6 Year ADSO or 10 Year ADSO

[Kaneboyd]

I know there has been a lot of talk about if people are going to get the 10 year ADSO if they complete WOCS after 1 OCT 20 or if they will keep the 6 year. Out of all of the forums I’ve read, I haven’t seen any mention of anyone’s RFO. I’m aware it’s just a request for orders but I was selected in the September board to attend and received my RFO After 1 OCT 20 which states I have a 6 year ADSO. Would you say it’s pretty safe to assume I’ll keep that or do you think I’ll end up being slapped with the 10 year at the end of WOFT?

[zaurus]

Will it matter to you? If not enjoy flight school, it's not often you get paid to learn how to fly multi million dollar aircraft. If it does, decline the invite, the Army has alternates waiting in the wings so to speak in replacing you. The recent change takes Army flight school to the shortest to the longest of all the services. Naval flight training including Marines & Coast Guard, is 8 yrs upon winging. Air Force is 10 years on completion.

As of now, no one has the definitive answer for those selected between 4 June 20 to 30 Sept 20. Is it based on your selection date, when you sign your contract, enter BCT, AvBOLC, WOFT or beginning or end of IERW/IEFW?  I'm sure the Army will let you know in due time.

Let us know when you have the official ruling.

[Kaneboyd]

25 minutes ago, zaurus said:

Will it matter to you? If not enjoy flight school, it's not often you get paid to learn how to fly multi million dollar aircraft. If it does, decline the invite, the Army has alternates waiting in the wings so to speak in replacing you. The recent change takes Army flight school to the shortest to the longest of all the services. Naval flight training including Marines & Coast Guard, is 8 yrs upon winging. Air Force is 10 years on completion.

As of now, no one has the definitive answer for those selected between 4 June 20 to 30 Sept 20. Is it based on your selection date, when you sign your contract, enter BCT, AvBOLC, WOFT or beginning of IERW/IEFW?  I'm sure the Army will let you know in due time.

Let us know when you have the official ruling.

At the end of the day, no it doesn’t really matter. I’m currently an active duty enlisted medic, so becoming a Warrant is clearly a huge jump. Even so, the 6 year ADSO will put be over the 10 year threshold so I’m likely to finish it out either way but was just genuinely curious if anyone had heard a definite answer yet.

[zaurus]

One quick question, did you know about the WOFT program before enlisting?

[SBuzzkill]

This will be a good exercise for your future as a warrant officer.  Get on APD and track down the regulations applicable to ADSOs, and follow the trail to find your answer.  Post here when you find it.

[PhrogGuy]

5 hours ago, Kaneboyd said:

I know there has been a lot of talk about if people are going to get the 10 year ADSO if they complete WOCS after 1 OCT 20 or if they will keep the 6 year. Out of all of the forums I’ve read, I haven’t seen any mention of anyone’s RFO. I’m aware it’s just a request for orders but I was selected in the September board to attend and received my RFO After 1 OCT 20 which states I have a 6 year ADSO. Would you say it’s pretty safe to assume I’ll keep that or do you think I’ll end up being slapped with the 10 year at the end of WOFT?

Your original orders to get you to WOCS state a 6 year ADSO. Your 10 year ADSO will kick in after you complete flight school.

[Romy]

Gonna copy and paste my replies from an earlier thread.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Quote

If anyone here is still confused about their ADSO I recommend talking to SFC HOEFLING < kory.d.hoefling.mil@mail.mil > at USAREC.

My general takeaway from him was that if you were selected for WOFT before 01 OCT then you will have a 6 year ADSO, selected after and you will have 10. He can answer any questions you guys have and encouraged me to give you all his information.

 

Quote

So the issue for Sept WOCs is that the new annex that mentions a 10 year ADSO was sent off by USAREC to be reviewed a week or two ago and was then prematurely updated. It wasn't supposed to be in the system until 01 OCT. This has lead to people signing enlistment contracts at MEPS that mention a 10 year ADSO in their annexes but a 72 month ADSO under their JOB QUALS. Current word from USAREC is that G-1 says the annex isn't what is considered our "service agreement" mentioned in 4.B of the ALARACT, our DA 160-R is, and September candidates have 160-Rs that say 6 years ADSO after flight training. Our annexes we signed at MEPS could say 20 years and it wouldn't matter, from what USAREC is saying. That's my understanding of it.

People selected in September who are reading in this should keep in mind that this is all just verbal promises. It's completely possible that we'll finish up at Rucker and be saddled with 10 years, so don't bet on anything I'm saying. That being said, it looks like we've lucked out. Either way just be happy we're getting the chance to get paid to fly helicopters.

tl;dr is that the unofficial word from G-1 is if your packet was selected before 01 OCT then you'll have a 6 year ADSO upon completion of flight school.

[Kaneboyd]

17 hours ago, zaurus said:

One quick question, did you know about the WOFT program before enlisting?

No, I enlisted in 2014 straight out of high school and had never once heard of it. I actually had no idea how to go about even becoming a Warrant Officer until about a year and a half ago when I happened to hear about a Warrant Officer brief going on nearby that I decided to attend. Up until then, I thought only commissioned officers could fly.

[Kaneboyd]

16 hours ago, SBuzzkill said:

This will be a good exercise for your future as a warrant officer.  Get on APD and track down the regulations applicable to ADSOs, and follow the trail to find your answer.  Post here when you find it.

I’m aware that AR 350-100 covers the ADSO and what additional time you may incur but the most recent I could find is dated 2017. I know the change to 10 years just took effect in OCT of this year. I was just more looking for people’s opinions if they thought I would keep the 6 years based on anything thing they may have read or heard from someone else.

[Kaneboyd]

10 hours ago, Romy said:

Gonna copy and paste my replies from an earlier thread.

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

tl;dr is that the unofficial word from G-1 is if your packet was selected before 01 OCT then you'll have a 6 year ADSO upon completion of flight school.

Thank you!

[SBuzzkill]

On 12/7/2020 at 2:12 AM, Kaneboyd said:

I’m aware that AR 350-100 covers the ADSO and what additional time you may incur but the most recent I could find is dated 2017. I know the change to 10 years just took effect in OCT of this year. I was just more looking for people’s opinions if they thought I would keep the 6 years based on anything thing they may have read or heard from someone else.

I apologize if my comment came off as condescending, here's my original and poorly conveyed intent.

As a junior warrant officer, especially in aviation, un-researched questions are a good way to get chastised.  To avoid this, whenever you have a question start by taking some time to look it up yourself.  If you have not achieved clarity on the subject, the best way to ask a question is to start with where you searched for the answer.

"Hey I've read over AR 350-100, AR 611-110, and ALARACT 069-2020, and I still can't figure out what drives the 10 year ADSO.  I have initial paperwork indication a 6 year ADSO, but I am confused whether or not that applies to flight school."

There's a few reasons that it's good to approach a question like that.  The first is that it demonstrates you are not just a "baby bird" when it comes to information (feed me feed me).  The second is that it demonstrates initiative and that you are familiar with finding sources on your own.  The third reason is that it will help the person you are asking narrow down their own search, because a good warrant officer will never give an answer without being able to show someone where they got it.

And finally, in reviewing applicable publications you may uncover a better source for an answer.  From ALARACT 069/2020:

Quote

5. POINT OF CONTACT. POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ACTION IS HQDA, DCS, G-1, DIRECTORATE OF MILITARY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, OFFICER POLICY DIVISION (DAPE-MPO-D), DSN 225-6599, COMMERCIAL 703-695-6599.

Whenever possible go straight to the source.  Avoid second hand information, it's often incorrect and will ruin your own credibility if you start quoting it.  If you do receive second hand information, always ask where they got their answer and then go review it yourself.

Anyways, my advice is to give that number a call and ask them the question.  If they don't have an answer for you they might be able to point you to someone who does.  Since it's the Army, be ready for nobody to have the answer and accept that you may end up just having to wait and see.

[GM1]

1 hour ago, SBuzzkill said:

I apologize if my comment came off as condescending, here's my original and poorly conveyed intent.

As a junior warrant officer, especially in aviation, un-researched questions are a good way to get chastised.  To avoid this, whenever you have a question start by taking some time to look it up yourself.  If you have not achieved clarity on the subject, the best way to ask a question is to start with where you searched for the answer.

"Hey I've read over AR 350-100, AR 611-110, and ALARACT 069-2020, and I still can't figure out what drives the 10 year ADSO.  I have initial paperwork indication a 6 year ADSO, but I am confused whether or not that applies to flight school."

There's a few reasons that it's good to approach a question like that.  The first is that it demonstrates you are not just a "baby bird" when it comes to information (feed me feed me).  The second is that it demonstrates initiative and that you are familiar with finding sources on your own.  The third reason is that it will help the person you are asking narrow down their own search, because a good warrant officer will never give an answer without being able to show someone where they got it.

And finally, in reviewing applicable publications you may uncover a better source for an answer.  From ALARACT 069/2020:

Whenever possible go straight to the source.  Avoid second hand information, it's often incorrect and will ruin your own credibility if you start quoting it.  If you do receive second hand information, always ask where they got their answer and then go review it yourself.

Anyways, my advice is to give that number a call and ask them the question.  If they don't have an answer for you they might be able to point you to someone who does.  Since it's the Army, be ready for nobody to have the answer and accept that you may end up just having to wait and see.

That’s what I’ve accepted haha my paperwork says 72 months upon completion of flight school but there isn’t anything I can do but wait and see when I graduate hooker school to see if it’s ten or six. Because honestly nobody has the answer currently. I get to fly cool helicopters and finish out my 20 years doing this vs stuck on a ship possibly in the Navy which I didn’t want to do. 

[Krizia]

On 12/6/2020 at 11:59 AM, zaurus said:

One quick question, did you know about the WOFT program before enlisting?

No. Almost 6 years after being in the National Guard, I went to a Warrant Officer program orientation and there they mentioned Aviation. I was waiting for my ETS to get out. But after learning about WOFT, I change plans. 

 

[AriX17]

I suppose increased time of ADSO has something to do with that fact that 40% of flying warrants are getting 20+ years of TIS and not much of them want to stay more.

[zaurus]

Pilot retention will always be an issue in all the services especially during an airline pilot hiring boom. Until recently, the airlines were even making it possible for rotary wing pilots with additional training.