VTIP failure, ACOM offer

Since coming out of command in February with a "center of mass" evaluation, I've been lamenting my long term career prospects with the Army. Those with two "above center of mass" (ACOM) evaluations out of their last five have a 75% chance or so of being promoted. Those with one or zero had less than a 25% chance, and I've only got two years before my "primary zone" look in 2018. Not good.

This is probably the reason why I wasn't selected for Foreign Area Officer in the most recent Voluntary Transfer Incentive Program (VTIP). It didn't matter that I speak four foreign languages (to varying degrees), already have a master's degree, scored a 127 on the DLAB, and have other qualifications -- as they stated in the rejection email I got today, I'm at risk of non-promotion.

Thumbs down.

Yet there's hope. My senior boss (the guy with the power to grant the coveted ACOM) came by my desk in the afternoon and asked why -- with all the languages I speak -- I wasn't already a Foreign Area Officer. I read the email to him, and explained why.

He said that because he's retiring this summer, he's got a few he can give out, but wasn't sure if he could do that with his timeline. Fortunately, I happen to know my AR 623-3 fairly well, and told him about the "Senior Rater Option" mentioned in §3-57. (Explanation as follows:)

Raters must have 90 days of rating time to do an evaluation (§2-5a(1)). Senior raters must have 60 days (§2-7a(3)). If your rater changes positions before you have one year of rated time, you get a "Change of Rater" evaluation (§3-40). But what happens if your senior rater leaves on June 30th, and your rater changes positions on July 31st? The new senior rater wouldn't have sufficient time to be the senior rater. In this situation, you have to get your old senior rater to do the box check. This is called the "Senior Rater Option."

I gave him a printout (being sure to circle §3-57b), and said I appreciated the consideration.

I hope this works out -- it would be really nice to have an ACOM before the next VTIP comes around.