No more DCOIC?

[bluemarlin04]

Just FYI- don’t mobilize to go downrange on a generic “designator blind” billet. Or even one for your designator.

I promise it will be a terrible experience and a lot of people get put into units that are a bunch of people thrown randomly to make one.

I did one exactly like that 12 years ago to Iraq. It was so bad. I can’t emphasize enough just how bad it was and I’m glad I came back in one piece cause it was extremely dangerous and we lacked the necessary training and equipment.

 

[dclarke19]

Looks like the shift to 5 weeks isn't the only change. After a couple months of NOSC visits and contacting POCs, I finally got my DCOIC requirement in NROWS on Friday (I've had my quota since December). I wasn't too worried since every officer I've spoken to on the matter said they didn't get their requirement until 3-4 weeks beforehand. My NOSC told me the same repeatedly. I filled that out and routed it, which requires another set of approvals (ie. more hurry up and wait).

Today I received notice that orders and funding for DCOIC must be completely approved 30 days prior to convene date, or else you will be dropped. Essentially, I have 2 more days for all approvals to go through or it looks like I'm not going until September. The administrative shenanigans and surprises never seem to end.



What happens if you get sent to the other side of the world for 9 months?

I found out on Friday the 15th that I was confirmed for the April 6-19 date. Hopefully all my paperwork to make the approval that much smoother

 

[Deleted member 67144 scul]

I found out on Friday the 15th that I was confirmed for the April 6-19 date. Hopefully all my paperwork to make the approval that much smoother

Is your NROWS requirement completed and approved, and DTS squared away? If not, you still got some work to do.

 

[dclarke19]

As far as I know, that's a negative. At drill this weekend a CPO was going to create the Orders. I left a message with a PS1 at my NOSC to see how it's tracking. I will probably log in this evening and do as much as I can myself.

 

[Goodfou]

I will probably log in this evening and do as much as I can myself.

This!!!

 

[Deleted member 67144 scul]

As far as I know, that's a negative. At drill this weekend a CPO was going to create the Orders. I left a message with a PS1 at my NOSC to see how it's tracking. I will probably log in this evening and do as much as I can myself.

Do you have a requirement available in NROWS? Once you do, you can create the application (fill in all the details not already done) and then route it for approvals. Give yourself time because it can get bounced back for little details. Or your NOSC changes things, route it to the school, and then it gets bounced back, making for some fun times.

If you haven't already, read the "Sailor Guide" on NROWS from the "Help" tab. It explains how to do most things.

Just FYI- don’t mobilize to go downrange on a generic “designator blind” billet. Or even one for your designator.

I promise it will be a terrible experience and a lot of people get put into units that are a bunch of people thrown randomly to make one.

I did one exactly like that 12 years ago to Iraq. It was so bad. I can’t emphasize enough just how bad it was and I’m glad I came back in one piece cause it was extremely dangerous and we lacked the necessary training and equipment.

Your frankness in general and regarding your experience is very commendable and informative, and I don't know how many people in their 30s and 40s would want to volunteer for a "useless", or even dangerous, MOB. Personally, it isn't potential danger that would worry me relative to the 6-12 months on the other side of the world to watch asphalt dry. But volunteering or not, there are short lists and people do get picked to go to Djibouti, Bahrain, Afghanistan, etc. Sooner or later, people are going to have to go, as it would be. In that case, what would you advise?

 

[Jones29681]

I talked to my recruiter about the DCOIC to ODS change this week. He said that yes this is something happening, but he hasn't seen any movement to make him believe it's happening at the end of this fiscal year. Basically that he thinks that as weeks/months go by they'll realize they need to punt into the next fiscal year to have enough time to actually make it a reality.

I'm assuming it's just recruiter speak, though I have always assumed that the guys recruiting DCOs don't really blow smoke up our tailpipes since it's such a candidate driven process to actually get to the boards.

Take it for what it's worth. I'm planning for the change to happen and going to ODS if I get selected.

 

[bryanteagle6]

we will know for sure around july when/if they produce more DCOIC classes or not. But on my end - everything ive read - we are switching!

The better question is if you can select you class or if it comes in your FINSEL like OCS does?!

 

[AU_Aviation]

I'll be interested to hear/see the answer to this one. I have prepared for the change to ODS, but when I spoke with my OR on Monday afternoon he said he hadn't heard anything about this change. He didn't think it would be a bad move, but he was curious as to how it would work since DCOIC traditionally takes the place of the first years AT. Time will tell on this one.

 

[Hair Warrior]

The better question is if you can select you class or if it comes in your FINSEL like OCS does?!

My hunch, you will pick it. You’ll drill with your unit before attending ODS. After NOSC indoc, you’ll work with NOSC training to get a quota.

he was curious as to how it would work since DCOIC traditionally takes the place of the first years AT. Time will tell on this one.

I bet ODS will be partly (14 days) on AT and partly (the rest) on ADT. It will count for your year one AT.

 

[LT Rich Santos]

Enlisted boot camp doesn’t teach you how to be an officer.

That is the entire point of OCS- to teach you how to be an officer and manage time, stress, etc AND how to lead. I think at least ODS could do some of that. Two weeks won’t teach anything.

Aside from if people think it’s necessary- I just never understood why we can’t hold active duty officers and reserve officers to the same standard and use the same training pipelines.

I imagine it has something to do with the different commitments we are expecting from active duty and reserve officers. Reserve officers are normally working professionals applying for a part time job essentially, and asking them to take a 12 week detour from their professional lives plus whatever follow on schools are required would be a tremendous deterrent from people applying for reserve positions.

I'm speaking simply as a recruiter and I have worked both active duty and reserve applicants. I completely understand that this is exactly what a mobilization would entail, but a mob and initial training are two completely separate animals.

Reserve and active officers are held to the same standards. That doesn't necessarily equate to the same training pipelines.

 

[bryanteagle6]

It looks like i may not get a dcoic quota at this rate. I wish i could pick an ODS quota right now versus waiting until OCT

 

[Hair Warrior]

Waitlist yourself. Also try calling OTCN and ask about the possibility of getting in off the waitlist.

 

[bryanteagle6]

I was told. If you waitlist, you dont actually hold a guaranteed seat. So i told our nosc n7 to get me the first guaranteed seat. But i will call and check for sure! No one will do the leg work for you!

 

[Jim123]

I was told. If you waitlist, you dont actually hold a guaranteed seat. So i told our nosc n7 to get me the first guaranteed seat. But i will call and check for sure! No one will do the leg work for you!

One of the tricks of the trade here is to write orders for a solid date and then modify them later if you get a different date, but-

First you write them with the dates for your guaranteed seat (the DCOIC orders might get funded a few months out, give or take, and when the fund approvers press the button to do that then the NROWS gonkulator does a couple of electronic things and voilà! your orders are finalized a couple minutes later). If you're flexible on dates and a waitlist for a sooner class suddenly pops as an available quota, then you modify those existing orders with just a simple date change.

It takes less time to modify existing orders than it does to create new ones, mostly because all of the same entities that have to look at them see that the original orders were perfectly fine and it's just this one change. So you can see how this can be useful to sidestep the problems with what's called "short fused orders." But be careful what you wish for- it sounds simple but there are one or two glitches that can happen in DTS... and it's almost never easy to unscrew a glitch in DTS, which most importantly means a delay in you getting reimbursed for your plane tickets and other travel expenses. So if your N7 is of the opinion that it's not worth the hassle to write orders for one set of dates while halfway intending to change the dates later, then it's probably in your best interest to listen to what they're telling you and just keep it simple.

(Obviously your personal schedule has to be flexible enough to change from one class date to another, so just make sure you're able to actually do what you're asking to do.)