ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE ROUTINE R 242106Z MAY 01 ZYB MIN PSN 879507J36 FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N7// TO NAVADMIN UNCLAS NAVADMIN 128/01 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N7// SUBJ/SEAMAN TO ADMIRAL-21 COMMISIONING PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT(STA-21) // REF/A/OPNAVNOTE 1530 STA21/CNO/YMD:20010423// RMKS/1. SUMMARY. THIS NAVADMIN ANNOUNCES IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SEAMAN TO ADMIRAL-21 COMMISSIONING PROGRAM AND SOLICITS APPLICATIONS FOR THE FY02 PROGRAM. STA-21 WILL REPLACE THE ENLISTED COMMISSIONING PROGRAM (ECP), SEAMAN TO ADMIRAL (STA) PROGRAM, AND FLEET ACCESSIONS TO THE NAVAL RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS (NROTC) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. PARTICIPANTS IN THESE LEGACY PROGRAMS WILL NOT TRANSITION TO STA-21. 2. THIS NAVADMIN PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE STA-21 PROGRAM. THE STA-21 PROGRAM CONSISTS OF THE STA-21 CORE PROGRAM AND STA-21 OPTION PROGRAMS. THE CORE PROGRAM ALLOWS OFFICER COMMUNITY ASSIGNMENT WITHIN THE FINAL YEAR OF COLLEGE, BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE NAVY, INDIVIDUALS' QUALIFICATIONS, APTITUDE, EXPERIENCE, AND INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCES. STA-21 OPTION PROGRAMS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE FOLLOWING COMMUNITIES UPON ENTRY TO STA-21; NUCLEAR (SURFACE OR SUBMARINE), AVIATION (PILOT), AVIATION (NAVAL FLIGHT OFFICER), SURFACE WARFARE (SWO), SPECIAL OPERATIONS (SPECOPS), SPECIAL WARFARE (SPECWAR), NURSE CORPS (NC), SUPPLY CORPS (SC), AND CIVIL ENGINEER CORPS (CEC). THOSE WHO DO NOT WISH TO BE CONSIDERED FOR OR ARE NOT SELECTED FOR THESE SPECIAL OPTIONS WILL, IF DESIRED, BE CONSIDERED FOR THE STA-21 CORE PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS DESIGNATOR SELECTION DURING FINAL YEAR OF COLLEGE STUDIES. EXCEPT FOR SUBMARINES AND SPECIAL WARFARE, STA-21 IS OPEN TO BOTH GENDERS. DETAILS OF ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES CAN BE FOUND IN OPNAVNOTE 1530 OF 24 MAY 2001. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS FOR THE FY02 STA-21 COMMISSIONING PROGRAM IS 15 JULY 2001. THE INITIAL SELECTION BOARD WILL MEET DURING SEPTEMBER 2001. NAMES OF SELECTEES WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY NAVADMIN IN OCTOBER 2001. 3. STA-21 IS A FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION AND COMMISSIONING PROGRAM OPEN TO ENLISTED PERSONNEL WITH U.S. CITIZENSHIP. SELECTEES ARE PROVIDED A MAXIMUM OF 36 MONTHS OF FULL-TIME, YEAR-ROUND STUDY TO COMPLETE A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE. SAILORS INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR STA-21 ARE URGED TO PURSUE COLLEGE COURSES THROUGH THE NAVY COLLEGE PROGRAM (NCP) TO MAXIMIZE TRANSFERABLE CREDITS. ALL STA-21 OFFICER CANDIDATES WILL ATTEND THE EIGHT-WEEK NAVAL SCIENCE INSTITUTE (NSI) AT NETC NEWPORT, RI TO COMPLETE OFFICER CORE COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS BEFORE BEGINNING COLLEGE STUDIES AT AN NROTC-AFFILIATED COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY. NSI WILL BE CONDUCTED PERIODICALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND TIMED TO ALLOW COLLEGE ENTRANCE DURING FALL, SPRING, OR SUMMER SEMESTERS/QUARTERS. FOLLOWING DEGREE COMPLETION, STA-21 PARTICIPANTS WILL BE APPOINTED AS PERMANENT ENSIGN, USNR, ACTIVE-DUTY LIST. 4. STA-21 IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE SUPPORT FOR SAILORS INTERESTED IN EARNING A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE AND A COMMISSION AS A NAVAL OFFICER. PARTICIPANTS WILL REMAIN ON ACTIVE DUTY WHILE ATTENDING COLLEGE AND BENEFIT FROM AN EDUCATION VOUCHER VALUED AT UP TO $10,000 PER YEAR TO COVER TUITION, FEES, AND BOOK COSTS. STA-21 PARTICIPANTS WILL BECOME MEMBERS OF AND DRILL WITH THE NROTC UNIT. 5. MANY STA-21 SELECTEES WILL BE PREPARED TO IMMEDIATELY BEGIN COLLEGE STUDIES. THOSE LIKELY TO BENEFIT FROM ATTENDING A COLLEGE PREPARATION PROGRAM WILL BE IDENTIFIED TO PARTICIPATE IN A NEW VERSION OF THE BROADENED OPPORTUNITY FOR OFFICER SELECTION AND TRAINING (BOOST) COURSE AT NETC NEWPORT, RI FOR A THREE, SIX OR NINE MONTH INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAM OF STUDY. FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF BOOST, THEY WILL ATTEND NSI, THEN ENROLL IN COLLEGE. COMMANDERS AND COMMANDING OFFICERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO IDENTIFY THEIR BEST AND BRIGHTEST SAILORS NOW AND COUNSEL THEM TO BEGIN PREPARATIONS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF STA-21. HOW CAN THIS BE DONE? FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, URGE THESE SAILORS TO EXCEL IN THEIR NAVY JOBS. SECOND, HELP THEM EARN COLLEGE CREDITS THROUGH THE NAVY COLLEGE PROGRAM. THIRD, TELL THEM TO TAKE COLLEGE COURSES, ESPECIALLY MATHEMATICS COURSES THAT WILL PREPARE THEM FOR CALCULUS AND CALCULUS-BASED PHYSICS. 6. OUTSTANDING POTENTIAL IS PARAMOUNT FOR SELECTION TO STA-21. IT IS EXPECTED THAT EXPERIENCED SAILORS WHO APPLY TO STA-21 WILL HAVE A RECORD OF SUPERB FLEET PERFORMANCE. HOWEVER, EVEN THE MOST JUNIOR SAILORS WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR SELECTION BASED UPON THEIR PERFORMANCE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE, INCLUDING THOSE ACHIEVEMENTS OUTSIDE OF THE NAVY WHICH INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS AS OFFICERS. CEC OPTION REQUIRES AT LEAST FOUR YEARS OF ACTIVE DUTY (OF WHICH AT LEAST THREE YEARS WERE IN AN OTHER THAN FORMAL TRAINING ENVIRONMENT), AS OF 1 SEPTEMBER OF THE YEAR OF ENROLLMENT. APPLICANTS MUST ALSO DEMONSTRATE ACADEMIC POTENTIAL TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE. 7. AS THE NAVY CONTINUES TO INCORPORATE CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY INTO ITS SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES, MORE TECHNICALLY SKILLED OFFICERS WILL BE REQUIRED. PURSUIT OF A TECHNICAL ACADEMIC MAJOR BY STA-21 PARTICIPANTS IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED TO ENHANCE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES. ALL STA-21 OFFICER CANDIDATES, EXCEPT NURSE CORPS OPTION, WILL COMPLETE TWO SEMESTERS EACH OF CALCULUS AND CALCULUS-BASED PHYSICS. APPLICANTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT SAT OR ACT ASSESSMENT SCORES AND ALL HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS WITH THEIR APPLICATIONS. MINIMUM SCORE FOR STA-21 ELIGIBILITIY IS 1000 (MATH - 500 AND VERBAL - 500) ON THE SAT OR 42 ON THE ACT ASSESSMENT (MATH - 21 AND ENGLISH - 21). NUCLEAR OPTION APPLICANTS MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 1140 SAT (COMBINED) OR 50 ACT (COMBINED MATH/ENGLISH). 8. THE CHIEF OF NAVAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (CNET) WILL SERVE AS PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE STA-21 PROGRAM. APPROVAL OF EACH INDIVIDUAL'S ACADEMIC MAJOR AND DEGREE PLAN WILL BE MADE IN CONJUNCTION WITH COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY PLACEMENT. FOR THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE STA-21 CORE PROGRAM, EXCLUSIVE OF THOSE IN SPECIFIC COMMUNITY OPTION PROGRAMS, OFFICER COMMUNITY ASSIGNMENT WILL BE DETERMINED PRIOR TO COLLEGE GRADUATION BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE NAVY, INDIVIDUAL QUALIFICATIONS, APTITUDE, EXPERIENCE, AND INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCES. 9. THE NAVY WANTS MANY OUTSTANDING SAILORS TO BECOME OFFICERS BECAUSE THEY BRING UNIQUE SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS, AND EXPERIENCES THAT STRENGTHEN THE OFFICER CORPS AND THE ENTIRE NAVY. THE QUALITY OF THE OFFICERS COMMISSIONED THROUGH CURRENT ENLISTED COMMISSIONING PROGRAMS IS SUPERB AND THEIR PERFORMANCE IN THE FLEET HAS BEEN IMPRESSIVE. STA-21 BUILDS ON THIS SUCCESS BY PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT NECESSARY FOR OUTSTANDING SAILORS TO EARN BACCALAUREATE DEGREES AND BECOME COMMISSIONED OFFICERS IN THE WORLD'S FINEST NAVY. 10. SAILORS WHO HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE AND DESIRE A COMMISSION SHOULD APPLY TO OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL (OCS) (SEE OPNAVINST 1420.1, CHAPTER 7). THE MEDICAL ENLISTED COMMISSIONING PROGRAM (MECP) IS NOT IMPACTED BY THE INTRODUCTION OF STA-21, AND WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE TO INTERESTED PERSONNEL (SEE OPNAVINST 1420.1, CHAPTER 12). 11. QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS PROGRAM SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO COMMAND CAREER COUNSELORS OR TO CNET (OTE6/STA-21), AT DSN 922-4941 EXT. 313 OR COMMERCIAL (850) 452-4941 EXT 313, OR 1-800-NAV-ROTC (628-7682). 12. RELEASED BY D. V. MCGINN VADM N7// BT