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I'm considering moving out west and re-enlisting into either a 38b/37f slot depending on NCO slots/distance away etc. Just have some general questions.
1)I've heard that a reserve psyops company is better to go to as an NCO because there is more NCO slots available, whereas Civil Affairs company/battalion are heavy on officers. Am I hearing that correctly or is that wrong?
2)Do reserve CA Battalions actually have smaller amounts of soldiers with the CA mos in them? Why do they seem to be concentrated in Battalions vs Psyop companies?
3) What other MOS is found within the Psyop Company and CA battalion? I have interest in both Engineer and MI disciplines. This is not to say 38b and 37f wouldn't be my leading MOS, just that if it came between being a specialist at either one of those or a Sgt in a different MOS, I don't particularly want to go backwards even jumping units and states. I was working on whatever the new SSD2 was and would be working on SSG. If I have to hold at SPC because all the SGT slots are filled that would influence my decision.
4)I've heard that deployments are still happening for reserve ca/psyop is that still true? I've also heard that training time is longer than typical reserve units, but I've never had just one weekend a month two weeks in the summer the entirety of my time in. And not only was that time off, it was always way off. Like a month or so at least. That wouldn't really bother me unless it is quite a bit different even from that. But even then, I'd get over it.
I originally tried to enlist as a reserve 38b way back in the day after reading Waging Peace by Rob Schultheis but eventually went National Guard because the Army Reserve recruiters were ate up and after talking with them for about a week they found me a reserve unit with the Public Affairs mos which made me shake my head and walk away. I've also read Hearts and Mines by Russell Snyder and his reserve psyops experience. Either MOS sounds good. As I'm older I'm still interested in deploying, and doing outside of the wire stuff, but not necessarily the old combat engineering type of duties. I do know that both MOS can be attached to the maneuver elements when deployed and that is fine.
1)I've heard that a reserve psyops company is better to go to as an NCO because there is more NCO slots available, whereas Civil Affairs company/battalion are heavy on officers. Am I hearing that correctly or is that wrong?
2)Do reserve CA Battalions actually have smaller amounts of soldiers with the CA mos in them? Why do they seem to be concentrated in Battalions vs Psyop companies?
3) What other MOS is found within the Psyop Company and CA battalion? I have interest in both Engineer and MI disciplines. This is not to say 38b and 37f wouldn't be my leading MOS, just that if it came between being a specialist at either one of those or a Sgt in a different MOS, I don't particularly want to go backwards even jumping units and states. I was working on whatever the new SSD2 was and would be working on SSG. If I have to hold at SPC because all the SGT slots are filled that would influence my decision.
4)I've heard that deployments are still happening for reserve ca/psyop is that still true? I've also heard that training time is longer than typical reserve units, but I've never had just one weekend a month two weeks in the summer the entirety of my time in. And not only was that time off, it was always way off. Like a month or so at least. That wouldn't really bother me unless it is quite a bit different even from that. But even then, I'd get over it.
I originally tried to enlist as a reserve 38b way back in the day after reading Waging Peace by Rob Schultheis but eventually went National Guard because the Army Reserve recruiters were ate up and after talking with them for about a week they found me a reserve unit with the Public Affairs mos which made me shake my head and walk away. I've also read Hearts and Mines by Russell Snyder and his reserve psyops experience. Either MOS sounds good. As I'm older I'm still interested in deploying, and doing outside of the wire stuff, but not necessarily the old combat engineering type of duties. I do know that both MOS can be attached to the maneuver elements when deployed and that is fine.
Posted in these groups: 
38B: Civil Affairs Specialist
37F: Psychological Operations Specialist
Army Reserve Elements
38B: Civil Affairs Specialist 37F: Psychological Operations Specialist Army Reserve Elements
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3
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Psychological Operations is the way to go. You do some CA stuff in PSYOP’s but not the other way around. Not many officers, NCOs make up the 3 man PSYOP Team. Usually PSYOP‘s has more slots for Airborne, Air Assault, Pathfinder, and Jump Master courses.
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1SG (Join to see)
Best thing to do is ask to visit a PSYOP reserve unit during a Driil weekend and check out what they do.
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1) I believe it depends on the unit and the company regarding NCO slots. (speaking for Civil Affairs). Generally there is a lot of upwards mobility. For Officers, I guess you could say we are pretty heavy on Officers, which I feel for Civil Affairs is a good thing. The presence of a an Officer gives you more credibility in the eyes of the Battle Space commander of the unit you are attached to, giving you a bit more freedom.
2) In a CA battalion, there is going to more CA soldiers in them. Like 90% of a CA Battalion will be CA soldiers, with about 20-25 in a company. I feel like I'm not understanding your question.
3)I'm not sure about other CA companies, but my unit pushes everyone to promote. They won't do your packet for you, but as long as you have all the classes and a finished promotion packet, they'll get you squared away. We have a promotion board almost every 3 months or so. We are also always sending people to schools, though soldiers with higher PT scores get priority.
Other MOS in the company off the top of my head. Signal, CBRN, Medic, Admin.
4) Yesss "deployments" haha. My unit hasn't deployed to Afghanistan since 2012. But we get yearly missions to the Philippines for Balikitan as a four man team and each company get's a turn, so every 3 years for a company. We also have yearly training rotations, for us it is usually NTC, but the last one I went to was JRTC in LA. Also, for both training rotations and Asia missions, they'll send you for 29 days and not a day over, so that they don't pay you BAH lol.
2) In a CA battalion, there is going to more CA soldiers in them. Like 90% of a CA Battalion will be CA soldiers, with about 20-25 in a company. I feel like I'm not understanding your question.
3)I'm not sure about other CA companies, but my unit pushes everyone to promote. They won't do your packet for you, but as long as you have all the classes and a finished promotion packet, they'll get you squared away. We have a promotion board almost every 3 months or so. We are also always sending people to schools, though soldiers with higher PT scores get priority.
Other MOS in the company off the top of my head. Signal, CBRN, Medic, Admin.
4) Yesss "deployments" haha. My unit hasn't deployed to Afghanistan since 2012. But we get yearly missions to the Philippines for Balikitan as a four man team and each company get's a turn, so every 3 years for a company. We also have yearly training rotations, for us it is usually NTC, but the last one I went to was JRTC in LA. Also, for both training rotations and Asia missions, they'll send you for 29 days and not a day over, so that they don't pay you BAH lol.
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SGT (Join to see)
I even worded that question wrong. I think it would've been easier to ask whether or not CA companies were small or not since every other unit I've been associated with or trained with is always company sized at the armory level.
You answered that question. 25+ man company would've been just over one of our platoons in my sapper company, and we were small compared to an infantry company.
Does the reserves actually board people? NG is all handled behind the scenes by senior leadership. Or used to be.
I'll take three NTCs over one JRTC.
NG usually is your "local" training sites. We trained at WHFRTC lots, as well as Campbell and Knox and occasionally Atterbury. Every three years you get NTC or JRTC and European AT. Seems like the opportunities are better in CA to at least do something a little more.
How is the 405th? I've actually looked into moving into Utah or Nevada (no state income tax states like Nevada have been drawing my eye lately).
You answered that question. 25+ man company would've been just over one of our platoons in my sapper company, and we were small compared to an infantry company.
Does the reserves actually board people? NG is all handled behind the scenes by senior leadership. Or used to be.
I'll take three NTCs over one JRTC.
NG usually is your "local" training sites. We trained at WHFRTC lots, as well as Campbell and Knox and occasionally Atterbury. Every three years you get NTC or JRTC and European AT. Seems like the opportunities are better in CA to at least do something a little more.
How is the 405th? I've actually looked into moving into Utah or Nevada (no state income tax states like Nevada have been drawing my eye lately).
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Curious to learn more about this! What did you end up doing? My current contract with the Utah ARNG will end in Dec 2025 and I would like to switch to reserves CA, so trying to prepare for that as my retention NCO is starting to ask questions.
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SGT (Join to see)
I did something completely different. I got out. Life got in the way, rejoined the NG as a 14g a couple of years later. I actually just got out of the schoolhouse for it.
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SPC(P) (Join to see)
SGT (Join to see) oh nice! I've only been around a few guys in ADA, but they all had great things to say about the job field!
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SGT (Join to see)
I should've stayed a 12b. This is too technical for me personally, as I do better in retention in a more hands on MOS. Otherwise the ADD demons start stealing my attention away. Maybe after this contract I'll go 38b or 37f. Also I'm 14g in a FA brigade, so I've kind of bottlenecked myself into a job with no upward mobility unless I go warrant, or switch states.
Your contract will end before mine does, so I'll probably end up asking you how you liked it.
Your contract will end before mine does, so I'll probably end up asking you how you liked it.
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