Where can I find the no-joke requirements for competitively screening for LCDR as a SWO?

LT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 13 Mar 2021 15:06:13 -0500

I'm a SWO(N) with a little more than a year left on my first shore duty. I commissioned in May 2014. After DH school, I will probably have only a month or so at my DH tour before receiving my first DH FITREP (probably not ranked very high due to the timing) and immediately getting screened for LCDR. Where can I find the exact requirements for screening? Some MILPERSMAN document? OPNAVINST? Everything I know about the process so far has frankly been gouge, and I really can't afford to miss the mark on LCDR screening if I want to finish my 23-year service requirement for retirement (I'm a STA-21 officer) without getting force ejected.

As an example, I will have finished my masters degree in engineering management before leaving shore duty but can't find degree requirements to ENSURE there are no odd joint service education requirements that are also needed.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Mar 13 at 2021 3:52 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Sat, 13 Mar 2021 15:52:03 -0500

You are filling shoes that have been filled many times before, so your situation is fairly common. You have to know some things about how Boards work and things about how your FITREP should be prepared.
I've been out since 2003, but had Skipper tours and sat 6-7 varied AD/Reserve boards at Millington. Although there are some changes since my time, I do have some pointers. First, read the prior 1-3 years of board precepts. They should be available on the NPC website. They explicitly say how the board works, what is fair game, etc. Look for "shall not be disadvantaged" topics. If the Precepts are any good, they recognize people take many paths. Just don't get labeled a "camper". Second, the Board reviewing officers and President will quickly see what your progression was and understand why you are where you are. You'll be in good company at the Board. By definition, you're not likely a First Crunch water walker wearing a MSM, but, you want to position yourself best for the Second/Third Crunch. Also, people forget that besides selecting, decisions are made not to select. After the First Crunch, the Board looks for a "Cut Line" for obvious selection and non selection. Hopefully your first Reviewing Officer did their job properly and you're in the fat part of the curve. Boards look for a "Level of Confidence" you will do well at the next rank. Final thing is to take a look at the size and width of the Zone and what the selection percentage is. If NPC doesn't say, take a look as the prior few years. Good years are around 70-75%.
Now to the FITREP. Your Skipper has a "Reporting Senior Average" that needs to be managed. If not, then the credibility of his/her paper is diminished. You should be in a group of peers. If not, you're a "one of one" on the summary. MOST IMPORTANT are the words in the narrative. If you are say 4 of 5 in the summary, words like "his increasing performance will make him competitive for top grading next cycle." Check and see what grouping you're in. I had to group new officers separate from zoned officers, but I don't know if that is still true. You won't have much track record, so it's important for the Skipper to depict what you're turning into. That creates momentum. At Third Crunch, Reviewing Officers can easily tell who has momentum and who doesn't. Passive words like "new officer in billet", "limited", etc. don't have momentum. Passive words are code speak for "you can let him go." And yes, I purposely used those words on the lower 1/3rd of the groupings. I had a great Reporting Senior Average that allowed me to shoot a silver bullet every now and then. 100% of my top third in groups were promoted, even to O-6 on third go-around.
With these two aspects understood, the board process will commence and your record will get reviewed by a different officer for each Crunch. All Board members vote level of confidence each time. Annotations are made to the record posted on the big screens in "The Tank" which depict positive, negative, or neutral aspects. It's momentum, momentum, and momentum. Your record must not give an easy reason to set aside. Third Crunch can be like trying to split Angel hairs, but that's the job that needs to be done.
Many more aspects, but you have an idea of what your paper needs to say.

Response by LT Brad McInnis made Mar 13 at 2021 5:17 PM

LT Brad McInnis — Sat, 13 Mar 2021 17:17:23 -0500

LT Private RallyPoint Member Talk to your detailer. They have all the latest board stats and requirements. Tell them your issues and they should be able to help out. Not sure if they still do it, but when I was in NPC Millington would put out notes after each promotions. You should be able to screen the past messages from them by UIC. I don't have that info anymore... Best of luck.

Response by LCDR Mike Morrissey made Mar 14 at 2021 2:36 PM

LCDR Mike Morrissey — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 14:36:07 -0400

The opportunity to select to O-4 under DOPMA is 80% of those in zone. Now those selected outside the zone (e.g. once passed over) count against that percentage. In my day, selection to O-4 when I was up was 65% but 10% was “eaten up” by above zone selects. CDR was less than 50%.

Selection to O-4 is not dictated by designator requirements such as the Cdr and above billet requirements. As an unrestricted line SWO LT there isn’t an educational REQUIREMENT but the options you have taken stand you in good stead. The 80% is not spread evenly across warfare designators. Nearly 100% of SEALS are routinely selected to O-4 which eats away at the 80%. I noticed your SWO(N). Are you nuclear qualified? If so, they usually also have higher selection percentages.

As for the one month fitrep as a DH, check current fitrep inst. as such a report was usually just one to maintain continuity without grading—for the very reason that concerns you.

Hopefully your at sea time ranking amongst peers was at least in upper 15-20%. Such as 1 of 3 or at least 2 of 5 etc.

So in summary:
Met SWO qual requirements
You selected and completed Dept Head school —
an indication of successful division officer tour
DH school completion real plus and meets the expected flow point.
Selected to actually serve as a department head. -another plus
Advanced degree in a critical field (as opposed in English Lit.) —another plus. Was the degree part of a Navy grad school program or on your own during shore duty? Either one is highly desired.

I wouldn’t be so nuts as to guarantee your selection, but based on what you present, I’ll be very surprised if you don’t select. 2 out of 10 won’t, and if 8 out of 10–why wouldn’t you be in that number? If for some reason the disaster of not finding your name on the promotion list (there is no formal notification of FTS from the board), don’t give up. There is one more shot a year later, a year as an actual Dept. Head. Have others go over your record.

I’ve known several who had the shock of not finding their name on the list only to have somebody else see it or, upon a second frantic search, find the name and the adrenaline shock. If married. the very first phone call is to the spouse.