A few questions

[M-T]

First of all I'd like to express my thanks to everyone on these forums, it has been an invaluable resource for research. Also thanks to Maj. Ritchie for some help with getting authorization on my account.

I am working on getting to the AK Guard as an O9S, I will be taking the ASVAB Thursday and, pending good scores, arranging a pre-screening with a local captain and who knows who else to make sure I can get a line/para of 09S on my contract.

My first question is regarding unit selection. Will GT scores of 110+ allow me to go to any unit, or will I need other scores above unit minimums? IE, (and bear in mind I don't have the way to calculate and interpret scores so this is an example), if I didn't have a CO score of 87, but a GT over 110 and wanted to go combat arms, would the GT supersede the CO?

My second question is related, how is the ability to move laterally as an officer? My current interests are in Scout Cav and Intel, first for the grunt experience and doing recon and the second for long term career options. The captain I spoke to here said that officers have a bit more flexibility in this, but the Sgt I've done most of the talking seemed to give me a kind of funny look at this thought. I don't want to just glide through one unit to say 'oh I was a grunt too', but I am interested in both, plus Airborne/SSniper schools would be an interesting and challenging experience and give me a boots on the ground perspective for any later positions.

Third, regarding contract - my landlord and I were discussing his experiences as enlisted in Active Duty and he noted to get everything you can down in writing. He mentioned people getting jerked around to different areas (states/cities) in case positions needed to be filled elsewhere. Is this something I should look out for in the guard and consider in my contract, or Active Duty only? I really love Anchorage/AK, which is part of the reason I am joining the guard and would prefer to stay there.

I have some other questions but I think they could best be answered in other threads/subforums and I imagine that is enough text for the immediate moment :) Much thanks!

[dnall]

First, 110GT is the only ASVAB requirement for officers. No other line score matters for anything at any point in the process. If you're interested in how the scores are calculated/etc though, military.com has some good info on that.

Second, you will be enlisted to a unit when you come in. That is a real unit, and you may drill with them for a little while, but that's just a holding status. That isn't necessarily where you will be assigned as an officer. You'll be assigned to a unit in proximity to where you live based on the branch you're assessed into. If you like that unit, you may be able to interview with the commander and get a request to the state with a para/lin number for a 2LT slot that's open there & be able to come back to them after you commission. A lot of people do that.

Third, the guard is part time, so you are anchored to where you live. You won't be randomly assigned a thousand miles away. There may come a point where you are ready to get promoted and the only open slot in your branch for the next rank is at another unit a good distance off. If that happens, it's your choice to accept it or try to wait for something else closer to come open. If you do choose to accept it, that doesn't mean you move there. I have people coming from Virgina, LA, FL, MO, SC, & AZ to drill in Houston cause they want to be in this unit. They don't have to, but that's their choice & done at their expense.

Finally, as far as lateral movement... you can change branches within the guard over time. Like I said with getting a slot elsewhere to promote, sometimes you'll find a slot in another branch that's local & decide to take your career off in that other direction. Doing something in combat arms & then moving off to something like intel is a good plan. That happens a lot. Intel officers with combat arms experience are better at knowing the practical information we need, and there are more promotion opportunities in the upper ranks of MI than there are at the bottom.

Specific to what you're talking about though... you need to understand that officers are managers, not specialists. Cav Scout/Recon & Sniper are all enlisted functions. Those people are tools with specialized skills meant to accomplish very narrow tasks. You as an officer are in charge of planning & managing the employment of many such tools to accomplish big picture tasks. You may do some of that kind of thing real early in your career, but it's not what being an officer is about.

[M-T]

I'm glad to know it's a smart idea to move from Combat Arms to MI and I wasn't proposing something that is really stupid! :D

I understand that as an officer I will be a manager, the one calling out to take the shot rather than the one with the rifle. I actually probably should have listed something like Ranger school above instead as to my understanding that is a good tactical leadership school and one where the person who attends returns to his unit and passes on the knowledge gained. I'm not too worried about going to the hooah schools in the end, I'd just like to have a good amount of combat arms knowledge.

I'll note down to consult with my recruiter and the OSM about how this state works re: assigning branches and see what is available.

I appreciate your post, thanks for the info.

[dnall]

You don't even really call the shot. More like you decide what sector of your defensive perimeter to station a sniper team in to provide the best force protection. Or what area of town to set the sniper/OP in to collect intelligence.

If you go infantry, you should get pre-ranger/ranger right after IOBC (unless they are deploying soon). You can get AAslt & pathfinder at any time to include between commissioning & BOLC II. You may or may not be able to get airborne. They give it to a lot of new infantry officers in our state, but traditionally it's hard to get in the guard unless you're in an airborne unit (of which there are few).

You should be fine though. There are a lot of combat arms jobs available in the guard & a lot of leadership opportunities. If you decide to move over to intel later or not, you'll still have the chance to do some good stuff.

[willw]

The only thing I would add just having gone through the process is get a good feel for the units in your state. I am an 11A, but coming back in I was actually more interested initially in looking at transitioning to an MI position, but our state only has one MI company so not a lot of captain slots.

The one thing I liked about the NG process is that as a Captain they said OK here are the slots available, locations, and options. Now go interview with those units and get hired. That sort of stuff doesn't happen in the Regular Army so you can actually control your destiny a bit more in the guard.

Just make sure you understand the unit structures so that you will know where the opportunities are as you progress in your career.

[M-T]

Thankfully when I spoke to the OSM it sounded like there were a lot of spots for MI officers, but getting a feel for the units is good advice. I'll have to do some research into it. More worried about getting through any pre-screening for 09S right now as when I called the officer he said first off "well a lot of officers in the guard are prior service..." which I am not.

[dnall]

Well he would be wrong. Most officers in the guard commission directly from ROTC to the guard. Don't be stressed about it. As long as you have the GT score & college hours, you'll be enlisted as an 09S & accepted into OCS. You just have to graduate.

As far as there being MI slots... one of the reasons it's good to do something else first is MI is mostly staff officers. There are very few PL/CO leader opportunities early in your career. Having that leader time & operational experience makes for a much better officer, regardless of branch.

[willw]

Well he would be wrong. Most officers in the guard commission directly from ROTC to the guard. Don't be stressed about it. As long as you have the GT score & college hours, you'll be enlisted as an 09S & accepted into OCS. You just have to graduate.

As far as there being MI slots... one of the reasons it's good to do something else first is MI is mostly staff officers. There are very few PL/CO leader opportunities early in your career. Having that leader time & operational experience makes for a much better officer, regardless of branch.

I strongly second that advice. There is the old inverse pyramid in the combat support and service support branches. When I was a lieutenant the Army did a lot of branch detail where a guy would be Infantry during the platoon leader days and then back to his core branch prior to going to what was the advanced course.

[M-T]

Well, it seems I do have the scores.. 132 GT and 93 AFQT %. Now I just need to really get back into shape, pass MEPS and work the rest of it out. Barring any unknown medical issues, the major test will be gaining muscle as a naturally skinny guy and getting in good cardio shape (plus running). Off to browse the health forums. My specific recruiter was out of town today so hopefully I will chat with him next week re: units and talking further with the OSM.

I just need the 09S on the contract or is there more I should be getting down in writing? Is BAH addressed in there?

Once again, thanks for all the replies and information.