Navy personnel officials have updated the early out offerings, seeking to relieve pressure in overmanned specialties across the force.

This revision brings the tally of quotas to 521, spread out over 11 rating, paygrade and year group combinations. Navy enlisted classifications also may play in the mix, either including or excluding sailors who hold them from getting out early.

These quotas have 143 more early out opportunities than the 378 offered in May, when the program was reinstated after a year-and-a-half hiatus. Since then, a total of 327 sailors have gotten the nod to get out early.

To date, 91 of them have already separated, with 57 leaving in fiscal 2014 and 34 so far this fiscal year, according to official figures. Another 217 are slated to separate by the end of fiscal 2015, and 19 others have been approved to get out beginning next fiscal year.

New to the list: 158 quotas offered to very junior hospital corpsmen, who don't hold critical NECs and who entered the service between 2010 and 2012.

Those same year groups are also where officials hope to entice 25 submarine fire control technicians to punch out early as well.

There are 42 early out slots for ship's servicemen in any paygrade from year groups 2004 through 2012, excluding 2006 and 2008.

Thirty-four quotas are offered in the aircrewman avionics ratings in pay grades E-6 and below across year groups starting as far back as as 2001. This rating is impacted by the move from the P-3 Orion to the P-8 Poseidon aircraft, which has a smaller crew.

Still on the list: seven Seabee ratings, offering a total of 262 quotas. Seabees have been hit hard by post-war force structure cuts, which have resulted in reduced advancement and re-enlistment opportunities across these ratings.

A sailor's year group is simply the fiscal year in which he or she entered active duty and went to boot camp. The only exception is those with broken service; their year group is adjusted to reflect their total active service time.

Not everyone in a targeted rating or skill set is eligible. Among those who aren't: sailors with permanent change-of-station orders; those identified to fill an individual augmentation; and those on overseas Defense Department tours.

Packages are reviewed by each rating's community manager, and final approval in all cases is up to them.

Once granted a quota, sailors won't be eligible to compete for advancement, and they'll be identified in the Career Waypoints re-enlistment approval system as intending to separate.

That's why officials say it will be tough for approved sailors to change their minds and decide to remain in uniform.

Another word of caution for sailors who are expecting to leave and start college using their post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits. Though they begin to qualify for benefits after 90 days of active duty, they don't get the full benefit until they have completed three active-duty years in uniform.

How officials decide which ratings and year groups end up on the early out list isn't rocket science. If a given rating, paygrade or individual year group is at 104 percent manning or more, it's a candidate.

This update is the sixth time officials have updated the early out eligible list. It's usually done without announcement or fanfare simply by updating the list on the Navy Personnel Command's website.

Enlisted early outs

Navy personnel officials identify early out quotas by rating and year group. They may also identify specific paygrades and enlisted classifications to either identify eligible sailors or exclude them. A sailor's year group is the fiscal year in which they entered active duty. Quotas are issued on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Rating

Paygrade

Year

groups

Total

quotas

AWV (aircrewman avionics)1

E-6 only

2001, 2003-04

11

AWV (aircrewman avionics)1

All

2007-10

23

SH (ship's serviceman)

All

2004-05, 2007, 2009-12

42

FT (fire control technician)

All

2010-12

25

HM (hospital corpsman)2

All

2010-12

158

BU (builder)3

All

2002-13

45

CE (construction electrician)4

All

2002-13

60

CM (construction mechanic)5

All

2004-13

17

EA (engineering aide)4

All

2002-13

23

EO (equipment operator)4

All

2002-13

50

SW (steelworker)4

All

2004-13

23

UT (utilitiesman)4

All

2002-13

44

Total

521

1 Eligible NEC: 9402

2 Ineligible NECs: 8401/8402/8403/8409/8408/8410/8425/8427/8434/ 8437/8452/8494/8496/8503/8506/8541/8708/8753/8765

3 Ineligible NECs: 5633/5931/5932/5933

4 Ineligible NECs: 5633/5931/5932/5933

5 Ineligible NECs: 5633/5810/5931/5932/5933

Source: Navy Personnel Center

Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.

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