Army National Guard

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Emergency Food Brands

By Admin July 14, 2020

What You Need Inside a Survival Kit

By Admin July 13, 2020

Container

Sturdy backpack

Food/Water

Water: 1 Gallon per Person/Day

Shelter and Warmth

Poncho
Blanket

Light and Communication

Battery Pack

charging cord for cell phone

Flash light
Radio (NOAA)
Batteries - Better to get one battery type that fits all device types.
Charged unlocked phone - to call 911

Tools

Multi Tool
Duck Tape
Working glove
550-cord

Hygiene and Sanitation

Face mask (2 per person)
Wet Wipes
Hand Sanitizer
Toothbrush/paste
Female Hygiene
Garbage bags
Disposable gloves

First Aid

Blood stop powder
Bandage
Pain killers
Tourniquet

Safety/Protection

Pocket Knife
Handgun

Ammunition

Whistle to signal for help
Stimulants: Caffeine Pills/Instant Coffee (To keep you awake when you need to stay vigilant)

Other: These items are useful for relieving stress and supporting activity under challenging conditions.

Resources

Get the Most Out of Tricare Reserve Select

By Admin July 10, 2020

Get a primary care provider.

Get all the annual tests.

Enroll your parents as dependents.

National Guard Retirement Explained

By Admin July 09, 2020

Reference Websites

Washington National Guard SAD (State Active Duty) Pay, Explained.

By Admin July 09, 2020

The National Guard calls you to serve your state for events such as COVID-19. They say you are getting the SAD pay. What does that mean?! I will explain it here. Private-proof.

First, what you are NOT getting from SAD:

Healthcare (You are not covered under Tricare)
Retirement (no matter how long you are on SAD orders, you don't get points for your National Guard retirement)

Now, let's talk about your pay $$$

If you are serving on SAD for 30 consecutive days or longer:

You get monthly military rate, which includes the following:

the military monthly basic pay amount (based on PEBD or Pay Date)
BAH for your home of record
BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence), if meals are not provided
Special Pay (as applicable)

If you are serving on SAD for less than 30 consecutive days:

You get $229.50/day (the Washington state minimum wage for working 14 hours/day)
OR
Daily Military Rate:
(Basic Pay + BAH + BAS + Applicable Special Pay) / 30
Most Soldiers will get $229.50/day.

What do I mean by most Soldiers?

If you are a single, you will get $229.50/day unless,

E8 with 24 years of service or more.

Their daily pay: $197.52 + $32.61 = $230.13

W2 with 22 years of service or more.

Their daily pay: $200.43 + $32.25 = $232.68

O3 with 4 years of service or more.

Their daily pay: $194.91 + $38.41 = $233.32

If you have dependents, you will get $229.50/day unless,

E8 with 22 years of service or more.

Their daily pay: $192.93 + $42.11 = $235.04

W2 with 18 years of service or more.

Their daily pay: $190.12 + $40.07 = $230.19

O3 with 4 years of service or more.

Their daily pay: $194.91 + $44.47 = $239.38

Things to Consider:

If they give you weekends off, they may or may not pay you for the weekends.
If your HOR (Home of Record) is more than 50 miles away from your duty location, they will get you a hotel room (or a place to sleep).

A horrific example:

You are an E3. You are on SAD order for 29 days. That means you are getting $6,655.50 ($229.50 x 29 days). Great pay. And you know what's more awesome? Your PSG is getting the same pay as you. Screw him, right?

But now, you work one more day, and you are on SAD

Some Useful Tools to Calculate your SAD Pay:

Manuever Officer Education Path

By Admin July 09, 2020

Master of Military Art and Science (MMAS) Degree

Advanced Military Studies Program (AMSP)

The AMSP is for Majors and Junior Lieutenant Colonels who have completed their Intermediate Level Education requirement or equivalent, with the majority coming to AMSP from Command and General Staff School (CGSS).

Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus (FLPB) Pay for Army National Guard Soldiers

By Admin July 05, 2020

For the most recent update, refer to: MILPER 23-069 Implementation of Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus (FLPB) Pay by Modality Table and Requirements for New FLPB Written Agreement.

Can National Guard Soldiers get Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus (FLPB) Pay? Yes! This is the same extra pay that you can get as a National Guard Soldier as your active duty counterparts.

1. Who is Eligible for FLPB Pay?

In order to be eligible for FLPB pay, you must be in one of the two following criteria:

Be proficient (have DLPT score of at least 1/1) on at least one of the languages on Payment List A.
Have MOS, Branch, CMF, AOC, or FA on AR 11-6, Chapter 4–4, a thru c. And be proficient (have DLPT score of at least 1/1) on at least one of the languages on Payment List B.

Department of the Army Strategic Language List

PAYMENT LIST A - Authorized for all PMOS/Branches

IMMEDIATE INVESTMENT LANGUAGES

(LANGUAGE | DIGRAPH CODE | TRIGRAPH CODE)
Arabic-Levantine | AP | QAV
Arabic-Yemeni | AU | QAY
Baluchi | BT | BAL
Pashtu-Afghan (Pushtu) | PV | PBT
Persian-Afghan (Dari) | PG | PRS
Persian-Iranian (Farsi) | PF | PES
Somali | SM | SOM
Urdu | UR | URD

EMERGING LANGUAGES

(LANGUAGE | DIGRAPH CODE | TRIGRAPH CODE)
Acholi | AH | ACH
Amharic | AC | AMH
Azerbaijani | AX | AZE
Bengali | BN | BEN
Burmese | BY | MYA
Hindi | HJ | HIN
Kirghiz | KM | KIR
Punjabi (Western) | QP | PAN
Tadjik | TB | TGK
Uzbek | UX | UZB

PAYMENT LIST B - Restricted to ONLY language capable and language dependent MOS/Branch

ARABIC: Region 1

(LANGUAGE | DIGRAPH CODE | TRIGRAPH CODE)
Moroccan | BS | ARY
Algerian | DH | ARQ
Tunisiah | BW | AEB
Libyan | AL | AYL

ARABIC: Region 2

(LANGUAGE | DIGRAPH CODE | TRIGRAPH CODE)
Egyptian | AE | ARZ
Sudanese | AV | APD

ARABIC: Region 3

(LANGUAGE | DIGRAPH CODE | TRIGRAPH CODE)
Saudi Arabian | AN | QAS

ARABIC: Region 4

(LANGUAGE | DIGRAPH CODE | TRIGRAPH CODE)
Lebanese | AQ | QLB
Jordanian | AK | QAJ

ARABIC: Region 5

(LANGUAGE | DIGRAPH CODE | TRIGRAPH CODE)
Iraqi | DG | QAG

"4 + 1" Languages

(LANGUAGE | DIGRAPH CODE | TRIGRAPH CODE)
Chinese-Mandarin | CM | CMN
Korean | KP | KOR
Russian | RU | RUS

AR 11-6, Chapter 4–4. Language capable and language dependent military occupational specialties and career management fields for foreign language proficiency bonus purposes only

Language capable and language dependent MOS and Career Management Field (CMF) for FLPB purposes only include:

a. Enlisted:

00S
00Z: Nominative Command Sergeant Major/Sergeant Major

(limited to those with a 18, 35, 37, 38 CMF background)

09L: Interpreter/Translator
35L: Counter Intelligence Agent
35M: Human Intelligence Collector
35N: Signals Intelligence Analyst
35P: Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Voice Interceptor
35Y: Chief Counterintelligence/Human Intelligence Sergeant
35V: Chief Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Sergeant
35Z: Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Senior Sergeant/SIGINT Chief
CMFs

18: Special Forces
37: Psychological Operations
38: Civil Affairs

b. Warrant officer:

180A: Special Forces Warrant Officer
351L: Counter-Intelligence Technician
351M: Human Intelligence Collection Technician
351Z: Attache Technician
351Y: Area Intelligence Technician
352N: Signals Intelligence Analysis Technician

c. Officer:

Branch 18: Special Forces
Branch 37: Psychological Operations
Branch 38: Civil Affairs
AOC 35F: Human Intelligence
Functional Areas (FA’s)

47A: USMA, Professor
47G: USMA, Professor of Foreign Languages
48: Foreign Area Officer

FA 48 personnel are only language dependent (for FLPB purposes) when FA 48 is their primary FA designator.

2. How Much Will I Get Paid for FLPB?

You will get paid based on AR 11-6, Table 4–2 (Foreign language proficiency bonus payment table).

Table 4–2 Foreign language proficiency bonus payment table

DLPT Score	Payment list "A"	Payment list "B"
1/1*	100*	50*
1+/1+*	150*	75*
2/2	200	100
2/2+	250	125
2+/2+ or 2/3	300	150
2+/3	350	175
3/3	400	250
3/3/3** or 4/4	500	300

* Qualified Soldiers only. See paragraph 5-2 to determine if Soldiers qualify for sub 2/2 proficiency FLPB.
** Only paid when the linguist achieves a 3 on OPI to verify their speaking capability.
Note: Any equivalent combination of DLPT scores may be used. For example: "2/2+" is the same as a "2+/2." A DLPT score higher than "3/3" but less than "3/3/3 or 4/4" (for example, 3+/3) is paid at the "3/3" level.

References:

HRC Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus Page: https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Foreign%20Language%20Proficiency%20Bonus
Current Department of the Army Strategic Language List (ASLL)
AR 11-6 Army Foreign Language Program: https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/r11_6.pdf

Millitary Intelligence Credentials

By Admin July 04, 2020

https://www.cool.osd.mil/army/officer/aoc_35f.htm

https://dodcertpmo.defense.gov/

https://dodcertpmo.defense.gov/IntTradecraft/

Get These Credit Cards When You Are Covered Under SCRA

By Admin July 03, 2020

When you are covered under SCRA, many credit card companies will waive your annual fee. That means you can enjoy the premium benefits without paying the premiums. Below are some of the credit cards with the highest annual fees:

Card	Bank	Yearly Benefits	Annual Fee
Chase Sapphire Reserve	Chase	$300 Annual Travel Credit	$550
The Platinum Card	American Express	$200 Airline Fee Credit $100 in statement credits for Saks Fifth Avenue Global Lounge Collection	$550
Citi Prestige	Citi	Complimentary 4th Night Hotel Stay VIP Lounge Access Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® Application Fee Credit	$495
Marriott Bonvoy	American Express	1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary. Complimentary Gold elite status. $300 Marriott Bonvoy Statement credit. $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit. Global Entry or TSA Precheck® fee credit.	$450
Hilton Honors Aspire Card	American Express	$250 Hilton Resort Statement Credit 1 weekend night reward every year after renewal.	$450

SCRA (Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) for Army National Guard

By Admin June 28, 2020

SCRA Website: https://scra.dmdc.osd.mil/scra/#/home

Q: Are National Guard Soldiers Covered Under SCRA?

A: Yes, under two circumstances:

When you are on a Title 10 order.

When will a National Guard Solider be on a Title 10 order? When you deploy overseas, or when you go on a mandatory training such as BOLC for commissioned officers. See towards the bottom of your order, and under "AUTH" you will see "10 USC..." if you are on a Title 10 order.

When you are "under a call to active service authorized by the President or the Secretary of Defense for a period of more than 30 consecutive days under section 502(f) of title 32, United States Code, for purposes of responding to a national emergency declared by the President and supported by Federal funds" (from SCRA Website FAQs: https://scra.dmdc.osd.mil/scra/#/faqs)

Your drills, annual trainings, or State Active Duty (SAD) orders aren't covered under SCRA.

For an example, look at the bottom of your AT order. Under "FOR ARMY USE", you will see "Auth: 32 USC 502(a)". Your AT order is under section 502(a) of title 32, not 502(f) that covers you under the SCRA.

When you are under an ADOS order or you are an AGR, your title 32 order is under section 502(f). However, SCRA does specify that even under 502(f), you must be on the order "for purposes of responding to a national emergency declared by the President and supported by Federal funds". So for most part, you aren't covered.
One good example for when you are covered under SCRA as a National Guard Soldier:

COVID-19 breaks out in 2020. You are called into duty by your governor, whether to do contact tracing, riot control, packing food at food banks, or assisting with backed up unemployment claims. Your Task Force command team figures out that you will be there more more than a month, and request the authorization to put you under Title 32 order instead of the SAD order. In this case, you are responding to a national emergency declared by the President, so you will be covered under SCRA.

Army National Guard

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