<p>agreed. just pointing out that Branch for Service is not exclusively for USMA grads.</p>
<p>"Unlike West Point, the Naval Academy doesn't let midshipmen barter for service selections. The needs of the Navy takes precedence over personal preferences."</p>
<p>I guess since both the Army's needs and the personal needs of the cadet/officer are met by the ADSO program it could be called a barter system (win-win situation).
The cadet/officer gets the branch of his/her choice (or graduate school option).
The program assists the Army in—
(1) Effectively managing its resources.
(2) Accomplishing its assigned mission.
(3) Maintaining an experienced and well qualified officer force.
(4) Ensuring a reasonable return to the Army following the expenditure of public funds.</p>
<p>Service Assignment appeals are not out of the question... although I think appeal may be the wrong word. Its more of a re-alottment of spots per the needs of the navy. It happened often a few years ago when the Marine Corps started upping their numbers. This was the case for '05 for sure and possibly '04. For my class, a friend of mine picked up a Seal slot late in the year. Not out of the question, but much more of an exception than the rule.</p>
<p>As far as people "failing" at TBS:
There are a few events that you must pass in order to graduate. A few that come to mind include the endurance course run (a jaunt through the woods in combat gear), the weapons disassembly and assembly drills (in a fixed time frame), and the land navigation test. If you fail such an event (after AMPLE opportunities to retake), you are rolled back to the next TBS class. </p>
<p>As far as rolling people back who just kind of suck (which I think is what Zaphod was getting at), we were always threatened with such a penalty, but I never really believed it would happen to anyone . . . until a so-called "dirtbag" (who had something like 9 years of enlisted time as a Tanker in the USMC) was rolled back for a lack of leadership with 2 weeks to go in TBS. I saw him in the FMF several years later, so apparently being a "leadership failure" isn't enough to keep you out of the fleet . . . so long as you perform better the second time around . . . or at least get along better with the leadership!</p>
<p>DeepThroat</p>
<p>As far as attending OCS goes:</p>
<p>OCS provides little to no substantive training/preparation for TBS. It is useful only as a de-civilianization tool . . . akin to a boot camp or plebe year. It is NOT the ROTC version of Leatherneck. </p>
<p>My wife (a product of OCS) and I have talked about this a fair bit, and I think we both agree that OCS path is inferior to the USNA path for one simple reason: TBS is all about teaching new officers how to lead Marines--OCS is all about turning people INTO Marines. </p>
<p>The VAST majority of OCS Marines (who arrived via ROTC) I went to TBS with were stuck in this boot camp mode--where crapping on people was the leadership du jour. The prior enlisted Lts had little trouble shedding this OCS style of leadership (since they already had seen good leadership in the FMF), and the USNA folks had long since ditched the "plebe summer" brand of leadership, but many of the ROTC guys were still in OCS mode many months into TBS. They had quite a bit of evolving to do, whereas non-ROTC guys could focus more on fine-tuning their leadership styles. </p>
<p>DeepThroat</p>
<p>Interesting perspective and good info.</p>
<p>is the nrotc marine guaranteed flight thing really guaranteed or do you have a better chance to fly as a marine when you get out from USNA?</p>
<p>You can get a "guaranteed" pilot spot from USNA or NROTC.</p>
<p>I have been told that the selection for Marines is HEAVILY influenced by the scores/grades received during "Letherneck" - the mandatory summer training taken by Mids wanting to go Marine, taken after their second class year. It is apparently THE BIGGEST FACTOR. Class standing is fairly insignificant by comparison.</p>
<p>The Marine Corp is very heavily invested with the idea of Leadership over Management, Leader Excellence over Technical Excellence. The Nuc Navy could definitely take some lessons here!!</p>
<p>vineyard....just to clarify some misinformation....</p>
<p>"Leatherneck" IS NOT A MANDATORY ITEM for Marine Corps selection.</p>
<p>The big items for Marine Corps selection are the following (not in any order):</p>
<p>1) PFT/O-Course scores
2) Leatherneck
3) FITREPs from Marine Corps Summer Training Programs
4) Activity (Semper Fi)
5) Company Marine Rep Recommendation</p>
<p>The Supe gave a speech recently where he stated that 83% and 95% of Class 2008 received their first and first or second choice.</p>
<pre><code> NFO did not fill.
Some Midshipmen were; "...needs of the Service..."
A Firstie I do know was draft/told/helped along to Subs.
It appears that PRK has added newly qualified no more waivers interest to NAVY Pilot, and reduced the qualified with waivers interest in Subs.
ie; Good grades bad eyes, subs...get PRK.... still good grades now good eyes, JETS.
With the increases in the USMC currently underway the % of 2009 should increase still again.
</code></pre>