VTIP miscalculation

The Voluntary Transfer Incentive Program (VTIP) announcement for 3rd Quarter Fiscal Year 2016 came out this past week. The VTIP is the way Army officers transfer from basic branches into functional areas like Foreign Area Officer.

Unfortunately, the timing doesn't work well for me. One of the stipulations is that you have to be able to move no later than fall of 2017, and because of our upcoming move, that's not going to be possible. That's kind of a bummer.

It's all the more disappointing because it's a consequence of a decision I made in August of last year to try and get into the 16-01 assignment cycle. I figured I'd finish company command in December, and I didn't want to wait around not doing much. Especially given the OCONUS assignment choices at the time, I thought the 16-01 cycle would be a better choice than 16-02.

In terms of assignment, the decision was a good one, but the two month curtailment wrecks my application timeline. If I'd tried to extend into the fall, I might have been able to move straight into training, even if it meant staying in Korea a few more months.

It's not a complete loss, though. This decision looks like one of those "forks in the road" kind of things. This won't be my last opportunity to transfer, and my next assignment may more than make up for the delay.