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Old 03-25-2009, 07:49   #1
Warrior-Mentor
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ARMY CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

This is a great opportunity for post Detachment or Company Command.
Get a Master's Degree from George Washington University in Legislative Affairs.

One career challenge is timing...it's a 3 year program (one year on Capital Hill, two years working Legislative Liaison)...so it's ideal for a new Major who completes his KD job right out of ILE and has some time before LTC.

I am currently in this program. In the past, we had one Special Forces Officer per year. This next year, we will NOT have any Special Forces Officers in the program.

Here's the problem...if we don't have someone learning how to fight this fight, we lose. [Read "This War really Matters" by George Wilson]
http://www.amazon.com/This-War-Reall.../dp/1568024606

The Services all have health Fellowship programs...with about 100 Fellows on the Hill this year. SOCOM doesn't have a Fellowship program...so it relies on each respective service to provide traning for Special Operations folks...SEALS in the Navy program, etc.

The purpose of this program is three fold:

(1) provide outstanding Officers with strong promotion potential an opportunity to understand and appreciate the importance of the strategic relationships between the Army and Congress;

(2) expose as many Congressional Members and staff to the outstanding quality of Army Officers and help them learn about the Army as an institution through contact with Army Fellows working in their office; and

(3) develop a pool of Officers from which some may be selected for future utilization in the field on Congressional Liaison. Officers looking for a fast paced, exciting and broadening opportunity are encouraged to apply for the Army Congressional Fellowship Program. Commanders and Supervisors are also encouraged to submit their best candidates for this prestigious opportunity.


If you are interested in the program, instructions are below. If you have questions, feel free to send me a note.



MILPER MESSAGE NUMBER: 09-065
FISCAL YEAR 2011 ARMY CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM


1. OVERVIEW The Army Congressional Fellowship Program educates selected Army Officers and Civilians on the importance of the strategic relationship between the Army and the Congress. It is a three-year program which includes pursuit of a Master’s Degree in Legislative Affairs at George Washington University, service on the staff of a Member of Congress, and utilization on the Army or Joint Staff in a Legislative Liaison duty position. The program seeks Active, Reserve, and National Guard Officers who have demonstrated outstanding promotion potential, have recent experience in OIF and OEF, and have recently completed successful Company/Battery/Troop Command or equivalent Key Developmental (KD) duties. It is also open to outstanding DA Civilians who will work in a Legislative Liaison duty position in their parent organization.

2. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

a. Selection – Human Resources Command (HRC) will conduct a selection board in October 2009 to select 24 Officers and one DA Civilian for the 2011 Army Congressional Fellowship Program.

b. Orientation – Selected Officers and Civilians begin the Fellowship in May 2010 by participating in a HQDA Orientation Program (May to Dec 2010). Fellows are temporarily assigned to the Army Secretariat in support of the Legislative Affairs function. The Orientation program educates Fellows on HQDA operations and the Army’s position on a wide range of issues. All Fellows participate in the orientation, which includes a variety of meetings, seminars, educational readings, and attendance at a one week Force Integration Course. This Orientation is aimed at educating the Fellow on how HQDA, and other DoD agencies operate.

c. Masters’ Degree in Legislative Affairs – The academic portion of the Fellowship begins simultaneously with Orientation in May 2010 with an intensive summer program of study. The George Washington University (GWU) Masters’ in Legislative Affairs program is a rigorous 11 course, one-of-a-kind in the nation, curriculum that exposes students to all aspects of the Congressional experience. Two thirds of the program’s current students are Congressional staff, offering Army Fellows a unique opportunity to network with staffers they’ll be working with on Capitol Hill and during follow-on assignments in the Legislative Liaison arena. Fellows pursue core course study, as well as take National Security process and policy courses, in the Summer and Fall 2010 sessions. Fellows take elective courses in areas of their choosing, pursue independent study opportunities and complete comprehensive exams during the proceeding Spring and Summer 2011 sessions, with the goal of earning the Masters’ Degree in Legislative Affairs by the end of Summer 2011. Most courses are only offered at night.

d. Capitol Hill Experience – In January 2011, Fellows begin their experience on Capitol Hill by serving on the staff of a Member of Congress. Fellows are typically given responsibility for drafting legislation, arranging Congressional hearings, writing speeches and floor statements, and briefing Members of Congress for committee deliberations and floor debate. The Capitol Hill experience ends at the conclusion of the 113th Congress (approximately Dec 2011).

e. Utilization Tour – Immediately following the Fellowship, Officers are assigned to a position in the Washington DC area requiring in-depth knowledge of the operations of Congress for a two-year utilization. These are challenging assignments in which Officers represent the Department of the Army with the United States Congress. Officers typically serve as principal liaison for portfolios valued in the billions of dollars, as well as become experts on a wide range of Army policy issues. Officers gather information, prepare strategies, organize briefings and arrange world-wide Congressional fact finding travel aimed at educating Members and staff on Army programs. Upon completion of the utilization tour, Officers report to Intermediate Level Education (ILE) and then onto operational assignments in their career fields for KD positions. Civilian Fellows return to their position held prior to participating in the Army Congressional Fellowship Program.

3. SERVICE OBLIGATION – All Active, Army Reserve and Army National Guard Fellows incur an Active Duty Service Obligation for participation in this program (IAW Army Regulation 350-100). Civilian Fellows also incur a service obligation (IAW Title 5, United States Code, Section 410.309 and Section 4108).

4. ARMY SELECTION BOARD - The Army Congressional Fellowship Program Selection Board will convene 13-16 October 2009 to select finalists. All packets will be screened by George Washington University to ensure academic eligibility before any results are released. The Chief of Legislative Liaison is the final approval authority for all Fellow selections.

5. TIMELINE

31 July 2009 - APPLICATION DEADLINE TO ASSIGNMENT OFFICER
13 October thru 16 October 2009 - SELECTION BOARD CONVENES
09 November 2009 thru 13 November 2009 – GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIV ADMISSION REVIEW
22 January 2010 - SELECTIONS ANNOUNCED
03 May 2010 - FELLOWS REPORT TO WASHINGTON, DC
18 May 2010- FELLOWS BEGIN COURSEWORK AT GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

6. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS (for AC, AR, ARNG and DA Civilians)

a. This program is designed for Active, Reserve and National Guard Officers coming out of Company/Battery/Troop Command or equivalent KD position, as well as Department of the Army Civilians. The following are the list of eligibility requirements for all military and DA civilians:

(1) Must have extraordinary potential for future military service.

(2) Must have the interpersonal skills and ability to interact and form relationships with individuals with diverse backgrounds.

(3) Official transcripts from all colleges attended must be submitted with board packet.

(4) Must submit a Statement of Purpose explaining reasons for application to the program, as well as two Letters of Recommendation.
[TIP: Recommend at least one General Officer endorsement - more is better]

(5) Must have 3 years availability in career time line for duty in Washington, D.C. Upon completion of the Capitol Hill portion of the program, all officers will complete 2 years in a utilization assignment - there are no curtailment waivers.

(6) Must submit current civilian-style resume with education and work experience with board packet.

(7) Must have successfully completed branch Key Developmental (KD) assignment at current grade (IAW DA PAM 600-3) NLT 1 MAY 10 and must be able to report 3 MAY 10.

(8) Must not be competing for any other Army-sponsored program, fellowship, scholarship or be slated to attend the expanded graduate school program in the same fiscal year.

(9) Must not be pending any adverse actions and must meet Army height and weight standards.

(10) Must have recent deployment experience as part of OIF or OEF.

(11) Officers with a previously earned master’s degree may compete as long as the degree is not in Legislative Affairs, or any other similar discipline. AR 621-1 prohibits earning a fully funded degree in the same discipline.

Last edited by Warrior-Mentor; 03-27-2009 at 00:34.
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Old 03-25-2009, 07:53   #2
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7. HOW TO COMPETE FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIP

a. ACTIVE COMPONENT OFFICERS

(1) Should be Year Group 2004 or later (2005, etc.).
[NOTE: SF Branch is aware of the challenge with Year Group 2004 still being in initial Group Assignment. They are working to get this fixed. Recommendation for older officers interested in the Fellowship is to get your application together and in to SF Branch.]

(2) Eligible Active Component Officers must request permission to compete by submitting the following to their career assignment officer, U.S. Army Human Resources Command (HRC) prior to 31 July 2009:

• DA Form 4187 with the following information: Mailing Address, email address, work telephone number, and the statement “I request permission to compete for the FY2011 ACFP and I understand that if I’m awarded this Fellowship I will incur an Active Duty Service Obligation of three for one computed in days, IAW AR 350-100. I further agree to serve a two year utilization assignment immediately following the Fellowship.”

• A congratulatory statement, with further instructions on what to submit for the Selection Board Packet, will be emailed to those that are approved to compete.

• Candidates must ensure their official military photo and Officer Record Brief (ORB) are up to date.

b. ARMY RESERVE OFFICERS

(1) Officers in the rank of Captain and Major currently serving in the Selected Reserve (TPU, AGR, IMA) may apply. Officers not currently serving in an AGR status must simultaneously (with this fellowship application) apply for active duty with the Army Reserve AGR Program. Officers selected for the fellowship, not currently serving in an AGR status, will be accessed into the AGR Program for a minimum of four years.

(2) Captains must have completed the Captains Career Course. Majors must not have more than four years time in grade as of September 2009 and must have completed CGSC or CGSC-Intermediate Level Education (ILE) by 1 May 2010.(3) All officers must have a mandatory removal date of 1 Sep 2018 or later.

(3) All officers (AGR, TPU, IMA), when calculating active federal service, must have a basic active service date of 1 September 1995 or later (not waiverable).

(4) Questions on the application process and eligibility should be addressed to career managers (CMS) at Active Reserve Active Duty Management Directorate (ARADMD). Additional inquiries about packet contents and eligibility criteria will also appear on the HRC-STL (HRC-STL) Web Site: HTTP://www.HRC.Army.Mil/Site/Reserve...Fellowship.htm.

(5) Eligible AGR Officers must request permission to compete by submitting the following to their career assignment officer, U.S. Army Human Resources Command (HRC-STL) prior to 31 July 2009:

• DA Form 4187 with the following information: Mailing Address, email address, work telephone number, and the statement “I request permission to compete for the FY2011 ACFP and I understand that if I’m awarded this Fellowship I will incur an Active Duty Service Obligation of three for one computed in days, IAW AR 350-100. I further agree to serve a two year utilization assignment immediately following the Fellowship.”

• Include your signed Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO) Statement.

c. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD OFFICERS

(1) This program is open to Title 10 and Title 32 Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) Captains and Majors. Majors must not have more than four (4) years time in grade as of September 2009.

(2) Applications must be received prior to 31 July 2009.

(3) For information on the duties and responsibilities of a Congressional Fellow, as well as specific application procedures, please contact Ms. Linda Conlin at Linda.Conlin@us.army.mil ; 703-607-5477 or visit the website at HTTP://www.NGB.Army.Mil/II/HTab5.aspx.

d. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY CIVILIAN

(1) Civilians General Service (GS-12 through GS-15 or NSPS equivalent) must submit an application IAW procedures outlined in the Annual Catalog of Army Civilian Training, Education and Professional Development Opportunities found on the Worldwide Web at HTTP://CPOL.Army.Mil. The catalog describes program requirements and contains the application package.

(2) The command must ensure their candidate, if selected, will be assigned to a position that is related to Congressional Affairs. The intended assignment must be identified by the command, in writing, at the time of application.

(3) Candidates must submit applications through their respective MACOM or independent reporting activity chain of command. Applications must be addressed to Office, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, ATTN: DAPE-CP (Ms. Valerie Peyton), Hoffman Building I, 2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Room 476, Alexandria, VA 22331-0300 and be received prior to 31 July 2009.

(4) Questions should be addressed to Ms. Valerie Peyton at Valerie.Peyton@us.army.mil.

Last edited by Warrior-Mentor; 03-27-2009 at 00:39.
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Old 03-25-2009, 07:58   #3
Warrior-Mentor
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Lest NCOs feel left out, there is a small pilot program for Senior NCOs that just started in the past few months...the Sergeant Major of the Army is the lead with starting this program ...we currently have four Senior NCOs (SGM/MSG) on the Hill.

I am working to get the details on NCO Congressional Fellowship Program Application procedures and will keep you posted...
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Old 03-27-2009, 00:46   #4
Warrior-Mentor
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Exclamation UPDATE

After relooking the Message, noticed the Year Group 2004 restriction...which effectively eliminates our Branch from competition in this program - recent SFQC Grads are still in their first year in Group.

The intent of the change was to get younger officers into the Legislative Liaison arena earlier, so we can build a more experienced legislative team over the life of an officer's career.

SF Branch is aware of the challenge with Year Group 2004 still being in initial Group Assignment. They are working to get this fixed.

My recommendation for older officers interested in the Fellowship is to get your application together and in to SF Branch.
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Old 03-27-2009, 06:10   #5
Richard
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Another option for some of the 'older' officers to consider is CMF 48 - which also includes a fully-funded graduate degree, a year being mentored by a DAO officer, the opportunity to attend various foreign schools/training, and some interesting future assignments at Theater/Embassy levels as a pol/mil advisor or DAO. And unless things have changed quite a bit, the Army is the only branch of the service who has such a program.

Richard's $.02
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“Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.” - Robert Heinlein
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Old 06-18-2012, 02:03   #6
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Officer Graduate Options

Gents,
When I was in College my Professor of Military Science (PMS) Said it is our job as officers to learn what our Soldiers do and to Read... A lot... Which I took this as expanding our education to further our ability in our functional area. So I did a lot of digging to what it would take to do this, and of course get the Army to cover the bill. Then got told about a new program as a Senior in ROTC that started for YG 08. The Graduate Additional Duty Service Obligation (GRADSO) ended up being my path. But here is other stuff I uncovered on the Way.

Here is some for SOF Only

http://www.socom.mil/J7_9/Pages/Scho...pPrograms.aspx

For any Officer here are some programs
AR 621-7 (Army Fellowships and Scholarships)

http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r621_7.pdf

GRADSO
During your Senior Year when you are Branching you can ask to compete for GRADSO (it about 60% of those applied get it) which based on merit just like branching itself. Gradso allows you from year 5-10 as an officer to go back to College for a Graduate Program that is fully funded by the Army and you still receive all Pays and Allowances according to your College location. The program has to meet the list of approved Degree Programs based on your YG, and it has to be an accredited college/university with in the US. You then owe the Army 3 months for every 1 month your in College for a maximum of 24 months in College. You are allowed to do 3 years of this obligation before you go to school and a minimum of 3 years after you are done. So for me at year 8-10 (hopefully after my group time!) I will call branch and say I am done with my Group time and want to use my GRADSO, here is the Accredited and Army Approved College that has accepted me on unconditional status along with this Degree Program that is Approved for my YG. DA will then cut orders for you to Ft Jackson Student Detachment with Duty at your College. Then you, branch, & the registrar validate the Army Paying for all tuition.
Hope this helps anyone one going for Higher Learning..
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Old 06-18-2012, 03:43   #7
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Certain ADSPEC programs in the Army lead to the GRADSO program, too. As a 48C, I was offered GWU, Columbia, Cornell, Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana. After looking at all the programs, I chose Indiana's WEST (West European Studies) program for my MA enroute to the AmEmbassy-Bonn (which has since returned to Berlin).

Indiana had extremely strong programs for supporting the West European and Russian FAO programs.

Gutes lesen und Glück auf.

Richard
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“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)… There are just some kind of men who – who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.” - To Kill A Mockingbird (Atticus Finch)

“Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.” - Robert Heinlein
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