Navy Nuke - Wife with questions

[93-383]

Oh okay thank you. I agree, I think that right now going in as an E3 I deserve and yeah it's a given going in as a NUKE. But I have studied hard and trying to know in advanced what will be required at RTC for me.

As for advancing to E-4 after school, and you did great then you deserve. As far as reenlisting for the money I think that's just a big joke.

I am going in as NUKE because I will like it and enjoy the classes. That's the first thing my recruiter told me, "You'll get good money and advance quicker than other rates". I told him, "I don't care about the money, it's important of course but it comes second to me. I want to do something I will enjoy and then look forward to getting paid what I deserve for something I will like."

And as far as the STAR program that comes 2 yrs after you're into it right, including school and it adds on 2 active years to your contract correct? Does that mean the 2 reserve are still there so it's a total of 10 or do the 2 yrs reserve become the 2 added active years to your contract?

Also if you decide to decline doing STAR when do you have a 2nd opportunity to reenlist if you do enjoy your job? Can you do this at any time?

star re-up is a six year reenlistment that negates the two year extension that you signed in A-school. Most people will do it around their two year point that way they maximize the bouns money. In short STAR adds six years from the date you do it

[KJC88]

oh Okay I see. Thank you for clarifying.

[G-reg]

Also if you decide to decline doing STAR when do you have a 2nd opportunity to reenlist if you do enjoy your job? Can you do this at any time?

Yes, you can reenlist at any time.  As you've obviously heard already, you lose a ton of STAR money if you reenlist before your two-year point; but beyond that, YOU get to decide when.  Some people wait to see if they can make E-5 off the exam, because that means a higher STAR bonus (since the STAR bonus is based on your Base Pay at the time of reenlistment).  Some people wait until they've seen some actual sea time - sort of like "try before you buy".  Some people wait until closer to their EAOS, and use it as a bargaining chip for negotiating their follow-on duty station orders.

But the bottom line is that "when" is up to you.

[93-383]

I'm reading through all the replies on this thread and I have a question;

In the 22 years since I left the Navy and with all the "quality of life" improvements that could have been realized with cutting the 600 ship Navy down to 300 or so, and all the associated cost savings, and all the huge budgets for defense spending, etc., etc.,,....

Does the Nay STILL not offer objective, constructive and realistic financial counseling services to their young people?!?!?!!?!?!

I've been out a long time, but Gamecock, LDO4CNO, and some of the others here gotta know if this invaluable service is available to these youngsters within the Navy support structure,....

How hard can it be to employ somebody who knows as much about re-enlistment, advancement, pro pays, and all the other pay schedules presented over a four, six, eight or more year career as can combobulated to help these young adults make choices they can be as content with as the needs of the Navy can allow?!?!?!?

Guys like myself and 'court can ramble on forever with the wisdom of years, but there should be somebody with contemporary and consructive data in front of them whom these first termers can turn to, something better than hyperlinks to pay tables....

We can't be their best hope, or so I would hope,....

Most, if not all commands have a command financial specialist however the quality of their information depends on how well they are trained. I think there is actually a school to train people for this position, but schedules and availability of said training may mean that the command is using people without proper training or simply not having the collateral duty. Another option available is fleet and family services; I have personally not used either source. But I wish that someone would have tried to talk some sense into me (at 20 I don't know if I would have listened) before I spent my SRB on "toys" now I just consider it my $42,000 lesson in life.

[withroaj]

How hard can it be to employ somebody who knows as much about re-enlistment, advancement, pro pays, and all the other pay schedules presented over a four, six, eight or more year career as can combobulated to help these young adults make choices they can be as content with as the needs of the Navy can allow?!?!?!?

Guys like myself and 'court can ramble on forever with the wisdom of years, but there should be somebody with contemporary and consructive data in front of them whom these first termers can turn to, something better than hyperlinks to pay tables....

We can't be their best hope, or so I would hope,....

As stated above, shipboard financial training is available on a voluntary basis.  It also comes up during GMT every year (for an hour or two).  NNPTC and NPTU both have financial training as part of student indoc.  The CCC's I have known have all been honest, helpful and to a degree provide an objective opinion on the decision to reenlist.  I've even seen CCC's recommend to kids to wait a year to re-up.

I know this probably sounds like I am just trying to parrot the party line, but I think the decision to reenlist goes beyond being a financial decision.  I honestly believe the bonus should just be, well, a bonus that comes along with reenlistment, not the driving force behind the decision.  The choice to reenlist should be more about either keeping a job you want to keep doing for another couple years, or about getting a set of orders you want.  To STAR on the ship for the "money and respect" (yeah, someone said that) can lead to disaster.  The last kid I saw STAR on the boat just quit less than two weeks ago, with just over one year on board.  In June last year he was going to be the MCPON and in July this year he was going to the Chaplain.

When a SPU reenlists, he does it into a comfortable environment.  He may not yet know the in's and out's of the proto-pal system, but he is familiar with the site and knows many of the people around him.  He also won't go three section duty there or go to sea.  Then he shows up to a boat with some experience at his job (and, sadly, the ego that goes with it) and just as much (or less) sea time remaining on the contract as if he had never re-enlisted.

When a guy reenlists at the end of his first sea tour, he is "senior" in his field and ready for a change of pace.  He can also pull a sea/shore rotation waiver and wind up doing less time on the boat; often leaving the boat before he would have checked out on terminal leave.

When a guy reenlists at his two year point on his first boat, the time extended on his contract WILL be spent on that boat (at least until his 60 months is up) unless he can get a sea time waiver for P-type.  When he extends for six years at the beginning of a five year sea time obligation that will also leave him without enough time remaining on his contract to complete a shore tour without extending or reenlisting again, or he will get sent to some crap general shore billet for refusing to extend for a full shore tour.

While this response goes too long, I think the financial arguement for reenlistment is probably the least important consideration to make.  It causes people to jump into a job they don't like or can't handle just for some money, potentially causing them to wind up out of the Navy with a truck payment AND a bonus to pay back.

[Gamecock]

all good stuff, the salient point I was driving at is;

the thread was started by a young Navy wife looking for help, can she attend these "financial services" with her husband or is it a members only thing,...

husbands and wives are teams, fiducial teams, even the enlisted ones, I was maybe hoping the Navy had come to appreciate and accomodate that societal bedrock as much as plausible within their own needs,...

The wife can attend financial counseling at the Fleet and Family Service Center.

Answering your previous question....On my CVN, each division had a Command financial Specialist.  We also had a departmental CFS.  But these collateral duties were sought after by PO1s looking to get an eval bullet to help make CPO....so not always the best qualified guy got the job.

[KJC88]

Yes, you can reenlist at any time.  As you've obviously heard already, you lose a ton of STAR money if you reenlist before your two-year point; but beyond that, YOU get to decide when.  Some people wait to see if they can make E-5 off the exam, because that means a higher STAR bonus (since the STAR bonus is based on your Base Pay at the time of reenlistment).  Some people wait until they've seen some actual sea time - sort of like "try before you buy".  Some people wait until closer to their EAOS, and use it as a bargaining chip for negotiating their follow-on duty station orders.

But the bottom line is that "when" is up to you.

Ah I see thank you. That's good then I get to choose and have the option, not going to be forced to decide only once and then give it up and then not have the opportunity to ever do it again. Wonderful, thank you.

[LuckyKid]

You can't star re-enlist UNTIL your two year point. Otherwise you'd be doing it while you were still in school...why re-enlist when you're not even really doing your job yet?

[DDMurray]

You can't star re-enlist UNTIL your two year point. Otherwise you'd be doing it while you were still in school...why re-enlist when you're not even really doing your job yet?

You can re-enlist prior to the two year point. From the MILPERSMAN article (1160-100) on STAR reenlistement: "3. Eligibility Requirements for Nuclear Personnel. Nuclear personnel must have at least 21 months, but not more than 6 years, of continuous active Naval Service on their date of reenlistment."

Re-enlisting prior to the two-year point will likely reduce the amount of SRB, but will also limit the total obligated service.  I do concur with the logic of waiting until you know more about what you're getting into.  You can easily do some calculations and figure out if the risk is worth it to you.

-Derek