Army Offers 3-Year Career Sabbaticals to Keep Top Soldiers
Military.com Jun 12, 2015 | by Matthew Cox
The U.S. Army is now allowing a small numbers of soldiers, both officer and enlisted, to take up to a three-year sabbatical from service to pursue educational or other personal challenges to avoid losing top soldiers to the civilian world.
The Career Intermission Pilot Program began as a U.S. Navy effort that Congress authorized as part of the Fiscal 2009 National Defense Authorization Act.
It's open to all Regular Army and the United States Army Reserve Active Guard/Reserve personnel and allows 20 officers -- commissioned or warrants -- and 20 enlisted soldiers per calendar year to transition to Inactive Ready Reserve status for up to three years.
"We are not opening this to just anyone; this is a retention program," said Albert Eggerton, deputy chief of the Officer Division for Army G-1.
"What we are looking for in this program this is to incentivize people who are able, well qualified, show potential for increased responsibility. ... We are trying to get those folks -- who also have challenges in personal life and professional development that can't be met by the Army -- to take a step back, go and achieve these things and come back to us."
For Staff Sgt. Jessica Cotton, the CIPP was an opportunity to go to law school and secure her Army career.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/06/12/army-offers-3-year-career-sabbaticals-to-keep-top-soldiers.html
