NAVY SUPPLY CORPS RESERVECOMPONENT OFFICER GUIDE

1st Edition 01 Mar 07

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward – .…….………………………………………………………………………………...iii

Chapter1–Affiliation into the Navy Supply Corps Reserve.…….……………………...... 1

Chapter2–Planning for a Successful Supply Corps Reserve Career…….………………....4

Chapter3–Training and Career Development..…….………………………………………11

Chapter4 –Managing Your Record………………..………………………………………...15

Chapter5–Selection Boards………………………………………………………………….22

Chapter 6–Retirement………………………………………………………………………..29

APPENDICES:

Appendix A –REDCOM Logistics Officers…………………………………………………35

FORWARD

Welcome to the Navy Supply Corps. By your selection as a Reserve Component (RC) Navy Supply Corps officer, you have already passed one of the toughest tests – admission to the Corps. Superior credentials got you here; superior performance will carry you onward.

This Guide is presented as an overview of items currently considered to be important to your development as a career RC Supply Corps officer. In many of its basic tenets, the guidance provided herein has not changed significantly in the past 20-30 years. The science, or art, if you will, of career development has come a long way in that same period, however, and the tools and resources available to today’s RC Supply Corps officer are well-honed and substantial. This Guide should be considered a starting point for your understanding of the principals and practices that comprise a successful career, and, hopefully we have presented enough basic information and links to get you started on that path.

Although mobilization readiness is the primary goal of an RC officer, mobilization readiness and career planning are sufficiently disparate topics as to warrant separate discussion. This Guide is focused on career development. We believe the topic of mobilization to be beyond the scope of the Guide and adequately covered in other resources.

For more information and to gain insight into the guidance given to your Active Component (AC) counterparts, please refer to NAVEDTRA 12967, “Useful Information for Newly Commissioned Officers.”

2/16/07

1

CHAPTER 1

AFFILIATION INTO THE NAVY SUPPLY CORPS RESERVE

  1. Selected Reservist (SELRES) Overview

Supply Corps Reserve Programs are established under the cognizance of the Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command, New Orleans, LA and Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, VA. The Supply Corps reserve officer’s ultimate responsibility is to be ready for recall to active duty and deployment (mobilization). An officer is considered to be mobilization ready when medically and physically qualified and capable of performing the duties and functions of the assigned mobilization billet. Billets for Supply Corps reserve officers exist in units under the direct cognizance of Naval Supply Systems Command as well asunits associated with other Navy commands.

  1. Paths to Affiliation

There are three primary paths to affiliating in Navy Supply Corps Reserve Programs:

  1. The Navy Veteran (NAVET) program allows AC Supply Corps officersleaving active duty to immediately affiliate through a reserve recruiter.
  2. Direct Commissioning enables those candidates with no prior commissioned military experience to affiliate with the Navy Reserve and to become fully qualified Supply Corps officers upon completion of a two-year course of instruction.
  3. Lateral Transfer enables those officers from otherreserve officer communities or services to affiliate in the Supply Corps Reserve.
  1. Application Process for Navy Veterans

If you reside within the continental United States, you are probably within reasonable commuting distance of a Supply Corps reserve billet. Your first step should be to contact a local Reserve Officer Recruiter. The one closest to you can be identified by going on-line to Give them a call. Your second call should be to the Full Time Support Supply Corps officer who works at the Reserve Readiness Command (REDCOM) in your area. This officer, called the REDCOM Logistics Officer, will discuss Supply Corps Reserve opportunities that are available to you, assist you in affiliating with a reserve unit and, if you haven’t already,help you contact a recruiter. The contact information for each of the five REDCOM Logistics Officers is provided in Appendix A.

  1. Application Process for Direct Commissioned Officers (DCO)

The Supply Corps Direct Commissioning Program (Inactive) provides an opportunity for reserve enlisted personnel on inactive duty and civilians with or without prior military experience to receive commissions as Ensigns in the inactive Supply Corps Reserve. The term “inactive” in this context means not on active duty. Inactive duty entails performing weekend drills and annual two-week active duty training periods. Selectees for the DCO Program will fill key junior officer billets in Navy Reserve units across the country. The DCO program is extremely competitive. Successfulcandidates:

  1. have a Bachelor’s degree (business or technical majors preferred),
  2. are able to qualify for retirement before age 60, i.e., attain 20 years of commissioned and non-commissioned service by the age of 60,
  3. often have a Master’s degree,
  4. havegood business and logistics backgroundsor have demonstrated sound leadership qualities/potential,
  5. have good to high college GPAs,
  6. often bring with them prior enlisted or other service experience, and
  7. receive very strong interviews, with at least one interview from a Supply Corps Reserve Captain.

Applicants normally must complete the application process and be commissioned prior to their 40thbirthday. In many cases, waivers may be obtained for those over 40, however the retirement age rule (above) applies in all cases. All must possess a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, preferably in business, computer science, or a technical field. Degrees in non-business disciplines are acceptable if the candidate has accrued significant business experience.

Selectees are commissioned as Ensigns, are granted a temporary officer designation of 3165 and are required to become fully qualified Supply Corps officers by completing the Direct Commission Officer Accession Course (one two-week period of annual training (AT)), and the Basic Qualification Course-Navy Reserve (BQC-NR). The BQC-NR currently consists of two2-week ATs, one4-day additional duty for training (ADT) period, and an intense15-month self-paced home study program. Selectees are also required to perform monthly drills with a reserve unit, but are not required to serve on active duty beyond the two weeks of AT required by the BQC-NR as described above. After completion of BQC-NR, graduates are designated as 3105 officers – fully qualified Supply Corps Reserve officers – and are eligible for other AT opportunities and mobilization.

For additional information, interested applicants should contact the Navy Reserve Officer Recruiter at their local NavyOperationsSupportCenter(go to the web site discussed earlier) or the Logistics Officer in the Reserve Readiness Command (see Appendix A).

  1. Application Process for Lateral Transfers

Officers from the Navy line community and other staff communities, all sister services, and the Coast Guard are potentially eligible for the Lateral Transfer Program. This program provides officers who are interested in becoming Navy Reserve Supply Corps Officers with an avenue to receive a NavyReserve commission and/or designation change. Applicants from other services interested in a lateral transfer should contact a Navy Reserve Officer Recruiter or the SELRES Community Manager, Naval Supply Systems Command, Office of Supply Corps Personnel (PERS 4412) at (901) 874-4621. Applicants from other Navy communities should contact the SELRES Community Manager directly.

  1. Full Time Support (FTS) Officers

Full Time Support officers are RC officers on active duty who support the Reserve community on a full-time basis. Unlike SELRES officers, FTS officers are eligible for all benefits available to AC personnel. There are two ways to become an FTS officer:

  1. Request transfer/redesignation directly from active duty, or
  2. Request transfer/redesignation from SELRES.

Interested personnel should contact the Supply Corps FTS Detailer, Naval Supply Systems Command, Office of Supply Corps Personnel (PERS 4412) at (901) 874-4620.

CHAPTER 2

PLANNING FOR A SUCCESSFUL NAVY SUPPLY CORPS RESERVE CAREER

1. Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to provide Navy Supply Corps RCofficers with basic information upon which to plan and evaluate theirnavy careers and to aide senior officers in counseling junior officers. This chapter is organized to provide a logical approach to career development and is applicable to all Supply Corps RC officers.

Suggestions, comments, and recommendations pertaining to this publication are welcome and should be submitted via email to Mrs. Pam Bell-Givens (PERS-4412ES) or in writing to:

Naval Supply Systems Command

Navy Personnel Command Detachment

PERS 4412ES

5720 Integrity Drive

Millington, TN38055-4412

  1. It's Your Career

One common theme remains unchanged - each Reservist is responsible for managing his or her own career. Since Reservists do not yet have official detailers to fill billets according to a Navy-wide plan, each Reservist is responsible for managing his or her career development. This means outlining a time-phased plan to show what you would like to accomplish over the next 5-8 years. This plan should be a dynamic one which is reviewed and updated periodically. Lack of billet vacancies, new opportunities and other circumstances will necessitate revision; but, without a plan, without a reference, your career is left to chance and the satisfaction you seek from your career may notbeattained.

Obviously, such a plan cannot be very effective when kept to oneself. COMMUNICATION is necessary to finding the billets you seek. Each reservist should make their intentions known to their Unit Commanding Officer and theirREDCOM Logistics Officer (N4). The REDCOM Logistics Officer and the SELRES Supply Corps Community Manager at Navy Personnel Commandare two of the best full-time sources for billet and career advice for officers. Other sources include counseling sessions and informal communications with senior SELRES Supply Corps officers. The importance of your involvement cannot be overemphasized. The REDCOM Logistics Officer (N4) can assist you further in finding billets and in guiding you to other senior SELRES Supply Corps officers who can give you advice. The SELRES Community Manager can assist you with general career advice, record management, and promotion board information.

Seek the advice and counsel of senior SELRES Supply Corps officers on a regular basis. These officers have “been there, done that.” Learn from their mistakes (which most are more than willing to share) and successes. Most senior officers will admit that the mentoring they received as junior officers from more senior officers was critical to the management and success of their careers.

  1. Seek Out Challenging Assignments

Within a unit or program, continually strive for increased levels of responsibility. For example,you might start out as the Assistant Administrative Officer in a unit, then “fleet-up” to become the Administrative Officer, or move over to increasingly challenging positions in the Training or Operations departments during the same tour. In future tours, you would want to seek out opportunities asDepartment Head, Executive Officer, andOfficer-in-Charge/Commanding Officer. Take advantage of your time in your “assistant” roles to learn all you can about how to run a reserve unit. The skills you develop here will be critical as you move on to more responsible reserve unit positions and more technical mobilization billets.

Avoid "homesteading" in any billet or unit. As a rule of thumb, an officer who stays in one unit for more than 3 years without a commensurate increase in responsibility or leadership is not progressing professionally and puts him/herself at risk in the eyes of a promotion board. You should avoid putting yourself in this position, even if it means traveling some distance to a new unit. Another consideration is to avoid spending too much time away from the mainstream, i.e. Supply/Logistics units. These units are run by senior Supply Corps officers and offer junior officers with valuable mentoring opportunities. From a promotion/billet assignment board perspective, these units also offer opportunities to be ranked with your peers and to have a senior Supply Corps officer sign your FITREP.

  1. Seek Some CareerBreadth, but…

Reserve mobilization billets generally have certain technical and training requirements. One should not hesitate to become an expert in a career path (as described below). However,by the time an officer rises to a senior grade and position, he/she should have considerable technical knowledge, a broad management perspective, anda specialty such as procurement, expeditionary logistics, fuels management, or inventory control point logistics. You should acquire such a specialty in the normal billet progression, but do not overlook the opportunity now and then to “try something different” to ensure a broader perspective. The ability to lead, counsel, manage, and guide people from diverse backgrounds to achieve a common objective will be most important, particularly at senior levels. At all levels, you should focus on developing your leadership style and skills. Demonstrated leadership abilityiscritical to selection for command and help to ensure successful CO/XO tours.

Currently there are three broad career paths, called swim lanes, within the Supply Corps, both active and reserve, that offer a variety of reserve billets. Within the Reserve Component, these three swim lanes are embodied within the following units:

  1. Operational Logistics (OPLOG): This category is principally associated with Supply units under the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (NAVELSG) umbrella, including 10Navy Cargo Handling Battalions (NCHB) and 2 Navy Supply Support Battalions (NSSB); however, other units such as MIUWs, HDCs, MSC-EDUs, SEABEEBattalions, SEAL teams, LTF-Pacific, and CNLFK also offer significant OPLOG opportunities.
  2. Supply Chain Management (SCM): For example, FISC, DLA, and AIRPAC.
  3. Contracting (ACQ): ASN(RDA), REDCOM, DCMA, FISC,MSC HQ and Contingency Contracting units.

It is difficult to “draw boxes” around units and call them SCM or OPLOG or ACQ. For example, many DLA units are just as much OPLOG as they are SCM. It is possible to develop skills in multiple areas in one unit.

A key point to remember is that, regardless of the swim lane you choose to focus on, as an O2 to O4, you should seek small unit leadership opportunities, e.g., Company Commander in a NAVELSG battalion, OIC of a NSA Bahrain unit, Supply Officer of a SEABEE battalion, etc. If your desired swim lane does not offer such opportunities,jump out of it for a tour to get the experience. Small unit leadership experience is crucial for your professional development.

  1. Annual Training (AT)

When planning your AT, remember your supported command first (they have “first right of refusal” since they pay the bill for your services), but do not limit yourself to only your supported command. While performing AT at the supported command is recognized as essential to becoming qualified in your mobilization billet, you should also consider applying for:

  1. War/Staff College courses,
  2. Selection board duty (recorder for junior officers), or
  3. Opportunities outside your “comfort zone” for rounding.

All of these opportunities should be considered only after you have attained full mobilization qualification. A good rule of thumb to follow is to request AT away from your supported command once every three to four years. Supported commands understand the need for personal professional development and will support you as much as you support them.

  1. Navy Operational Support…”Above and Beyond”

Do not limit your efforts to just the drill weekends. NavyReserve units have a limited number of hours to spend together each month and those hours are generally dedicated to mobilization training. Accordingly, Commanding Officers appreciate having officers who provide support outside of the drill weekend, work on special projects on their own time, and periodically attend supported command functions.

7. Personal & Professional Development Opportunities

Without question, success in the Navy Reserve requires more than just attending paid drills. Make yourself known and recognized by being involved in Navy activities outside of your weekend drills. Certain support functions such as staff meetings, workshops, conferences, and seminars should be attended. Further, attendance at Supply Corps Birthday Balls and your local Supply Corps Association functions is also part of a career-motivated officer's plans.

Attendance at the biennialNational Supply Corps Reserve Workshop and the opposite year Supply Community Regional Training Symposiums is both professionally and personally rewarding, and is strongly recommended.

8. Officer FITREP Input

All officers are expected to know how to write enlisted performance evaluations and officer fitness reports (FITREPS). Accordingly,all officers should become intimately familiar with the BUPERS Instruction 1610 series. There are many essays and presentations available on what comprises a quality FITREP. Ask your unit Admin Officer for references.

The importance of your FITREP to your career cannot be understated. These documents comprise the primary paper trail which will be reviewed time and time again at every promotion and selection board. There is no more important document to a successful career. In responseto a request from your reporting senior for FITREP input, youshould prepare and provide a notional block 41 (Comments section)of your own fitness report. Take this responsibility seriously. The input should be crafted to present a positive and realistic assessment of your accomplishments in accordance with FITREP input guidance provided by the reporting senior. More often than not, the quality of an officer’s final FITREP input is directly proportional to the quality of the input provided by that officer. Reporting Seniors will also use the quality of your input as an indicator of your ability to report on others.

9. Networking and Other Opportunities to Participate

To learn about billet vacancies and other opportunities, it is very helpful to "network". Get to know the other Supply CorpsReserveofficers in your NOSC (NavyOperationalSupportCenter) and REDCOM. The opportunity to share experiences will allow you to take advantage of the experience of other officers and may provide a helpful contact at a later time when you need information about a project, changes in reserve billet assignments, or other aspects of your career. In addition to normal drills, networking can be accomplished at social events and at Navy Reserve conferences, workshops and other similar occasions.