Navy designs new IA program Published May 18, 2010 By Naval Personnel Command Public Affairs MILLINGTON, Tenn. -- A new program to preserve career choice, volunteerism and predictability of Individual Augmentee assignments while solidifying Sailor and family support is being developed by U.S. Fleet Forces and Navy Personnel Command. The Overseas Contingency Operations Support Assignments program will be implemented this fall through the Career Management System/Interactive Detailing system, utilizing Sailor duty preference inputs. "There are some inequities between the IA Manpower Management and Global War on Terrorism Support Assignment processes," said Ron Dodge, deputy director for enlisted distribution. "When a Sailor goes on an IAMM assignment, they are put on temporary additional duty and receive per diem and entitlements, but Sailors going on a GSA are actually on permanent change of station orders and don't receive those same entitlements. When delays have occurred during processing in Norfolk and San Diego, Sailors on GSA orders were responsible for out-of-pocket expenses for lodging and meals. This program fixes that disparity. Sailors on OSA orders will also be in a TAD status." According to NAVADMIN 171/10, OSA will be used by enlisted Sailors while officers will continue to fill IA taskings through the GSA process. "Officers have well-defined career paths and milestones and the GSA program allows them to incorporate GSA tasking into their careers," Dodge said. "Requests for enlisted forces often came with much shorter notification times, which inhibited our ability to assign enlisted Sailors via GSA orders as part of the normal PCS process." OSA will allow Sailors to apply for an IA assignment 10 to 12 months prior to their projected rotation date. A dedicated OSA team at NPC will be available to discuss OSA opportunities and details regarding specific OSA assignments matching a Sailor's desires, timing and skill sets. OSA orders will be executed at the end of the Sailor's normal PCS tour, however, these assignments will be in a TAD status from the current command to ensure Sailors and their families maintain the traditional support of a parent command relationship. "The family gets to stay where they are, where they know the ombudsman and the commanding officer, and where they have all the things in place to get the support they need while their Sailor is on an IA assignment," Dodge said. If a Sailor is accepted for OSA, they will be administratively extended at their current duty station for the duration of the IA assignment plus an additional 60 days to facilitate reintegration and preparation for their next PCS move. Although Sailors will remain assigned to the parent command, procedures will be established to account for Sailors filling IA assignments rather than recording them on board and filling a billet. Doing so will generate a requisition for the Sailor at the original PRD, mitigating impacts to Fleet readiness. "The Sailor will remain attached to the command, but during the OSA tour won't be counted against the command's manpower numbers," Dodge said. Comprehensive business rules will be provided in a NAVADMIN in July. The program will rollout by October. Those Sailors currently in the GSA pipeline will see no changes to their orders as a result of modifications to the process. For more information visit www.npc.navy.mil.