Branch Swap: I have Chemical Corps

flpilot

5-Year Member
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Apr 17, 2013
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Looking to swap branches. Interested in swapping for Infantry or Branch detail Infantry. Would look at Armor as well.
 
DA 4187 and hope for the best but your chances of switching are close to 0. Be happy with AD and try to switch at CCC in a few years.
 
well, good luck. There might be an amenable cadet, but you do realize that Infantry is the 2nd most popular Branch, and that Chemical is #16?
 
well, good luck. There might be an amenable cadet, but you do realize that Infantry is the 2nd most popular Branch, and that Chemical is #16?

I still haven't found any evidence to say branch switching is authorized. Anyone have CC regs on this? I could see duty station switches but not branch. I can't imagine the paperwork and in-processing nightmare especially after a BOLC date is scheduled.
 
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Looking to swap branches. Interested in swapping for Infantry or Branch detail Infantry. Would look at Armor as well.

Try to get to a maneuver battalion (Infantry or Combined Arms) and when there, bust your butt to be the hooahist LT in the battalion. While there, talk with your commander, the S3 (who you will work for) and the BN CDR about transitioning to Infantry or Armor. You will be doing staff work while in the battalion, but you might get a platoon. I recommend Combined Arms Battalion because they have both Armor and Infantry.

Also, Chemical is rising in importance as we return to a more high intensity focus. A Battalion chemical officer has a tough job setting up the decon sites, etc. Still, life for a Chemical officer is a lot of USR.

Good luck!
 
Considering that Chemical has most of its slots filled by DABM (at least as far as ROTC branching is concerned), this may serve as a cautionary tale for those who don't pay close attention to where they rank and whether they choose to use BRADSO.

Choose your preferred branches carefully.

I don't know what OP's 3rd choice of branch was, but lets say it was AV. Looking back at the past few years branching, with IN, AR, and AV as your first 3 choices, you would end up in DABM processing if you fell between the about the 35th and 50th percentile or below the 75th percentile EVEN IF YOU USED BRADSO. And if you fell beneath the 28th (or so) percentile without BRADSO, you end up in DABM for branching.

This exposes you to the significant risk for branches that you would consider undesirable.

Moral of the story (at least for ROTC cadets - I have no idea how academy grads are branched) - Know where you are likely to fall on the OML (use last year's scoring statistics as a basis). Don't choose all top 3 branches that will fill before your position comes up (whether above or below the 50th percentile). If there is a chance that you will end up in a "dead zone" - even with BRADSO, find an acceptable 3rd choice (the best of many lessers) and have it on your list. If you are below 50th percentile and don't want to commit for 7, don't even bother listing branches that fill only above the 50th percentile or with BRADSO - you won't get them.

TO the OP - Sorry to hear about your career situation, but like the others, I don't see too many takers.
 
flpilot: about all you can do now- bust your butt in your first assignment and then apply for SFAS when you get to be a 1LT. As one of the other posters has mentioned- you are going to be the USR king and generally the Bn SLJO.
Good luck
 
flpilot: about all you can do now- bust your butt in your first assignment and then apply for SFAS when you get to be a 1LT. As one of the other posters has mentioned- you are going to be the USR king and generally the Bn SLJO.
Good luck

Second this. SFAS will be your moneymaker. Branch transfer is going to be almost impossible in this environment.
 
dunninla, could you please post the list where you reference the most popular branches? thanks.
 
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