What are the odds of getting infantry through my commission as an officer?

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 11:30:43 -0400

I am in the ARNG, I went through basic training at Fort Benning in May of 2017. Came back and started college a few months after coming back and I am currently in ROTC as well with my courses. I want to commission as an officer, but I am not sure if I want to commission if there is a high probability of no longer being infantry. My ROTC program is at the University of Central Oklahoma if that makes a difference. Thank you for your help ahead of time.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 27 at 2018 11:35 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 11:35:19 -0400

Depends if there is an opening for your requested plan.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2018 11:42 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 11:42:07 -0400

Depends odds are good if you are high on the OML and can get first dibs on the Branch you want

Response by SPC Mike Lake made Mar 27 at 2018 11:51 AM

SPC Mike Lake — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 11:51:46 -0400

Try to go to ranger school and airborne it will better your chances

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Mar 27 at 2018 12:06 PM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 12:06:35 -0400

Are you staying ARNG or going Active? I can't speak for now, but in the 80's, most officers that put Infantry as their first pick got that Branch, especially if they held an 11B MOS enlisted.
I will say be aware that there is a world of difference between OSUT and BOLC (IOBC when I went through it). Aside from all the academics, the PT and FTX's are designed to get you in condition and knowledgeable enough to pass Ranger School, so it's a fast paced and both physically and mentally challenging.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2018 12:32 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 12:32:01 -0400

Yes, the order of Merit list and a 300 on your APFT will help. When I used to get a 300 on my APFT, life became easier as an officer. Had I not broken my ankle, I would have been able to complete Airborne School in civil affairs. I was the top of the order of the Merit list due to my PT score. Like others have said here to network with the local infantry battalions near you and talk to their Battalion Commanders. It's helped me when I wanted to switch from military police to armored to just call up armored unit and the Battalion Commander interviewed me over the phone and next thing you know, I was transferred to an armored unit. When he introduced me, he mentioned "here is 300 APFT Lieutenant Conway!" That was just my personal experience. When I was about to be commissioned in the California Army National Guard, the guard was smart enough to have a job fair for the OCS class. I ran and got one of the few military police slots there were. All of the advice from others here is valid.

Response by LTC Eugene Chu made Mar 27 at 2018 9:07 PM

LTC Eugene Chu — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 21:07:29 -0400

It may also depend on the time period. Pre-9/11, there was shortage of infantry and some ROTC cadets were involuntarily selected for that branch. Right after OIF, there was a significant number who wanted infantry and some had to fight for that branch. I would suggest talking to fellow cadets or recent commissioned Lieutenants to learn about today's demand.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2018 9:58 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 21:58:12 -0400

The only way to ensure a Gauranteed Infantry Slot would be to go Guard. Any state around you would work, but OK would be easiest since you are already in the Guard. You need to find an Infantry unit that is willing to give you and LOA now for the Para/Lin in an Ingantry unit and you’re unit currently will then have to submit you for a 368 transfer of status to Cadet in the SMP program, then when you earn an ROTC Contract you can then submit your 368/NGB Equivelent for OKNG and LOA to the State Officer Strength Manager to switch you to a Cadet in that unit so when you graduate you can then serve in that unit as a 2LT. In many states they have a board for coveted branches like IN-so ask the OSM what the process is now so you are knowledgeable.

If you want to earn an Active Duty IN Branch Assignment; you must do the following to be competitive (following is not a guaranteed IN branch. It sets you up for success)

1. Be in the top 3 of your MSIII COER/OML before Camp between your Jr and Sr Year.

2. Go to camp and earn RECONDO

3. Get a top 10% or better in your Camp COER Eval; Strong too 3 in your Platoon, and top 10% in your Company-if possible top in your regiment also helps.

4. Score a 290 or higher on your final Fall and Spring APFT during MSIII year; then score 300 at Camp(it will help you with RECONDO and Top in your CO/RGT.

5. Compete on your BN Ranger Challenge Team your MSII and III year

6. Be in the TOP 3 in your PMS Accessions OML after Camp(whole person roll up for standing in Battalion after Camp)

7. Merry Maute your MSIII instructor puts “best suited to serve in combat arms specifically infantry” and other colorful language on MSIII COER

8. Ask the same of your PMS in his Accesions Comments.

9. Dual ADSO for Infantry (Branch) and Post (Bragg,Campbell, Drum, Infantry Post X, etc) on your accessions packet

These are some of the things that will set you up for success. Your PMs will have an idea of what it took to get IN in past accessions years in his post accessions briefs-ask him/her!

If you have any other questions just send me a note :)

Follow Me!

DB

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 29 at 2018 11:34 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 11:34:30 -0400

You will get to request three branches, the Army will try to place you in one of those branches but they may branch you to something different based on the needs of the Army. Keep your grades up, max your APFT, do well at camp and you stand a good chance of getting placed in one of your three selected branches. There is no way to absolutely secure becoming an 11A.

Good luck!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 29 at 2018 12:09 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 12:09:17 -0400

Your ownly true way to guarantee IN branch when you’re ROTC is to have an SMP contact with a Guard unit and in the contract your slot is an 11A slot.

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Mar 31 at 2018 5:34 PM

COL Jon Thompson — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 17:34:02 -0400

I am a Recruiting Operations Officer for an ROTC program so I deal with this a lot. The first thing you should do is talk with your state Officer Strength Manager. That person is the one who slots cadets into officer positions when they graduate and commission. They will be able to tell you Infantry officer vacancy projections for the year in which you would graduate. They will also be able to tell you how selections for those positions are made. So that will give you an idea of what will be available and how you need to posture yourself to be competitive. That being said, there is no guarantee for you of any officer branch as ultimately it comes down to the needs of the Army and there is no ROTC contract that promises anything other than a commission. You can posture yourself by understanding how the state's OML process works and then making sure you are working to maximize your score for that. One more piece of advice. If you are not on a guaranteed reserve forces duty scholarship, you also risk being selected for active duty since Cadet Command has an increased mission for active duty. So you also need to speak to whomever my counterpart is at your ROTC program.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2018 1:13 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 05 Apr 2018 01:13:31 -0400

If you're trying to go active duty, Infantry is one of the most competitive branches to get into, only Aviation is more competitive. If you're going Guard or Reserve, just pick a unit that has a slot.

The OML changes year to year on what they use to grade cadets. A good portion of it (40% this year) is simply getting good grades. The next biggest portion is your leadership evaluations (split between summer camp eval and your instructor's eval). And of course, getting a 300 on the PT test wouldn't hurt. 15% of your OML score comes from your physical fitness.

Like I said, the OML breakdown fluctuates from year to year, but keeping your grades high (a 3.6 or higher will keep you competitive) and doing well in your leadership evals are the most critical. You can view the most recent breakdown of the OML here: https://imgur.com/gallery/o3YlQ

FY18 OML (not finalized)

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Apr 5 at 2018 11:20 AM

SGM Bill Frazer — Thu, 05 Apr 2018 11:20:17 -0400

Look, you can fill out your Dream sheet, but there is NO guarantee for getting it filled. Up to recently, most folks have been commissioned into the USAR/NG instead of Active due to money shortages, and downsizing. Check out how many folks from your school went Active, and see where you would fit in that matrix.

Response by CPT Don Kemp made Apr 16 at 2018 6:10 PM

CPT Don Kemp — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 18:10:32 -0400

I've been out for a long time....and I understand the Marines are doing away with the Assault Infantry specialty.....but from my perspective, the Army has been converting other MOS into Infantry door-kickers. Like you, I enlisted as Airborne Infantry and then went through ROTC to commission back into Infantry. What leads you to the conclusion that Infantry will no longer be seeking young LT's?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 19 at 2018 12:31 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 00:31:56 -0400

Coming from someone just recently commissioned IN through ROTC, you need to focus on the following over the next 3-4 years: Highest GPA possible, Campus OML points(earn these through leadership rolesat your BN and assessments from your cadre), 300 APFT(should be a given considering your goal), doing your best at Advanced Camp( strive for top block rating), and finally paint the picture for ROTC talent management. Show them through your time in ROTC why you fit the model for a potential IN leader, this is a large aspect they’ve implemented in the last 3 years which helps cadets throughout the National OML land in the right branch regardless of FY ranking. All of these come together to give you your ranking on the National OML and th snapshot the accessions committee will use to branch you based off needs of the army.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 19 at 2018 4:53 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 16:53:30 -0400

Place high on the national OML. To do this you’ll have to get a high GPA, High PT score (300 is prefered to get max amount of points), Army schools such as Airborne and Air Assualt (do not believe Ranger is open for cadets) and have extra curricular activities such as clubs, sports, ect. Talk with your school’s S-1 about where you can find extra points. At my school, our S-1 worked a good deal with us to make sure we got as many points as possible.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 19 at 2018 9:22 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 21:22:44 -0400

If you're willing to stay in the guard, and drill in the DFW area of Texas, you should have no problem going/staying infantry. Active Duty infantry is more competitive, based on GPA and APFT

Response by CPT Robert Boshears made Sep 12 at 2018 11:50 AM

CPT Robert Boshears — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 11:50:32 -0400

Aren’t most Guard Divisions Infantry? Our Dream Sheet, after OCS at Benning had all three of our choices typed in Infantry.