Regular Army first lieutenants with a yen to serve in special operations will be considered for possible branch transfers to Special Forces, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations by a board that meets April 20-24.
The annual Special Operations Accessions Board is the single point of entry into these branches for commissioned officers.
Application packets must arrive at the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, no later than March 20.
The basic zone of eligibility includes all year group 2012 first lieutenants, regardless of branch, with O-2 active-duty dates of rank of April 1, 2013, through March 31, 2014.
The eligible population encompasses about one-third of the active Army's 13,000 first lieutenants. Most of these officers will be in the primary zone of consideration for captain boards that meet in fiscal 2015.
National Guard and Army Reserve first lieutenants are not eligible for this board.
The Army also requires that applicants for the April board:
■ Be airborne-qualified or willing to attend jump school.
■ Qualify for a top secret security clearance.
■ Be available for worldwide deployment.
Male candidates for these branches must have a valid SF physical, while women applying for Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations must have a valid physical for SERE-C (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course).
Key requirements, as well as the training pipeline, for each branch are:
Special Forces
■ The branch only is open to male applicants who meet the eye and vision standards of Army Regulation 40-501, or who are willing to undergo PRK or LASIK surgery for correction.
■ An applicant's PT test scorecard must be no older than six months, and must have a minimum score of 240, with no less than 60 points in each category. Height and weight screening must be submitted if the candidate does not meet the weight standard for his age.
■ Candidates must score at least 85 on the Defense Language Aptitude Battery.
Selected Special Forces volunteers will attend the SF Assessment and Selection course, which is a 19-day TDY-and-return course, to be followed by a PCS move to Fort Bragg for Phase I of the Special Forces Career Course, and the SF Detachment Officer Qualification Course. Candidates who are not airborne-qualified will attend jump school.
Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations
■ These branches are open to men and women. PT and language test score requirements are the same as for Special Forces.
■ Selected volunteers will attend either the Civil Affairs or Psychological Operations Assessment and Selection course, which is a 10-day TDY-and-return event. Officers who complete the assessment and selection course will attend Phase I of their branch's Captain Career Course, followed by the Civil Affairs or Psychological Operations Qualification Course.
To apply, see MilPer Message 14-220, dated Aug. 8.
