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Is there something to learn, in review of this Navy “Test” to improve things to avoid injury to reserve junior enlisted in all branches?

Case Study :
How does a meritorious bootcamp graduate 18 years old all of a sudden become so ill as to be medically disqualified permanent profile 3P Spine Musculoskeletal and Psych at MEPS and sent back to the ship without a medical clearance or check up?

There are many reports to get a good overview of the era and the commands involved for a answer.



I’ll start with a Navy War College report excerpt, about this subject matter.


As Admiral Boorda and many other leaders continue to stress,
Reservists are critical to the success of our Total Force team.
I do not disagree! Reservists who, while working in their
civilian jobs, routinely practice skills related to those upon
which they must draw while serving with the active duty military,
are much more likely to effectively contribute to the goals of
their respective military units than those Selres personnel who
routinely work in unrelated fields. Multi-engine aircraft
pilots, doctors, lawyers, construction engineers, etc. are
destined for success as Selres personnel and so are the military
units to which they are assigned. However, few civilian men and
women work in a shipboard damage control environment, conduct corrective maintenance on intricate fire control systems, serve
as a member of a weapon system's firing team, or, for that
matter, drive a ship in their normal, daily environment.Even very talented individuals cannot be expected to
effectively perform in some of the NRF FFG's more sophisticated
ratings when exposed to the limited amount of annual, complete
team training NRF Selres personnel receive.

Well
after the PQS for a given watch station has been completed, a
sailor trains and is evaluated in drill scenarios over and over
again until he or she attains and maintains the desired level of
watch station proficiency. We currently do not afford this same
opportunity to Selres personnel.


So to continue, I know there is the Navy “Test” Pilot School:

The United States Naval Test Pilot School trains the world’s finest developmental test pilots, flight officers, engineers, industry and foreign partners in full spectrum test and evaluation of aircraft and aircraft systems. Located in Patuxent River, Maryland, the school is forefront in development of modern test techniques and leads aviation in standardization of flight test. It is the only domestic source of rotary wing test pilots serving as dedicated test pilot school of the U.S. Army. Its highly competitive program has graduated more than 90 NASA astronauts to date.

It seems pilots really created a whole program well monitored especially for the individuals flying in the “TEST” who are probably most likely given great medical and associated benefits and camaraderie



Now what about this Navy “TEST” on ships.

How about this “TEST” for Navy Ship’s as explained in 1970’s DOD reports, “Admittingly, there are some potential problems”

1976 Annual Defense Department Report

3. To increase integration of Reserve Forces in active forces missions
B. Test manning active Navy Destroyers with a mix of 80 percent active personnel and 20 percent reservists in comparison with 100% active manned ships.”


1975 DOD Annual Report to Secretary Defense Reserve Forces

Another aspect is to have the Guard and Reserve readily available under conditions other then a national emergency or a declaration of war. Such authority would demonstrate our swift response capability for mobilization and would serve as a warning to potential aggressors and as encouragement to our allies.

This legislation will enable the Services to plan for broader application of the “Total Force Policy” in satisfying contemporary national defense requirements. The “Total Force Policy” dictates that all available forces—U.S. Active Forces, U.S. Guard and Reserve Forces, and the forces of our allies—would be considered in determining the Defense needs to most future contingencies. In carrying out these missions, the volunteer potential of the Reserve Forces will continue to be fully exploited.


Another more important initiative is our plan to man some of our active surface combatants at 80% of active manning, relying on selected reserve personnel to fill the remaining billets upon mobilization.”

Admittingly, there are some potential problems involved in the 80/20 concept, most of which center around the interrelated factors of maintenance and operational tempo. The concept is predicated on the assumption that the understrength active crew, augmented by reserves during drill periods, would be able to maintain their ship in adequate material condition and conduct the required training for basic combat missions.”

In the 1980s someone created in federal title 10, the Navy SAM enlistment, a first of its kind. A true direct to reserve obligation after regular bootcamp


10 USC 511(d)

“The Sea and Air Mariner (SAM) Program. The SAM program is a non-prior service mandatory drilling program. Personnel who enlist in the SAM Program, under authority of 10 USC 511(d) incur a 8 yr MSO Military Service Obligation. They must drill continuously in the selective reserve (SELRES) for 6 of the 8 years. The mandatory continuous 6 year period begins the day the member reports for recruit training.



The recruitment in 1994 by instruction, was $4000 total for college total!



DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY COMNAVRESFORINST 1100.4A O9 FEB 1994
Subj:ENLISTED NAVAL SELECTED RESERVE (SELRES) INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

4. SAM Educational Assistance Payments. Individuals who are a secondary school graduate and completed IADT, including rate training or sufficient training to be deployable are entitled to initial and subsequent Educational Assistance. Payment cannot exceed $1,000 in any 12 month period based on the enlistment anniversary date) or a total of $4,000


This next report documents the end of an era, the ships involved, and the SAM enlistment but stating “The Navy initiated the Sea/Air Mariner (SAM) program to attract new recruits to the Naval Reserve by offering tuition assistance. However, this program proved unsuccessful because its benefits and 6-year obligation compared unfavorably with Army and Air Force programs.66”


Evolution of the Military's Current Active-Reserve Force Mix




U.S. Navy (USN) The Navy Reserve has evolved over time from a semi-autonomous strategic reserve in terms of platforms and trained individuals to what is today a strategic and operational reserve that is a mix of individuals and unit types that either complement or mirror elements of the AC. In the former case, the RC provides “skills and expertise to complete the Total Force inventory of capabilities”1 and in the latter case, the RC provides “skills and expertise that match the AC to offer greater capacity at lower carrying cost.”2 This evolution can be traced back to the aftermath of WW II, when the Navy had a large number of ships and aircraft and trained the Navy Reserve to staff them in anticipation of a need for a large force to wage war with the Warsaw Pact. By the end of the Cold War, this scenario had become obsolete. In the case of ships, as the size of the fleet declined, the Navy moved to a policy of fully manning all its ships so that these ships would not require RC augmentation in the event of war. In addition, the problems of maintaining ships in standby status with part-time personnel and the impracticality of rotating part-time personnel to deployed units made employing reservists, other than full-time support (FTS) personnel, to operate ships unworkable, and the Navy Reserve Fleet (NRF) disappeared.

To meet the demands for experienced petty officers as the fleet expanded toward its goal of 600 ships, the Navy relied, in part, on voluntary recalls designed to draw prior-service sailors into the Reserves and then back onto active duty. To backfill the petty officers whfleet, the Navy initiated the Sea/Air Mariner (SAM) program to attract new recruits to the Naval Reserve by offering tuition assistance. However, this program proved unsuccessful because its benefits and 6-year obligation compared unfavorably with Army and Air Force programs.66




What happens on a FFG?



PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF SUSTAINED SHIPBOARD OPERATIONS ON
U. S.NAVY PERSONNEL

Study Subjects
The subject population was comprised of officers and enlisted crew from
two U.S. Navy ships, a frigate (FFG) and a guided missile cruiser (CG).

Crewmen aboard
the FFG experienced significantly more psychological fatigue. Although not
statistically significant (t = 1.85, p = 0.070), personnel aboard the FFG
also reported more problems with physical fatigue than personnel aboard the
CG.

A more likely explanation is the fact that due to fewer staff, personnel
aboard the FFG were required to spend longer periods of time on watchstanding
duty. Thus, the FFG presented fewer opportunities for prolonged rest
Periods.

What is the Surface Master Training Plan for a reserve assigned to a ship?


1997 Department of Navy
3502.1B Surface Master Training Plan

1205. Training Philosophy. The Naval Surface Reserve Force is primarily focused on requirements-based training. Per. OPNAVINST 1001.21.A These training requirements must mirror the training required of the Reservist’s active duty counterpart performing the same duties.



Implementing the Naval Surface Reserve Force training program requires an understanding of systemic restrictions peculiar to the Surface Reserve Force. Drill Limitations

Drill Limitations. Reserve Training is limited and must be used to maximize mobilization readiness.

1303. Naval Reserve NRF Training Requirements. The specified wartime mission for NRF units requires that training requirements remain the same as for active duty counterparts to provide a benchmark for measuring the actual status of NRF readiness.

2101. Sources. As previously stated in paragraph 1201 of this instruction it is the mission of the Naval Reserve Force to provide trained and qualified personnel to active duty commands in the event of mobilization. Opnavinst 1001.21A requires that a reservist be assigned the same training requirements as their active duty counterpart performing the same duties. Therefore, a Reservist’s training requirements must mirror the watch station, work center, and skills maintenance training required by their active duty counterpart.

What did Navy reports state about saving money on these ships with the reserve on board?


March 1987
Reserve Manning of FF-1052 and FFG-7 Class Frigates:
A Critique of the Accuracy and Completeness
of Existing Costing Studies
by
Patrick Robert Rearden
Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy
B.S., United States Naval Academy, 1976
M.A., Pepperdine University, 1979


The purposes for this research have included:
1. To evaluate studies that have attempted to make a
cost analysis of either Regular Navy or Naval Reserve
Force ships.
2. To collect and analyze data related to the costs of
operating selected Regular Navy and NRF ships during
Fiscal Year 1986.

A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF THE NAVAL RESERVE FORCE FRIGATES
December, 1994

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey CA 93943-5000

by
Jeffrey S. Davis
Lieutenant, United States Navy Reserve
B.A., University of California, Riverside, 1987

This thesis analyses the Naval Reserve Force Oliver Hazard Perry class (FFG-7) guided missile
frigates. It assesses the cost-effectiveness of operating these ships in the Naval Reserve fleet vice the
Active fleet.

The analysis then assesses the ship's operational
readiness by comparing the ships' performance on Combat System Assessments and the major engineering
exams. Following this, the quality of life on board the NRF FFGs is qualitatively evaluated. This analysis
concludes that using FFGs in the NRF is not the most cost-effective option.

What did the actual CO XO of the NRF FFG ships think operating like this?

TELL THE TRUTH: CAN THE OPERATIONAL COMMANDER RELY ON THE ADVERTISED CAPABILITIES OF THE NAVAL RESERVE FORCE’S SURFACE ASSETS?

LCDR THOMAS M. ROSSI, USN.

ABSTRACT
Over 31% of the United States Navy's combatant surface
escort force are guided missile frigates (FFGs) assigned to the
Naval Reserve Force (NRF).


Documented operational successes of NRF ships are actually
the result of the smaller, active duty, core crews of these ships
working harder rather than the advertised opinion that these
successes equate to the effective operational integration of NRF
personnel.


As Admiral Boorda and many other leaders continue to stress,
reservists are critical to the success of our Total Force team.
I do not disagree! Reservists who, while working in their
civilian jobs, routinely practice skills related to those upon
which they must draw while serving with the active duty military,
are much more likely to effectively contribute to the goals of
their respective military units than those Selres personnel who
routinely work in unrelated fields. Multi-engine aircraft
pilots, doctors, lawyers, construction engineers, etc. are
destined for success as Selres personnel and so are the military
units to which they are assigned. However, few civilian men and
women work in a shipboard damage control environment, conduct corrective maintenance on intricate fire control systems, serve
as a member of a weapon system's firing team, or, for that
matter, drive a ship in their normal, daily environment.Even very talented individuals cannot be expected to
effectively perform in some of the NRF FFG's more sophisticated
ratings when exposed to the limited amount of annual, complete
team training NRF Selres personnel receive.


What is the health insurance like in the 1990s for this reserve assigned?

Medical Readiness of the
Reserve Component

Prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense
Approved for public release; distribution unlimited



Expenses Incurred by Members to Become Medically Ready
The second potential obstacle to the RCs’ reaching their IMR goals is that reservists have been
required to pay some of their medical and dental treatment costs. As shown in Table 3.6 (and
discussed earlier), the military pays for the annual PHA review but does not pay for any treatment
indicated by the review. Some DLCs resolve themselves with time (e.g., broken bones,
pregnancy), but reservists must pay for treatment of those that do not (such as hypertension
and diabetes). Also, most military branches have historically required reservists to pay for treatment
required to achieve at least dental class 2 status, for preventive dental care (such as sealants),
and for any costs incurred from using civilian dentists.


American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 1997

Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen said Nov. 18 the summit will address the full spectrum of health care issues, entitlements and legislative policies affecting the readiness of reserve components in the post-Cold War world.

In Phase I, slated for late November in Washington, summit participants will evaluate prevailing laws and policy relating to reserve component health care.

Participants will identify legislative and policy changes necessary to ensure members of the reserve components receive health care benefits that are consistent with the increased reliance on today's reserve force.
"We have a vested interest in the health readiness of our reserve component personnel," said Dr. Ed Martin, acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.



Does this all explain a SAM attempting a Navy Army Transfer off these ships and being lit up medically permanently profiled, by MEPS, 4 years into assignment, and sent back to the ship with no medical care assistance or checkup?

What can be improved in other branches for reserve junior enlisted?
Welcome Aboard Indoctrination Package upon activation?
Problem with minimum active duty days that won't qualify for a homeless va housing voucher?
Health Care benefits?
Leadership Monitoring?


The TV completely discussed homeless veterans, some of us with very interesting stories, that turned reality on its head, and an honorable discharge, due a reserve enlistment that was laughed at, and denied even a homeless housing voucher, similar to if he had earned a dishonorable discharge, in all respects, and receives a document "you can appeal this" and "Thank You For Your Service" hurting in the street. This is when he had to learn everything to save his own existence. He had to reread the oath of enlistment to defend the constitution. He read the Constitution Preamble "We The People" which essentially said he was worth something

Its March 2021. I can not get a VA psych doctor appointment in over a year.

Here is a story about me written while denied at the va
Multiple Vietnam Vets knowing what was going on came to my aid and defended me against being thrown out of the va.
Peace
Aaron