The Army is looking for 250 infantry and armor officers to voluntarily branch transfer to the adjutant general, finance or signal corps.
Army Human Resource Command issued the Military Personnel, or MILPER, message on Tuesday. The command intends to rebalance the force, noting a misalignment between officer inventory and Army manning requirements.
The service is specifically seeking officers who commissioned in year group 2021. The release notes that the infantry and armor branches are both overstrength and the adjutant general, finance and signal corps have too few officers.
“Unless we offer these steps to rebalance the force, the Army will face a shortage of battalion and brigade S1, S4, signal and finance positions worldwide that not only impacts Army manning, but also our readiness and ability to take care of soldiers in the future,” said Col. Charlone Stallworth, director of HRC’s Talent Alignment and Development Directorate.
No officers will be forced to change branches, officials said.
Potential volunteers may submit for the branch transfer between Jan. 16 and Feb. 24. The command wants those transfers prior to individuals attending the Captain’s Career Course in 2024.
Volunteers must identify themselves as year group 2021 infantry or armor officers by logging into the Active Duty Officer Assignment Interactive Module Version 2, or AIM2, platform, locate the Officer Requirements Rebranching Panel Preferencing Tool and designate their desired branch preferences among IN (infantry), AR (armor), AG (adjutant general), FC (finance), and SC (signal corps) from first to fifth.
Once an officer chooses a branch other than their currently assigned branch, they will be indicating to the panel their willingness to transfer to that branch.
Officers who want to remain in their branch can either indicate their current branch as their highest preference in the AIM2 platform or select the “Opt Out Command” found in the AIM2 “YG21 ORRP Preferencing Tool,” according to the release.
Officers can change their preference as many times as they like during the Jan. 16 to Feb. 24 window including choosing between the “Opt Out Command” and other branches. The last action made by the officer is what will be considered by the panel.
The service needs 130 transfers to the adjutant general corps, 100 to the signal corps and 20 to finance.
“We strongly encourage these affected junior officers to consider this as another opportunity to continue to serve the Army albeit in a different capacity,” said Col. Miles Gengler, the Force Shaping Directorate Readiness chief. “The Army is committed to matching officer desires and talents to its requirements and will do its best to accommodate both. Adjutant General, signal, and finance officers are equally dedicated and passionate about their branch as the infantry and armor.”
Gengler was commissioned as an armor officer and later rebranched as adjutant general and commanded at battalion and brigade level.
The rebalance of branches will also reduce a scheduling backlog at the separate Maneuver Captain’s Career Course, said Col. Chris Luke, head of the Force Shaping Directorate. The MCCC 22-week leadership course is required for infantry and armor captains which is separate from the Army Captain’s Career Course.
Officers approved for branch transfer will immediately move to their new branch once notified of the approval. Upon transfer they’ll be contacted by their new branch career manager for their next job placement and scheduling for the Captain’s Career Course.
For more information, refer to MILPER Message 24-014 or view the MILPER here.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
