Credit available for officers serving in strategic joint environments

by Master Sgt. Timm Huffman
HQ RIO Public Affairs

1/8/2015 - BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The U.S. military is increasingly a joint environment and that means the Air Force Reserve needs officers qualified to lead troops, regardless of their branch of service.

Because of this, Reserve officers who have served in a joint environment at the strategic level may apply for joint service credit through the Headquarters Air Reserve Personnel Center's Joint Officer Management program.

"By having joint qualified officers in the Air Force Reserve, we are able to deploy or work in joint environments without a lot of spin up time," said Sara Simms, JOM service manager. "The officer can report to duty and be ready to go; not have to learn the language of the other services prior to accomplishing the mission."

In order to be eligible for joint service credit, the Reserve officer must perform duty that meets the definition of joint matters, which are matters related to the achievement of unified action by integrated forces. Along with experience in the joint environment, to become a Joint Qualified officer, they must also complete their Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) I and II.

There are two established tracks for completing qualifying duty: Experience based Joint Duty Assignment and Standard Joint Duty Assignment.

The E-JDA is an experience-based path. This track is accomplished when the officer performs strategic planning and command and control duties in a multi-service, multi-agency environment where they led strategic or command and control operations. An example of this type of work is a deployment to a combatant command and the officer would need to demonstrate how their duty fulfilled the strategic or C2 role.

To earn credit on the E-JDA track, the Reserve officer must self-nominate their experience within a year of the end date of that experience thru the Joint Manpower Information System.  An officer must accumulate 36 points total and complete JPME I and II to become a Joint Qualified Officer. A self-nomination must be for 30 or more days, where 30.4 AD duty days are equivalent to one joint point. These 36 points can be earned in several different experiences, or one.

The second track, S-JDA, is accomplished by filling one of the 306 Individual Reserve positions on the Joint Duty Assignment List. These positions are already identified as meeting the requirements and definitions of joint matters. In order to qualify for joint credit in these positions, the member must work three years and perform a minimum of 36 days per year in their billet. They must also accrue ten experience points during that time period. The officer can earn joint credit in two years, working 36 days per year, however, they must earn 18 experience points. Those additional points can be earned either before or after the JDAL assignment.  Officers may combine S-JDA experience with the E-JDA path.

Officers who would like to self-nominate their experience for joint credit must do so within one year of ending that experience.  In order to have the best chance of receiving credit, submitters should consider these five points:

1. Clearly write what and how the work led to a unified action.
2. Ensure most duties were performed at the strategic level. Operational and tactical level work, such as feeding of troops, does not qualify for joint credit.
3. Review and follow the JOM Handbook when writing packages.
4. Provide all required supporting documents, which may include relevant orders, reconciled travel vouchers, award citations, officer personnel records, and letters of evaluation.
5. Understand the definition of joint matters. Receiving a joint award or working in a joint environment does not necessarily meet that definition. Positions meeting the definition of joint matters are those the strategic decision making level.

Brig. Gen. Samuel C. Mahaney, ARPC Commander, encouraged officers to pursue opportunities that would allow them to perform at the joint strategic decision-making level. He said that from his own career experience, working in the joint environment was a great and eye opening experience.

"As the Air Force Reserve joins the Air Force and Department of Defense in a future of increasingly joint operations, we expect leaders to embrace joint and to expand their horizons in the decision-making process," he said.

Members who believe they qualify for joint service credit can learn more about the self-nomination process by visiting the Total Force Joint Officer Management MyPers page and reviewing the Total Force Joint Officer Management Handbook and the how to Submit discretionary points link. Members may also contact the ARPC JOM office by calling 720-847-3413 or emailing afrc.dpajjom@us.af.mil.