Can I commission while enlisted in the Reserves?

SPC Onel Cruz — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 00:23:54 -0500

Prior service now on the reserves trying to finish my bachelors. I should be done by next year so I was wondering if I can commission as an officer when I have 4 more years of reserve duty left. Will I have to reenlist or will the time carry over on the officer side?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 1 at 2019 12:25 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 00:25:31 -0500

When you commission your enlisted obligation is wiped away. Any time you owed was enlisted time. When you commission you incur a new commissioned obligation instead.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 1 at 2019 12:28 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 00:28:22 -0500

Yes, talk to your Career Counselor and unit Commander.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Dec 1 at 2019 12:54 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 00:54:50 -0500

That's exactly what I did 4 years into my 6 year contract. You don't want to be dealing with a standard recruiter but an officer accessions type. There are different ones for reserves and active and designator typically as there's a different force mix vs. body count. One difference is you won't get O-1E unless you have 4 year equivalent AD points. That got changed some time after I shifted over in '76. You didn't mention what degree you're getting, but you'll want to leverage that forward into a masters later on depending on what your designator will be. One thing about being MIL, especially officer. You'll never stop going to school for one thing or another. Since your new contract will supercede the current one, your TIS accumulation will keep ticking along. A big number can be leveraged into Civil Service later on as well. I don't know if the Army does what the Navy includes which is passing an interview with a senior officer whom makes a judgement regarding the likelihood you'll do well. I was a reviewing officer up to 2013 and know they still do that for many designators on the Navy side.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 1 at 2019 3:56 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 03:56:36 -0500

Yes

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Dec 1 at 2019 9:49 AM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 09:49:32 -0500

Your service obligation still stays 8 years total whether you stay enlisted or commission. When you commission, it overrides your enlistment obligation, but you still have a obligation to serve so many years, depending on the type of Commission, three years for OCS and non scholarship ROTC, 4 years if you have a Scholarship and I believe 5 years if you go to the Academy. Commissioning from any source besides West Point does not guarantee an Active Slot nor does it guarantee a specific Branch. All of that is competitive and needs of the Army. It's probably a bit late to tell you this now, but your best route would have been to join ROTC as a Junior, the first two years are exempted for prior service, gone to Advanced Camp between you Junior and Senior year and Commissioned when you graduated. I would have also recommended that you stay on active drill status in the Simultaneous Membership Program, which allows you to get additional experience, gets you paid as an E5 and you wont lose any TIS while you commission. Since you are apparently in your Senior Year, that leaves OCS, which for the Reserves is the Federal School at Fort Benning. Be aware that OCS blows. I don't believe I have ever heard a prior service soldier, including me, that thought of it as anything but an obstacle to overcome to get what I wanted.
If you don't get Active Duty, there are still some other options. The one I mentioned below, Call To Active Duty, is mainly for experienced Captains, with a few for some specialties for Senior LT.'s. There is always Active Guard and Reserve, something I wished I knew more about when I commissioned. There is a link to both on the page I posted below.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Dec 2 at 2019 6:14 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 06:14:21 -0500

Yes you can, one of my CO's was an E-7 before he went to OCS.