ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE ROUTINE R 051330Z MAY 03 ZYB MIN PSN 429176J29 FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N00T// TO NAVADMIN UNCLAS //N01420// NAVADMIN 106/03 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/-/MAY// SUBJ/SEAMAN TO ADMIRAL-21 (STA-21) COMMISSIONING PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT // REF/A/DOC/OPNAV/02MAY2003// AMPN/REF A IS ENLISTED TO OFFICER COMMISSIONING PROGRAMS APPLICATION ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL (OPNAVINST 1420.1A).// POC/D. BROWN/LT/NETC N79A5/LOC:PENSACOLA/TEL:(850) 452-9422 /TEL:DSN 922-9422/EMAIL:LT-DEACQUANITA.BROWN@CNET.NAVY.MIL// RMKS/1. SUMMARY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS NAVADMIN IS TO SOLICIT APPLICATIONS FOR THE FY-04 SEAMAN TO ADMIRAL-21 COMMISSIONING PROGRAM. STA-21 REPLACED THE ENLISTED COMMISSIONING PROGRAM (ECP), BROADENED OPPORTUNITY FOR OFFICER SELECTION AND TRAINING PROGRAM (BOOST), SEAMAN TO ADMIRAL (STA) PROGRAM, AND FLEET ACCESSIONS TO THE NAVAL RESERVE OFFICERS TRAINING CORPS (NROTC) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED IN THESE LEGACY PROGRAMS CANNOT TRANSITION TO THE STA-21 PROGRAM. 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 TO AN UNRESTRICTED LINE DESIGNATOR DURING THE FINAL YEAR OF COLLEGE, BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE NAVY, INDIVIDUAL QUALIFICATIONS, APTITUDE, EXPERIENCE AND PREFERENCES. A LIMITED NUMBER OF STA-21 TARGET OPTION BILLETS ARE 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), SPECIAL DUTY OFFICER (CRYPTOLOGY), AND CIVIL ENGINEER CORPS (CEC). THOSE WHO ARE NOT SELECTED FOR THESE TARGET 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 FY-04 STA-21 PROGRAM IS 1 JULY 2003. THE INITIAL SELECTION BOARD WILL MEET DURING SEPTEMBER 2003. NAMES OF SELECTEES ARE TENATIVELY SCHEDULED TO BE ANNOUNCED BY NAVADMIN IN OCTOBER 2003. 3. STA-21 IS A FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION AND COMMISSIONING PROGRAM OPEN TO ENLISTED PERSONNEL OF ALL PAYGRADES AND RATINGS WHO MEET ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED IN REF A. SELECTEES ARE PROVIDED A MAXIMUM OF 36 MONTHS OF FULL-TIME, YEAR-ROUND STUDY TO COMPLETE A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE. 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 AT THE HOST INSTITUTION. 4. ALL STA-21 OFFICER CANDIDATES WILL ATTEND THE NAVAL SCIENCE INSTITUTE (NSI) COURSE AT OFFICER TRAINING COMMAND (OTC) NEWPORT, RI PRIOR TO BEGINNING COLLEGE STUDIES AT AN NROTC-AFFILIATED COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY. NSI IS AN EIGHT-WEEK COURSE OF INTENSIVE OFFICER PREPARATION AND INDOCTRINATION ATTENDED BY ALL SELECTEES EN ROUTE TO THEIR UNIVERSITY ASSIGNMENT. 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. 5. A LIMITED NUMBER OF SELECTEES WILL BE CHOSEN TO ATTEND A THREE OR SIX MONTH INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAM OF STUDY AT BOOST SCHOOL IN NEWPORT, RI TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC SKILLS. FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF BOOST, THEY WILL ATTEND NSI EN ROUTE TO THEIR UNIVERSITY ASSIGNMENT. 6. COMMANDING OFFICERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO IDENTIFY THEIR BEST AND BRIGHTEST SAILORS AND COUNSEL THEM ON THE OPPORTUNITIES AFFORDED BY THE STA-21 PROGRAM. POTENTIAL CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO PREPARE EARLY AND FULLY FOR SELECTION IN FY-04 OR IN FUTURE YEARS. FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, URGE THESE SAILORS TO EXCEL IN THEIR NAVY JOBS. SECOND, ENCOURAGE THEM TO EARN COLLEGE CREDITS THROUGH THE NAVY COLLEGE PROGRAM (OR OTHER), ESPECIALLY MATHEMATICS COURSES THAT WILL PREPARE THEM FOR CALCULUS AND CALCULUS-BASED PHYSICS. FINALLY, AS IT USUALLY TAKES AT LEAST FOUR TO SIX WEEKS TO OBTAIN SAT/ACT TEST RESULTS, EARLY REGISTRATION AND TESTING IS ESSENTIAL. SAILORS SHOULD ALSO BE ENCOURAGED TO USE ALL STUDY MATERIALS AVAILABLE TO OBTAIN MORE COMPETITIVE SCORES. ALTHOUGH SCORES ARE ACCEPTED FROM TESTS UP TO THREE YEARS PRIOR TO THE 1 JULY DEADLINE, RETAKING THE TESTS TO ACHIEVE HIGHER SCORES IS RECOMMENDED, IF REQUIRED/DESIRED. 7. 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. 8. AS THE NAVY CONTINUES TO INCORPORATE CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY INTO ALL FACETS OF ITS OPERATIONS, MORE TECHNICALLY SKILLED OFFICERS WILL BE REQUIRED. PURSUIT OF A TECHNICAL MAJOR BY STA-21 PARTICIPANTS IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED TO ENHANCE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES. ONCE ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM, ALL STA-21 OFFICER CANDIDATES (EXCEPT NURSE CORPS OPTION) MUST 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 ELIGIBILITY IS 1000 (MATH - 500 AND VERBAL - 500) ON THE SAT OR 41 ON THE ACT ASSESSMENT (MATH - 20 AND ENGLISH - 21). NUCLEAR OPTION APPLICANTS MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 1140 SAT (COMBINED) OR 50 ACT (COMBINED). APPROVAL OF EACH INDIVIDUAL'S ACADEMIC MAJOR AND DEGREE PLAN WILL BE MADE FOLLOWING SELECTION NOTIFICATION AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY ASSIGNMENT. 9. THE NAVY NEEDS MANY OUTSTANDING ENLISTED 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 PREVIOUS ENLISTED COMMISSIONING PROGRAMS HAS BEEN 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). THE MEDICAL ENLISTED COMMISSIONING PROGRAM (MECP) IS NOT IMPACTED BY THE INTRODUCTION OF STA-21, AND WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE TO INTERESTED PERSONNEL. 11. QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS PROGRAM SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO COMMAND CAREER COUNSELORS OR TO NETC (N79A5), AT DSN 922-9422 OR 9447 OR COMMERCIAL (850) 452-9422 OR 9447. 12. RELEASED BY VADM A. G. HARMS, JR., DIRECTOR OF NAVAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING, N00T.// BT NNNN