The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program prepares high school students for leadership roles while making them aware of their rights, responsibilities and privileges as American citizens. It is a stimulus for promoting graduation from high school, and it provides instruction and rewarding opportunities that will benefit the student, community and Nation. JROTC teaches young men and women the kind of self-discipline, self-confidence, and leadership skills that can help them successfully meet the challenges of adulthood. This program is conducted at accredited secondary schools throughout the Nation, by instructors who are retired Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers and enlisted personnel.
We greatly appreciate your desire to join the Armed Forces. Our entry rules are purposely tough because in the field, the lives of your fellow service members may well depend on your physical and mental capabilities to perform as part of the unit. The Military services each set and review their standards for enlistment based upon their particular mission.
To appeal a decision made by a military service's recruiting command, you must submit your request in writing to the appropriate military service. Addresses for the military services are available on the DOD website at -Addresses/.
The USCIS website contains helpful information about laws, policies, and procedures for non-citizen members of the military and veteran community seeking to become naturalized United States citizens. Link:
The Department of Defense employs 950,000 civilians, many serving in critical positions worldwide. There are multitudes of opportunities requiring a diverse range of skills. If a competitive salary, great benefits, unsurpassed training, and the pride of defending our Nation interests you, then your future is with DOD.
As a civilian in DOD, you play an important role in the defense of our Nation and in supporting our Armed Forces. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and other DOD Agencies have civilian positions in nearly 675 occupations.
As a student or recent graduate, you may be able to begin your career in the Federal Government through internships, the Recent Graduates Program, Presidential Management Fellows Program, with the assistance of DOD scholarship programs:
Service members and their families have proven their strength in weathering unique issues, such as frequent moves, deployments and separations from loved ones. Because everyone struggles now and then, the Department of Defense provides confidential non-medical counseling, specialty consultations and other forms of free confidential help to service members, immediate family members and in some cases, Department of Defense civilians. Confidential help is available in person, via secure video, over the phone and online. Learn more at Military OneSource:
If you have an immediate need or are currently in crisis, call the Military Crisis Line for support at 1-800-273-8255 (press 1). The MCL is a toll-free, confidential resource that connects service members in crisis, their families and friends with qualified, caring responders.
If you are a military veteran in crisis or are concerned about a veteran who is, The Department of Veterans Affairs also offers confidential free support from caring, qualified responders, many of whom are veterans themselves.
Get the information you need with the Real Warriors Live Chat. A trained health resource consultant is ready to talk, listen and provide the guidance and resources you are looking for. Access our privacy policies and disclaimers to see our commitment to your confidentiality.
The Department of Defense issues a common access card, or CAC, ''smart'' ID card to active-duty military personnel, Selected Reserve, DOD civilian employees, and eligible contractor personnel. A uniformed service ID card, or USID, is issued to military family members and military retirees to access service benefits and privileges. Military personnel, retirees, and their family members should notify their security office IMMEDIATELY if an ID card is lost, stolen, or misplaced.
The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, or DEERS, database contains information for each uniformed service member (active duty, retired, or a member of a reserve component), U.S.-sponsored foreign military, DOD and uniformed services civilians, other personnel as directed by the DOD (including the patient population serviced through the Military Health Services System), and their eligible family members. DEERS registration is required for TRICARE eligibility and enrollment.
You are responsible for keeping your information current on your record. Active Duty and retired service members are automatically registered in DEERS, but they must take action to register their family members and ensure they are correctly entered into the database. Once registered in DEERS it is important to keep your DEERS records updated when personal eligibility information changes. This includes addresses and family status (marriage, divorce, birth, adoption, etc.). Mistakes in the DEERS database can cause problems with TRICARE claims, so it is critical to maintain your DEERS information. Retail network pharmacies check TRICARE eligibility through DEERS. Prescriptions will be filled only for beneficiaries who are listed as eligible in DEERS.
The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs jointly operate an online tool to facilitate your application process. By answering a series of questions, you will receive customized instructions on how to apply, and to which board to apply, for a discharge upgrade or correction.
If you do not agree with a Service Board for Correction of Military/Naval Records (BCM/NR) decision, and have relevant evidence that was not considered with the previous application, you may submit a new DD Form 149 to your respective BCM/NR and apply for reconsideration of your case.
Service members with a separation date on or after December 20, 2019, who have exhausted all available administrative remedies for a discharge or dismissal characterization upgrade by their Service BCM/NR, may be eligible to apply to the DoD Discharge Appeal Review Board. To learn more about the DARB and how to apply for review, visit the DARB page located on the Air Force Review Board Agency website.
If you believe an error or injustice exists in your military record, you may complete and submit a DD Form 149, Application for Correction of Military Record, along with sufficient evidence of the probable material error or justice, to your Service Board for Correction of Military/Naval Records (BCM/NR). A few examples of records that may be corrected include: administrative information, pay and allowances, decorations and awards, performance evaluations and derogatory information, disabilities, promotions and rank, and separation and discharges*.
*NOTE: Service members who are seeking a discharge upgrade and have been separated for less than 15 years, must first submit the DD Form 293, Application for the Review of Discharge from the Armed Forces of the Unites States, to their respective Service Discharge Review Board.
When applying to your respective BCM/NR, download and use the most current version of the DD Form 149 located on the Official DoD Website for DoD Forms:
Both the Army and Air Force offer online application portals and the Navy accepts applications via email. These methods are preferred and will streamline your application process and allow for timelier responses. You may also mail your completed application and any supporting evidence to the appropriate address on page 3 of the DD Form 149 but be sure to first check the websites below to find the most up-to-date instructions and information for your Service BCM/NR.
If you do not agree with a Service BCM/NR decision and have relevant evidence that was not considered with the previous application, you may submit a new DD Form 149 to apply for reconsideration of your case.
The U.S. Armed Forces maintain an Official Military Personnel File, or OMPF, for every veteran and service member. If you are a veteran or a member of the Army, Navy, Marines, or Air Force and are serving as active duty, reserve, or guard, or if you are retired, you can use the Defense Personnel Records Information Retrieval System page on the milConnect website to request and receive scanned copies of documents in your OMPF.
In some cases, OMPF records are not yet scanned into the DPRIS system on milConnect. To determine whether your documents are available online, what to do if they are not, and for many more details about your OMPF documents, visit the DPRIS section of the milConnect frequently asked questions page.
For OMPF records not available in milConnect, military veteran health records, or for records requests from a veteran's next of kin or a member of the public, please visit the National Archives - National Personnel Record Center, Military Personnel Records for assistance:
The DOD and other agencies are committed to connecting survivors with resources to relieve financial stress and provide assistance with decision-making around the death of a service member. Military OneSource contains a list of helpful resources.
The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts initiative is a workforce development program. Its goal is to find an effective way to help military spouses get the training and education they need to have portable careers. Accounts for education and training leading to a credential in a portable field are available for eligible military spouses at
Thank you for your desire to support the well-being of our service members. The Department of Defense does not operate a program for members of the general public to send care packages and holiday mail to deployed service members. However, those wishing to send materials to service members can do so by contacting any of the various non-DOD military service organizations who still do this work. One example is the American Red Cross, which has a Holiday for Heroes program run by their local state chapters.
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