By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Paul Honnick
The BUPERS representatives discussed the ins and outs of Fleet Ride, Perform to Serve and Career Management System/Interactive Detailing (CMS/ID), and addressed concerns over the record retention numbers and decreasing quotas.
"Our main goal is to educate Sailors and their chains of command on how they can best compete for the limited amount of quotas that are going to be available in the future as we try to meet our end strength demands," said Capt. Hank Roux, the head of the enlisted community management shop for BUPERS 32. "Our primary tool that we'll be using is to discuss the Perform to Serve program, which will impact all Sailors 14 years or less in the Navy. They will have to compete at a minimum once, if not three times for a quota in their future, and so what I'm trying to do is give them all of the ammunition they need to be best suited to get one of those coveted quotas."
Many concerns came from Sailors in overmanned ratings.
"There are some real concerns for whether they will be able to get one of those quotas," he said. "Their concerns are valid, and they should be looking at the health of each one of their rates and they should understand where their rate is currently, which is available on our BUPERS webpage."
Rank is a major factor when comparing Sailors in a specific year group requesting to reenlist.
"If you're an E-6 in year group 2005, and another Sailor is an E-3, that E-6 of course is going to compete better and will probably get that quota, so the E-3 should be looking at things like where are some undermanned ratings that I may be able to convert to; and you get three choices every time you submit your application to do that, so our recommendation is that you look to convert if you can; second option is to look at the selective reserve option, which is available to you up to 90 days prior your EAOS," said Roux.
Roux said the best way Sailors can help themselves is to advance in a timely fashion.
"They should be studying for their advancement exam," he said. "I cannot emphasize that point more. If they are studying and they are advancing on time, they should have no problem gaining an in-rate quota within the Perform to Serve program."
Roux also suggested that Sailors in an overmanned rating who are considering cross rating, take a second look at their ASVAB score to ensure they have plenty of options available.
"If you are in a very over manned rating, review your ASVAB scores ahead of time," said Roux. "If your ASVAB scores are not what they should be, you should be looking at retaking the ASVAB. You should be looking at exactly where your ASVAB stacks up, and if you have to retake them it will give you more options to convert if you can't get an in-rate quota."
The next step for Sailors who have received a PTS quota and approved to reenlist is to negotiate orders on CMS/ID.
Master Chief Quartermaster Andy Millar, BUPERS senior enlisted advisor of enlisted distribution, discussed CMS/ID and outlined some recent changes to the system.
"NAVADMIN 249/09 made some significant changes to CMS/ID, the biggest one is that it shortened that window that the Sailors have from five months to three months to negotiate orders," said Millar. "Part of the reason for that was because Sailors were waiting until the last minute to detail themselves anyway because they're always kind of wondering was is the next billet that is going to be available, so we kind of reduced the window for that; it also gave Sailors an opportunity for those that are deploying overseas, if they're going to take that billet, in order to screen for that," said Millar.
He also said Sailors can apply for up to five sets of orders each month.
"We want Sailors to know they have three opportunities; three months of a negotiation window and we want them to apply for the maximum number of billets available; they have five [billets] per cycle, and we want them to maximize that in order to give themselves the best potential to get the set of orders that they want," said Millar.
Millar stressed the importance of applying for PTS early.
"You can start applying for PTS 15 months out and we definitely want people to be applying for PST at the 12 month point so they will actually have that PTS quota by the time they come into their detailing window," said Millar. "Apply for it early, continue to apply for it and if they have to, look at other ratings that they may be qualified for in order to maximize their opportunity."
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