Photo By Stephen Satkowski | MOS 51C offers noncommissioned officers what may just be the best opportunity in the Army.... read more read more
By Steve Stark
JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - There’s more than meets the eye in the world of contracting and “Charlie” has a lot to offer. The Military Occupation Specialty 51C classification trains noncommissioned officers to be contracting professionals, provides significant career and educational opportunities and is one of the few areas of the Army that is expected to grow in the near term. But for Master Sgt. Jason Pitts, the thing that really caught his eye was a map.
Specifically, it was the chart of all the missions that 51C supported. The chart, he said, showed “where contracting guys were, whether it was Australia, Japan, Mongolia - and to me that was like, ‘Wow, that’s awesome. I can go see all these cool places and still support the warfighter and make an impact?’ That was the ‘aha moment,’” said Pitts, chief proponent NCO for MOS 51C at the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center, the proponent for 51C reclassification and the agency responsible for ensuring a trained and ready contracting NCO corps.
Pitts said that the variety of things a contracting NCO could do, and the variety of places the NCO could go to do them, piqued his interest because “a lot of guys get stuck in the same experiences over and over again. You go to unit, you go to the National Training Center [Fort Irwin, Calif.] or the Joint Readiness Training Center [Fort Polk, La.] and you prepare. You go to gunnery, you prepare. You go to Afghanistan. You come back a year later, and you start it all again.”
For Pitts, the option of doing something that was vital to Soldiers, but that also got him out of that routine, looked like a winner. “The contracting command was in 49 different countries last year, doing 86 different missions supporting the warfighter,” he said.
Worldwide assignments
The NCO contracting corps offers a promising career path and is ripe with opportunity to serve in a variety of locations.
“Opportunities are endless,” said Command Sgt. Maj. John L. Murray of U.S. Army Contracting Command. “After completing the basic contracting course, NCOs are assigned to a contracting office where they first focus on becoming proficient in simplified acquisitions and are then able to progress and hold positions starting as a contingency contracting NCO all the way to the rank of command sergeant major.”
Murray is the ACC command sergeant major and advises the ACC commanding general on all enlisted-related matters, particularly in areas affecting soldier training and quality of life. And those positions are in a variety of locations worldwide.
“NCOs can get assigned across the globe supporting contingency, humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Today we have NCOs assigned and deployed to locations such as Italy, Germany, Korea, South America, Africa, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Korea, Kuwait, Afghanistan and every installation in the continental United States,” said Murray.
MOS 51C NCOs have the vital job of not only providing procurement support for anything a unit might need; but also serving the commander as a business adviser - ensuring they get what’s needed, on time, to support the mission.
“The NCOs in this MOS come from all branches of the Army which enables them to understand the unique requirements of a specific unit,” said Murray. “They are never at rest, they are always supporting real-world, real-time operational and installation support; where if they don’t get it right, the mission fails. It is a great MOS to be in if you are a high energy, multifunctional, adaptive and the utmost Army professional.”
Sometimes it’s not only the big ticket items that really add value. “A road construction contract to add improvised explosive device training lanes to a downrange installation,” would not be a large dollar-value contract, Pitts said. But it could enable units to “go through these really high-speed IED training lanes so that they were better prepared for their mission when they deployed.” Not a lot of money in the big picture, but such a contract “really improves the entire brigade’s training before they prepare for combat. That’s a good example of things a contracting guy can do to help support a brigade.”
‘Charlie’ sends you to school
While the “aha moment” for Pitts was travel and variety, for other NCOs, Pitts said, it’s the educational opportunities offered by a 51C MOS. “They say, ‘wow, in my current MOS, the push for education isn’t there,’ ” and when they learn that, in the 51C MOS, their officers are going to expect them to get a bachelor’s and become a certified professional, that excites them.”
MOS 51C is a career field established in December 2006 to meet the Army’s continuously increasing need for contingency contracting officers, and is viewed as a critical asset. The Army is currently recruiting NCOs, in both the active and reserve components, who are interested in reclassifying to MOS 51C and meet the requirements. Candidates selected for reclassification not only learn a new craft, but also, through the training, education, and professional development aspects of the MOS, gain valuable transferable skills.
“Soldiers want to be valued,” he continued. “They want to feel like they’re doing something important.” The 51C MOS enables that.
The education benefits are excellent, but the expectations are also high - by law, the NCO must earn a B.A. in 24 months—and the workload can be demanding, but there is support from the USAASC 51C MOS Proponent Office.
“The majority of our NCOs work in the daytime, learning contracting, writing contracts with the government—that’s their craft—and at night they have to go to school online,” Pitts said.
Murray agreed that the potential for training is significant. “Training opportunities for a 51C NCO exceed those of other military occupational specialties in the Army,” he said. “The norm is for 51C NCOs to complete college courses and mandated contracting courses through the Defense Acquisition University as part of their daily battle rhythm.”
“Thirty percent of the NCOs we select already have their degrees,” Pitts added. “The remaining 70 percent are required to get their degrees — either a bachelor’s in business or a degree that affords them 24 hours in business. We have degree completion programs to help them do it. We send some NCOs to school full-time for 12 months to finish their bachelor’s degrees. That way they can achieve contracting certification and then come back to the workforce.”
Generally, the most competitive candidates selected for reclassification have at least 60 hours of college credit.
USAASC also has an acquisition tuition assistance program that pays an additional $7,750 a year for our NCOs to go to school, Pitts said. That additional $7,750 is exclusive to the 51C program.
In addition to a bachelor’s degree, MOS 51C NCOs will receive the same training opportunities in the contracting field that are available to the Army’s acquisition officers and civilians. Active component soldiers will attend the Mission Ready Airman Contracting Apprentice Course, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, or the Army Acquisition Basic Course, Army Acquisition Center of Excellence, Huntsville, Ala. Reserve component Soldiers will take courses through Defense Acquisition University distance learning. Growth potential
The 51C MOS is one of the few in the Army that’s projected to grow over the next few years, with the USAASC looking to add approximately 150 new NCOs to its workforce by October. “One thing a decade of war has taught the Army,” Pitts said, “is that contracting is a vital skill, and you cannot conduct anything in the Army without it.”
Murray agreed. “It is one of the few military occupational specialties that is still growing to fill its authorizations as the rest of the Army is downsizing.”
For the Army, it’s crucial to have NCOs as a part of its acquisition workforce, because the NCO adds another dimension, another perspective to the workforce. Part of that is the credibility that NCOs have with soldiers. “Because I knew the business,” Pitts said, “I found it easier to help support them. I found the warfighter identified with me because I shared their experiences. I wasn’t just some guy.”
What you need to do
The accession process is competitive but rewarding. Applicants must be in the ranks of sergeant, staff sergeant, or sergeant first class with less than 10 years of service. Those with 10 to 13 years of service may request waivers.
“Soldiers must be deployable worldwide, able to operate in a deployed environment wearing a full complement of personal protective equipment, have no financial hardships or indicators of insolvency, and have no record of information which might adversely reflect against the character, honesty, or integrity of the soldier,” said Murray.
Soldiers selected for the 51C MOS may qualify for a $2,000 transfer bonus. “NCOs already in the 51C MOS are being offered a reenlistment bonus up to $22,500 because contracting is so important to the Army’s mission,” Pitts said. Except it’s not really necessary. “Right now our people are staying in. It’s a great job.”
There are two more boards of selection this year, in May and July. Packets received now through April 26, 2013 are eligible for the May selection board. Those packets received April 27 to July 19, 2013, will be reviewed during the late July board. All board results are generally released 30 days following the board and are posted to the USAASC Web site and emailed individually.
For specific deadlines, dates and packet submission instructions, visit http://asc.army.mil.
The Army Acquisition Corps is currently growing the contracting corps and is seeking eligible candidates for 51-C and FA-51 reclassification. What: Contracting reclassification overview Q&A. When: 10 a.m. to noon, April 23. Where: Town Hall, Bldg. 243, JBM-HH. Who: Master Sgt. Jason Pitts and Lt. Col. Anthony Maneri, Policy and Proponency Branch, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center. Details:
• Opportunity for NCOs (E5-E6) and Officers (O3-O4).
• USAASC is seeking NCOs and Officers from all backgrounds with diverse experience to fill 300 positions in FY13.
• Two reclassification boards remain for FY13 (April and July). Benefits:
• Promotion potential to O9 (lieutenant general) or E9 (sergeant major).
• Receive college-level course work at the U.S. Army Center of Excellence, Huntsville, Ala.
• Career opportunities in world-wide locations. Resources:
• For additional information, visit asc.army.mil.
| Date Taken: | 04.12.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.12.2013 11:10 |
| Story ID: | 105091 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 4,624 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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