Reenlist or Extend? Rules for Extensions to Change This Fall

BUPERS(NPC)

The Navy will change the Short Term Extension (STE) policy Oct. 1, affecting obligated service (OBLISERV) rules for enlisted personnel.

According to NAVADMIN 242/09, the reason for the change is that the Navy has noticed during the past several years the number of STEs has risen substantially.

“The impact of this change is that more Sailors will be directed toward reenlistments, said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West. “It also gives our Sailors more flexibility to manage their careers early in the [career review board] process while taking advantage of monetary incentives. Standardizing the rules will assist our Sailors in managing their careers while allowing the Navy to better manage the force. We should have done this years ago”

Currently, a Sailor has to obligate for 12 months when they receive orders to sea duty, unless DoD area requirements are greater. The new policy will require 24 months of obligated service, with these exceptions:

* Sailors with less than 24 months until their high year tenure date must only obligate for the amount of time needed to reach that date.

* Sailors will obligate for the requisite time-on-station requirements for PCS orders to places that require less than 24 months, such as Diego Garcia and unaccompanied tours.

* All other obligated-service requirements will remain the same.

The maximum number of short-term extensions that a Sailor may now use will be two per contract. The length of an extension will be limited to 23 months, and the total of all extensions cannot exceed 24 months. Other rules include:

* Extensions counting against the Sailor’s two-extension limit are those that help manage their careers or if they benefit to the Sailor. For example: Instead of reenlisting, a Sailor uses an extension to obtain OBLISERV so he/she can execute PCS orders.

* Extensions not counted are Navy-required ones, such as the PCS delay this past summer. Navy Personnel Command (NPC) can answer specific questions on what category an extension falls into. NPC also has procedures in place to handle unique situations that might require more than two extensions per contract.

* Extension policy for Sailors taking individual augmentee/global war on terrorism support assignments (IA/GSA) orders remains the same. Once they have completed the GSA/IA assignment, they will fall under current detailing and extension policies

Sailors choosing not to obligate for the required 24 months but have more than 12 months of contract time left will be assigned based on the “needs of the Navy” or, if eligible, will be encouraged to voluntarily separate at end of obligated service {EAOS} or projected rotation date {PRD), whichever is closer. Those assigned “needs of the Navy” orders will not necessarily stay at their present command.

West said that under any circumstances, however, this policy change provides Sailors and Navy families a greater opportunity to map out their future.

“The bottom line,” said West, “is that this allows our Sailors to be proactive, not reactive when it comes to career planning.”

For more news from Navy Personnel Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/npc/.