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18x mos requirements9/16/2023 Get too many guys who don’t know enough and you start to accept risk where you shouldn’t. But even a REMF E4 from a low-speed unit knows how to dispatch a vehicle and how to do a layout and how a key box works. Now, it’s not the 18Xs fault that he doesn’t have these experiences. And don’t forget that you’re SF, but you’re still in the Army and if you want to see some pucker factor then go ahead and fuck up a sensitive item inventory, or lose track of the controlled meds, or have a guy roll through a vehicle inspection at the gate with some pyro that wasn’t accounted for. Take that minor thing and multiply that by 1000 tasks and then do it in combat conditions in an austere non-permissive environment and you see where this might be a challenge. So that task turned into a training event where an experienced guy had to stop what he was doing and train the new guy how to do that thing. I had a Team Sergeant explain to me once how he had an 18X heavy team and when he was prepping a range day he tasked a guy to go get a vehicle and the guy had no idea how to dispatch, let alone PMCS, a HMMWV. It’s a complex little exercise with all sorts of ancillary tasks, and a flat range is about as simple a thing as an ODA can do. You’ve got to forecast, request, and draw ammo, the range itself, vehicles, medical coverage, training and risk assessments, weapons, etc. I’ve told this story before, but something as simple as a flat range requires multiple moving pieces. An ODA is a little self-sustaining unit and it requires everybody to pull their own weight and then some. So, because we value and rely on competence so much it hurts when it’s not there. Guys will bust your balls at first, but keep fucking up and you’ll find your shit in the hallway with a new job assignment pretty quick. If you don’t meet the standards then you’ll hear about it. SF is hyper-competitive, results oriented, and practical. As a result, we’ve created a culture of innovation, competence, and accountability. With ‘Big Boy Rules’ come big boy consequences. You’re not allowed to have a man bun, roll into Group HQ in cutoff OCPs, with a beer gut. Nobody rides you about haircuts or uniforms or unit PT, but the expectation is that you will keep yourself well-groomed, out of the spotlight, and in shape. SF follows a mantra called ‘Big Boy Rules’. This is a good time to talk about operational culture. The thinking was that the force could absorb 30% and still maintain the maturity (read capability) level. When we revived the 18X program amidst the GWOT surge it was originally intended to fill about 30% of the force. In 2000 the average age on an ODA was 34 years with 12 years time in service. You have to be a little older to qualify for X because one of the hallmarks of SF is a more mature (and thus capable) force. I’ve never once seen a 12-man ODA outside of a CRF. The 18X program is designed to get guys right off the street into Group SF is historically undermanned holding steady at ~80% manning. Six of one, half dozen of the other, right? We see lots of posts from guys asking what to do…take an 18X contract and become a SMU Sniper Dog Handler or go to medical school and then commission and become a SMU commander and then an Astronaut (if you know, you know). Tl:dr - 18X is awesome, but it provides less experienced guys to units that demand experience AND the real selection rate isn’t any better (and likely worse) than ADE. The 18X program isn’t broken at all…I just wanted to get your attention.īut, the 18X program isn’t perfect either.
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