ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE ROUTINE R 241403Z MAY 02 ZYB MIN ZYW PSN 931964J32 FM CNET PENSACOLA FL//N00// TO NAVADMIN UNCLAS //NO1530// NAVADMIN 158/02 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNET N79/MAY// SUBJ/SEAMAN TO ADMIRAL (STA-21) COMMISSIONING PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT// REF/A/DOC/CNO/16MAY2002// REF/B/DOC/CNO/17JUL2000// NARR/REF A IS STA-21 NOTICE OPNAVNOTE 1530. REF B IS ENLISTED TO OFFICER COMMISSIONING PROGRAMS APPLICATION ADMIN MANUAL, OPNAVINST 1420.1// RMKS/1. SUMMARY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS NAVADMIN IS TO SOLICIT APPLICATIONS FOR THE FY03 STA-21 COMMISSIONING PROGRAM. STA-21 HAS REPLACED THE ENLISTED COMMISSIONING PROGRAM (ECP), BROADENED OPPORTUNITY FOR OFFICER SELECTION AND TRAINING (BOOST) PROGRAM, SEAMAN TO ADMIRAL (STA) PROGRAM, AND FLEET ACCESSIONS TO THE NAVAL RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS (NROTC) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. PARTICIPANTS IN THESE LEGACY PROGRAMS CANNOT TRANSITION TO STA-21. 2. THIS NAVADMIN PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE STA-21 PROGRAM. STA-21 CONSISTS OF THE STA-21 CORE OPTION AND STA-21 TARGET OPTION PROGRAMS. THE CORE OPTION ALLOWS OFFICER COMMUNITY ASSIGNMENT WITHIN THE FINAL YEAR OF COLLEGE, BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE NAVY, INDIVIDUAL QUALIFICATIONS, APTITUDE, EXPERIENCE AND PREFERENCES. THE STA-21 TARGET OPTION IS 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), SPECIAL DUTY OFFICER (INTELLIGENCE), AND CIVIL ENGINEER CORPS (CEC). THOSE WHO ARE NOT SELECTED FOR THESE SPECIAL OPTIONS WILL, IF DESIRED, BE CONSIDERED FOR THE STA-21 CORE OPTION THAT ALLOWS DESIGNATOR SELECTION DURING THE FINAL YEAR OF COLLEGE STUDIES. EXCEPT FOR SUBMARINES AND SPECIAL WARFARE, STA-21 IS OPEN TO BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. DETAILS OF ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES CAN BE FOUND IN REF A. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS FOR THE FY03 STA-21 PROGRAM IS 1 JULY 2002. THE INITIAL SELECTION BOARD WILL MEET DURING SEPTEMBER 2002. NAMES OF SELECTEES WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY NAVADMIN IN OCTOBER 2002. 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) OR OTHER ACCREDITED PROGRAM TO MAXIMIZE TRANSFERABLE CREDITS. BEFORE BEGINNING COLLEGE STUDIES AT AN NROTC-AFFILIATED COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY, ALL STA-21 OFFICER CANDIDATES WILL ATTEND THE EIGHT-WEEK NAVAL SCIENCE INSTITUTE (NSI) AT NETC NEWPORT, RI WHICH PROVIDES SIX OF THE EIGHT SEMESTERS OF THE MINIMUM PROFESSIONAL CORE COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR OFFICERS. 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 PREPARATORY PROGRAM WILL BE IDENTIFIED TO PARTICIPATE IN A NEW VERSION OF THE BOOST COURSE AT NETC NEWPORT, RI FOR THREE OR SIX MONTHS OF AN INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAM OF STUDY. FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF BOOST, THEY WILL ATTEND NSI, THEN ENROLL IN COLLEGE. COMMANDING OFFICERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO IDENTIFY THEIR BEST AND BRIGHTEST SAILORS NOW AND COUNSEL THEM TO BEGIN PREPARATIONS FOR 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, ENCOURAGE THEM TO TAKE COLLEGE COURSES, ESPECIALLY MATHEMATICS COURSES THAT WILL PREPARE THEM FOR ENGINEERING CALCULUS AND CALCULUS-BASED PHYSICS PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. 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. APPLICANTS MUST ALSO DEMONSTRATE ACADEMIC POTENTIAL TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE AND REQUIRED TECHNICAL COURSES (CALCULUS AND PHYSICS). 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 MAJOR BY STA-21 PARTICIPANTS IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED TO ENHANCE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES. ALL STA-21 OFFICER CANDIDATES, EXCEPT NURSE CORPS OPTION PARTICIPANTS, WILL COMPLETE TWO SEMESTERS EACH OF ENGINEERING 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 ELIGIBILITY IS 1000 ON THE SAT (MATH - 500 AND VERBAL - 500) OR 41 ON THE ACT (MATH - 21 AND ENGLISH - 20). NUCLEAR OPTION APPLICANTS MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 1140 SAT (COMBINED) OR 50 ACT (COMBINED). 8. THE CHIEF OF NAVAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (CNET) IS THE 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. 9. THE NAVY NEEDS 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 REF B, 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 REF B, CHAPTER 12). 11. QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS PROGRAM SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO COMMAND CAREER COUNSELORS OR TO CNET (N79), AT DSN 922-9447 OR 9451 OR COMMERCIAL (850) 452-9447 OR 9451. 12. RELEASED BY VADM A. G. HARMS, JR., CHIEF OF NAVAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING.// BT