6 formerly ‘hot jobs’ in restricted status

By

Jim Tice

Photo Credit: Sgt. Christopher M. Gaylord Spc. Abraham Lamug Jr., a carpentry specialist with the 585th Engineer Company, whose Soldiers specialize in vertical construction, uses a rotary hammer drill Jan. 10 to slot holes into the concrete foundation that will support an Expeditionary Forces Aircraft Shelter System, a structure Soldiers with Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s newest unit, the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, will use as a supply depot for helicopter parts. The project, which began in early December and is expected to end later this month, allowed Soldiers with the company to return to some of their grass roots construction skills.

The Army has moved several military occupational specialties that previously were on the service’s “hot jobs” list into a restricted status that will require incumbent soldiers to undergo a special screening before they are approved for re-enlistment.

The policy change is part of the precision retention procedures the Army is using to closely monitor the specialty and grade content of the force during the drawdown. Sources say that without such controls, certain specialties could become overstrength and throw the force out of balance in terms of having the right people in the right place at the right time.

Under rules announced Wednesday, re-enlistment restrictions have been placed on soldiers in the following military occupational specialties, skill levels and language codes:

■ 09L (interpreter/translator), skill level 1

■ 12V (concrete and equipment specialist, SL1 and SL2

■ 12R (interior electrician), SL1

■ 12W (carpentry and masonry specialist), SL1

■ 13T (field artillery surveyor/meteorological crewmember), SL1

■ 35P (cryptologic linguist), all skill levels with Hebrew (HE), Thai (TH) and Turkish (TU)

To qualify for re-enlistment, soldiers in the above categories not only must be endorsed by their commander, but by retention officials at the Human Resources Command as follows:

Once approved by the commander via a DA Form 3340 (Request for Reenlistment or Extension in the Regular Army), a soldier’s servicing career counselor will forward the form and his or her Enlisted Record Brief to HRC.

While no additional documentation is required, HRC encourages soldiers and their leaders to provide memos articulating any of the soldier’s accomplishments that are not reflected in the record brief or official personnel file.

HRC retention officials “will evaluate the soldier’s record and compare their accomplishments to other soldiers of the same MOS and skill level,” according to implementing guidance issued by the command in MilPer Message 14-300.

HRC officials will then render one of the following decisions:

■ Approve the soldier for re-enlistment in his or her MOS.

■ Require the soldier to reclassify to another MOS.

■ Approve the extension or re-enlistment.

■ Deny re-enlistment.

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Jim Tice