New Pentagon Separation Policy on Non-Deployable Service Members

February 16, 2018 8:00 AM

The following is the Feb. 14, 2018 Department of Defense memo, DoD Retention Policy for Non-Deployable Members.

From the Report:

In July, the Secretary of Defense directed the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to lead the Department’s effort to identify changes to military personnel policies necessary to provide more ready and lethal forces. In his initial memorandum to the Department, Secretary Mattis emphasized,”[e]very action will be designed to ensure our military is ready to fight today and in the future.” Given the Secretary’s guidance, OUSD (P&R) moved forward from the underlying premise that all Service members are expected to be worldwide deployable. Based on the recommendations of the Military Personnel Policy Working Group, the Deputy Secretary of Defense determined that requires a Department-wide policy establishing standardized criteria for retaining non-deployable Service members.
The objective is to both reduce the number of non-deployable Service members and improve personnel readiness across the force.

The Deputy Secretary of Defense directed the following interim policy guidance, which will remain in effect until the Department issues a DoD Instruction on reporting and retention of non-deployable Service members:

  • Service members who have been non-deployable for more than 12 consecutive
    months, for any reason, will be processed for administrative separation in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI)1332.14, Enlisted Administrative Separations, or Instruction 1332.30, Separation of Regular and Reserve Commissioned Officers, or will be referred into the Disability Evaluation System in accordance with 1332.18, Disability Evaluation System (DES). Pregnant and
    post-partum Service members are the only group automatically excepted from this
    policy.

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