Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 2/22/2008

Question
Colonel:

First, thank you for your service.  Secondly, I find myself a 24 year-old in the Naval Reserve with six years on my reserve contract.  However, the Army now allows graduate students with two years left of academics to enroll into ROTC.  I understand that I will need a DD368 Conditional Release to get released from USNR to pursue Army ROTC.  If my CO does not approve the chit, can I appeal it?  Also, how long does it typically take to get the dd368 approved/disapproved from the command?  Thank you for your help.

Answer
Dear Gregory --

According to policy, your commander must recommend approval or disapproval and forward your request for conditional release to the Navy's human resource management office.  The human resources chief or the official delegate is the only one authorized to make the final disapproval decision.

Your command should make their recommendation within a week depending on work load and other activities.  So if you are far away from your drill date, it could be a month before you know their recommendation.  The Naval Reserve HR team will review the request and make a recommendation to the decision authority too.  This can take up to 90 days depending on their work load and the time of year.

I recommend applying for the ROTC scholarship, even if you do not have final approval on your discharge request.  It is easier to turn down your scholarship because you could not get released from service than it is to rush an application.

To keep all opportunities open, in case your release is not approved, you could explore your Navy program that allows enlisted members to go to ROTC and become officers.  They may consider you for that program as a graduate student rather than "lose" you to the Army program.  

Lastly, you could try for the "Blue to Green" Program and become an Army Soldier and then apply for the "Green to Gold" program and ROTC for your last two years of grad school.

Best of luck to you, and thank your for your service.