Chatting with the Branch Manager

I called my branch manager last Thursday to see if I could schedule my captain's career course. Here's what I learned.

First, I found out there are over 1,000 people who have a higher priority for CLCCC (Combined Logistics Captains Career Course) than I do. There are over 300 left from YG2007 and about 650 from YG2008.

To him, it's very important to get those guys to classes before me. However, I wonder how many of those 1000+ captains just don't want to go. Some guys with prior enlisted service are right where they want to be and don't have any intention of moving.

As I thought about it further, I came to the realization that I probably won't leave Fort Hood for another year or so. That's just how the system works.

In one sense, the process is bottom-up. As new second lieutenants come in, it frees up first lieutenants to take over the XO and junior battalion staff spots. Then, after there are enough people on battalion and brigade staff, people are free to move out.

With my battalion closing down, this is a great opportunity. The hard part for me is determining what I *want* to do. I'd love to go to CLC3 as soon as possible, but I don't want to request a date only to have it pushed back to July. In that situation, I'd be filling a chair for six months in the new battalion.

Compared with sitting around for that long, I'd rather invest a few more months and take command of a Movement Control Team. It wouldn't count as a "real" command (meaning a "key developmental billet") because it's not more than 50 people, but it would be a great broadening experience.

The only problem with MCT command is a possible deployment. Between 1.) MCT command with deployment, and 2.) sitting at a desk, I would choose the latter. What's definitely not a possibility is moving outside the brigade. Though it would be great to move into a brigade support battalion and see how that side of things works, there's very little chance of my brigade just letting me go; even then I'd have to find someplace that would take someone on an open timeframe.

Options are nice, but they sure make decisions more complicated.