:46:12 -0400

No, you won't get promoted faster at all. You will make more of you have more than four years enlisted service. This will allow you to be promoted to the 01E, 02E, and 03E ranks which pay a lot more. this works out to be tens of thousands more over a career.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 10 at 2016 11:58 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 23:58:19 -0400

No. Mustangs get promoted at the same rate as their peers.

Response by CPT Nicholas D. made Oct 11 at 2016 4:28 AM

CPT Nicholas D. — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 04:28:37 -0400

Your Time in Grade requirement will be the same as everyone else. The difference that a "mustang" has (and honestly, as a prior enlisted/warrant officer, I thought that was a Navy term) is your previous service should play into your competitiveness with your peers. Key word is "should." Of course that is branch dependent. In Aviation, our O-grades that were previously Enlisted Aviation Soldiers or Warrant Officer Aviators have an experience foundation that does give them an advantage with their peers. There is an informal dynamic that prior-service officers may also enjoy when their personal experience shallows the "learning curve." I am a huge fan of experienced soldiers using their experience to augment the decision makers. There are few developmental experiences a future officer can acquire that are better than service in that branch/occupation where they wish to be leaders.