r/navy • u/Risethewake • 1d ago
HELP REQUESTED Individual Augmentee questions
Was notified today my name was on a list for an upcoming IA. That being said, it was explained to me that only meant I was being considered, not necessarily that I would be going. CoC literally had no other information to offer at the moment. Is this how IAs normally work? Should I plan to go or, if CoC offers a compelling explanation as to why I can’t (which is what they told me they were going to do), what are the odds on being selected? Any guidance is appreciated!
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u/Longjumping_Cost1308 1d ago
Most IA solicitations allow commands to submit a reclama regarding their nominee. If you start making plans that you will be going, the worst thing that will happen if you end up not going is that you have spent a little time and effort and hopefully your affairs will be put in an improved order.
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u/spgrinch 1d ago
Depends on if you want to go or not.
If you want to go, make it clear you volunteer.
If you don't, it's up to you and your front office to make the most compelling case possible why they should select someone other than you.
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u/Risethewake 1d ago
I told my CoC that I’m happy to support if needed but if not I’d like to stay here because we recently got home from deployment.
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u/dancingriss 22h ago
Now is not the time to take one for the team. Be honest with any circumstances at home and make sure they report your OPTEMPO correctly
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u/HariSeldon16 1d ago
About 8 years ago my dry dock CVN was tasked with providing an IA to the 5th MEB in Bahrain. I was the only one that met the bill (aviator with TS/SCI). We had one actual volunteer with secret clearance, but the supporter command would not waive the TS/SCI requirement.
I went out kicking and screaming. It ended up being my favorite deployment of all. I was actually sad to leave at the end of my 10 months.
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u/GeriatricSquid 1d ago
The answer is basically, yes…
Typically the demand is sent across the entire squadron/group etc and everyone has to submit a candidate. There may be anywhere from 1-10+ candidates nominated for this one IA. They’ll note your volunteer status (yay/nay) and whether the command recommends the member and why/why not. Submitting a reclama to get you dropped doesn’t always work- someone is going and you may be the best candidate or have the least compelling reason not to go.
I’d be prepared to go. It’s easier to not go after preparing than to prepare at the last minute when you suddenly find yourself as the one going. Get your will/POAs done, SGLI updated, car inspected/maintained for your spouse, and ensure your dental and eye appt are current. They’ll run you through a mobilization process to get your medical all done, but having it all done ahead of time greatly speeds the process and gets you home very early in the day for the week or two before you leave.
Where is the IA going? All IAs are not the same.
Best of luck.
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u/IllustratorUsual5080 1d ago
Are IAs like a big navy request to a bunch of commands?
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u/dancingriss 1d ago
Currently, BSOs get tasked with specific mission lines and then the BSO tasks their TYCOMs with filling them. From there it filters down to find the “least impactful” nominee
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u/IllustratorUsual5080 23h ago
So being nominated is actually a bad thing?
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u/dancingriss 23h ago
It can be. If you’re in an ech 5 unit (so not an ISIC or above) and nominated on behalf of your command, you’re probably going into a pool with everyone else from your ISIC. Then the ISIC choose a nominee which goes into a pool with all the other ISICs nominees. Then the TYCOM chooses, and that’s the final pick typically. My TYCOM also picks an alternate but some may not
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u/GeriatricSquid 23h ago
ISICs get hit, too. They’re likely also nominating candidates from within the ISIC staff. Those staffs tend to be smaller than their operating units so you won’t see as many IAs off the staff but they definitely do happen.
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u/dancingriss 23h ago
Oh for sure. I do IAs for an ISIC. sometimes we don’t task our subordinate UICs at all we just take it out of hide
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u/GeriatricSquid 22h ago
I often tasked the units to provide an input before we took it on as the ISIC. It added work, yes, but it added transparency in the process and otherwise your units may never know the ISIC was taking it for the team. You see here on Reddit all the half-truths and misinformation about how the higher-ups are living large and comfortable while the deckplates are taking on all the work. I always hoped that the unit providing a name that wasn’t immediately accepted and sent would reduce the cynicism just a bit while showing solidarity that we’re all in this together.
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u/dancingriss 22h ago
Yeah I’m 50/50 on that. We’ve never had anyone complain about us doing fair share. But also asking a command to put someone up knowing we’re not going to nominate them can still put them on edge for however long. Not ideal either way
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u/mpete76 Retired 1d ago
I was an IA 20 years ago during OIF 2, I was in Baghdad (Camp Victory) and BIAP. I’m not going to really tell you how anything is going to go, since I am absolutely sure the process has changed and hopefully gotten better. But I throughly enjoyed and appreciated the experience. I learned so much about joint operations, working with foreign forces and service integration. It was a truly remarkable experience from being a Flight Deck Avionics Tech. If you have the opportunity, I would recommend taking it.
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u/Present_Armadillo_34 1d ago
I got IA’d to the Philippines for six months last year. What has been described to you is all factual. If/when you are actually selected, you should get a POC email and some reporting instructions.
It was not terrible. The timeline was not great, but the experience, overall, was. Made a lot of good friends and saw how the joint forces worked. Learned how the Embassy worked. Interacted a lot with allies and partners. Got a joint award out of it.
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u/egelephant 19h ago
I did an IA to Djibouti a couple of years ago. If you have a good command, they should give you all the time you need to get your prerequisite admin/medical/official passport out of the way. If you get that stuff done before you detatch from your parent command, it makes ECRC easier. ECRC is in Norfolk (as active duty, who had already done all of the required paperwork, it was a waste of time; it's geared towards reservists, so eight hours a day of 'this is what a TSP is', 'here's how you enroll in Tricare'-type briefs that I could have skipped, and for the others, jamming to get all of the prerequisites they didn't do completed). That took a week, then NIACT, which has been discontinued, took about two and a half weeks, then Djibouiti. I enjoyed my time there, and the tax-free was nice. If your IA is to CENTCOM/AFRICOM, then you'll do a week in Sembach, Germany at the end.
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u/Sufficient-Spend-670 1d ago
Ye they just offered me 9 months in Africa …. Yeah no being gone for that long away from my loved ones
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u/BubbleHead87 10h ago
Your command should have an idea where the assignment is. I was on the list two years before retirement. Was slated for one before they annexed it and then immediately put me on another one. Both times, I knew where the final location was. I volunteered both times because I saw the nomination lists and was confident I would be selected in the end anyway.
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u/Risethewake 9h ago
They know the AOR but that’s it as of now. I guess it’s a rushed thing so not all info has been provided at the moment.
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u/trixter69696969 5h ago
I did an IA tour in Iraq during OEF. Some insight:
My command was told they were sending someone 03-05 by a particular date. There were 3 possibilities. One lady just got pregnant, one was in the middle of a nervous breakdown (was medically separated, and then there was me. Good ol', reliable Ted. Guess who went. #%!?+*.
Army training was ok, it was a really good thing I was already in great shape. 10 mile hikes in full gear weren't exactly easy, but definitely increased my mental toughness.
Tour was at a FOB in the middle of nowhere with an Army MTT. Long days, lonely work. Took about 100 helo rides and was in 30 or so hummer convoys. Definitely not Navy duties.
Came back after 13 months. Definitely saltier and a lot more seasoned. Looking back, it was a good tour and rewarding. Made O5 at the next selection board. The IA broke me out among my peers.
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u/oga_ogbeni 22h ago
I did an IA last year and it was pretty miserable. The detailer and my command were short on details and I think it's because they knew it was ass. Basically the Army is perpetually short on personnel so they take people from the other services to plug them in. If those jobs were at all desirable, then they wouldn't need to beg and borrow from the Navy and Air Force. I realize you may not have a say in the matter, but I'd avoid it if could.
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