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Prior Service Enlistments and Rejoining the Military

The Complications of Rejoining the Armed services

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Updated on February 04, 2019

Many veterans are thrilled to get out of the military machine at first. But then, after a few years, many determine that perchance they fit better in a military machine profession than a civilian chore. And in some cases, service members want to get out of one service to join a different service.

Regardless of why a veteran with prior feel wants to re-enlist, unfortunately it'southward non that easy. The truth is that it's tough to rejoin the military for ii reasons: the size of your year group and your previous training (the job that you are skilled in may not be needed at your electric current fourth dimension in service).

An example of the in a higher place issue is when a Marine with half dozen years of service wants to get out of the USMC and bring together the Navy SEALs. The recruiters have to look at their six years of service not as an nugget, but decide if in that location is room for someone with 6 years of service at a specific rank to bring together the Navy and enter the SEAL program. Some years may be wide open, just some yr groups may be over-manned and not allow for a vi-yr Marine to join the Navy and attend SEAL training.

Tape of Previous Service

The other hurdle for many with prior service is the re-enlistment eligibility code (RE Lawmaking) that the service placed on their DD Form 214 (Record of Discharge) at the time of their separation. In general, if the RE Code is "ane," there are no bars to enlistment. If the RE Code is "two" for the Air Force, that person is ineligible to re-enlist in the Air Force, only might exist allowed to enlist in another branch of the military machine, with restrictions. If the RE Code is "2" for any of the other services, the person might be eligible to enlist in either the same service or another service, with restrictions. If the RE Code is "iii," the private might be able to re-join their service or enlist in another service with a waiver (depending on the reason for the discharge). If the RE Lawmaking is "4," the individual is ineligible for re-enlistment or enlistment in another service.

Prior Service

And then, what exactly is considered "prior service?"

The Section of Defense definition for "prior service" is non standard as each of the services defines it differently:

Regular army. The Army defines "prior service" as any applicant with more than than 180 days of military service, or those who graduated from military task-preparation (MOS/AFSC/Rating), regardless of time-in-service. Individuals with less than 180 days of military machine service, and/or those who have non completed armed services job-grooming are classified as "Glossary Prior Service," and are candy the aforementioned as non-prior service recruits and given an RE Lawmaking (or receive a waiver) on their DD Form 214.

Air Forcefulness. The Air Force defines "prior service" as persons who have served at least 24 months of Active Duty service without regard to regular component or continuous service in the Armed Forces. Individuals with less than 24 months of Agile Duty are considered "previous service." Previous service personnel are classified and candy the same as non-prior service and given an RE Code (or receive a waiver) on their DD Grade 214.

Navy and Marine Corps. The Navy considers applicants with 180 sequent days or more of prior active duty service equally "prior service." Those with less than 180 consecutive days of prior agile duty service are considered non-prior service (NPS) applicants. Still, they must see RE Code eligibility requirements (or receive an approved waiver).

For enlistment purposes, the Marine Corps defines prior service as:

Those individuals who accept successfully completed the recruit/bones training sponsored past their former service
Those individuals who accept failed to consummate recruit/bones training, and who have been given a DD Course 214 and assigned a reenlistment code
Those individuals who accept fulfilled their armed services service obligation within a reserve component

Coast Guard. The Coast Guard definition is vague. They define "prior service" as "a person who has served some valid period of creditable service in any of the U.S. Armed Forces, including Reserve components thereof."

Prior Service Quotas

Each of the services limits the number of prior service enlistments (this includes those in the Baby-sit and Reserves who wish to enlist on agile duty) they permit each twelvemonth. Information technology is because a "prior service" enlistment slot is the same equally a "re-enlistment" slot. Given the choice, the military will allow someone currently in the service to re-enlist before they permit a prior-service applicant to re-join.

In most cases, prior service candidates must enlist in the military chore they had at the time of separation unless the service declares there is no demand for that chore. But and then can the member elect to enlist in a different task.

What to Expect

The Air Force is the hardest active duty service for prior service to enlist, and the Army is the easiest. The Marine Corps and the Navy have prior service, but not in big numbers.

The Air Force has accepted only a handful of prior service applicants during the past decade, only those who are already qualified in extremely hard-to-fill jobs, such equally Pararescue, Combat Controller, or Linguist.

So, for a prior-service to enlist, the service must exist under their goal for re-enlistments. For the past several years, re-enlistment rates have been right on target for all of the services.

With the exception of the Army, waiting times of a year or more for prior service to enlist are non uncommon.

Considering at that place are usually many more prior-service who desire to enlist than there are available positions, some of the services do non even requite "enlistment credit" for recruiters to enlist prior service. Some of the services exercise requite "enlistment credit," just not until the applicant goes on active duty (which might take a yr or more). Add this to the fact that prior service enlistments require more than "paperwork," and try by the recruiter, it's understandable that many recruiters would rather spend their valuable fourth dimension working with non-prior-service recruits.

Repeating Basic Grooming

Whether or non you have to go through boot military camp varies in each of the services. The Marines pretty much require all prior-service from other services to go through Marine Boot Camp. In the Ground forces, sometime members of other services (except the Marine Corps), are required to attend the four-week Warrior Transition Course at Fort Bliss, Texas. Former Soldiers and Marines who have a break in service of more than three years must also attend this class.

For the Navy, the kicking camp decision is made individually, afterwards examining the person'due south military experience. In the Air Force, few prior-service must go through Air Force basic. Instead, they attend a x-24-hour interval Air Strength familiarization class at Lackland Air Force Base.

For the Coast Guard, non-Coast Guard veterans with more than two years of active duty service nourish a 30-day bones called "Pit Stop." All others attend the full-Coast Guard Basic Training.