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What is the difference between a retirement PCS vs a terminal assignment?

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Are Terminal Tour Assignments a real thing?

I dived into the regulations today and came across this:

AR 614-100 Officer Assignments Policies, Details, and Transfers

para. 6-8 states " A terminal tour assignment allows the officer the opportunity to serve in a position located near a designated home of retirement. Such an assignment is encouraged as much as possible within Army requirements and the effective use of personnel and funds. However, reassignment within CONUS will not be made solely for retirement purposes. A minimum of 24 months remaining time in service is required upon arrival at new duty station to be eligible for assignment within CONUS. If the officer is currently serving an overseas tour, a completed prescribed overseas tour is required."

It sounds like the Army wants people to have some input for their final assignment prior to retirement, but retirement cannot be the primary justification. I have never heard of this (a terminal tour assignment) happening, but my best guess is that it was a thing in the days prior to AIM.

In any event, has anyone seen a Terminal Tour Assignment get submitted and/or approved? Also has anyone heard of the requirement that you must complete 2 years on station before submitting a retirement packet? Someone around here has been talking bout that, but I have not seen that in any regulation....

How to Request a Terminal Assignment For Military Retirement

Gerry arlen good.

Beginning of a new life

After a successful military career, many service members are looking forward to retirement and perhaps the beginning of a second career. Requesting a terminal assignment allows the retiring member to spend the last year or so of her military career at a location of her choosing, as long as there is a military installation in the area. Since the government will pay for the move of recently retired military personnel and their families, allowing a terminal assignment can save the government the cost of this relocation.

Contact your assignment officer or adjutant 24 months prior to your anticipated terminal assignment and make this officer aware of your desire to request a terminal assignment because you are preparing to retire. You will need to make this request through your chain-of-command, beginning at the lowest level appropriate for your rank and duty position.

Contact your assignment officer or adjutant 12 months prior to your current end-of-tour and submit a written intent to retire letter. This is a formal notification that you intend to retire at the completion of your next assignment, thus making your next assignment your terminal assignment. You will be asked for three assignment choices, so prepare this list ahead of time.

Contact your assignment officer or adjutant six months prior to your current end-of-tour and request information regarding your terminal assignment. Your assignment officer should be able to give you an idea of where you will be assigned by now, even when official orders have not been issued.

Request an exception to policy should you receive orders for an assignment you do not desire. In most cases, this request will be denied, but occasionally a request is approved, so it is worth the effort to make one last try.

  • 1 AR 635-10, Processing Personnel for Separation; Department of the Army; 1987
  • 2 AFPD 36-32, Military Retirement and Separations; Department of the Air Force; 1993
  • 3 OPNAV 1811.3; Department. of the Navy; 2005

About the Author

Living in Tucson, Gerry Arlen Good has been writing for 34 years in a wide variety of environments including government, military and business. Good received a B.S. in psychology from Fitchburg State College and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College.

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General Officer Assignments

The chief of staff of the Army announces the following officer assignments:

Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Feltey, deputy commanding general, III Corps, Fort Cavazos, Texas, to commanding general, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Cavazos, Texas.

Maj. Gen. Daryl O. Hood, commanding general, 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, to commanding general, U.S. Army Training Center and Fort Jackson; and deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training, Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Brig. Gen. Bernard J. Harrington, commander, 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, to deputy commanding general, I Corps, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

Brig. Gen. Joseph G. Lock, military deputy director, Program Analysis and Evaluation, G-8, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C., to commander, Special Operations Command Europe, U.S. Special Operations Command; and director, Special Operations, U.S. European Command, Germany.

U.S. Army Reserve

Maj. Gen. Tina B. Boyd, commander (Troop Program Unit), 335th Signal Command (Theater), East Point, Georgia, to deputy director, J-3 (Individual Mobilized Augmentee), U.S. Africa Command, Germany.

Maj. Gen. Timothy E. Brennan, deputy director, J-3 (Individual Mobilized Augmentee), U.S. Africa Command, Germany, to commanding general (Troop Program Unit), U.S. Army Support Command, First Army, and deputy commanding general, First Army Headquarters, Rock Island, Illinois.

Maj. Gen. Jan C. Norris, deputy chief information officer (Individual Mobilized Augmentee), Office of the Chief Information Officer, Arlington, Virginia, to commander (Troop Program Unit), 335th Signal Command (Theater), East Point, Georgia.

Maj. Gen. Joseph A. Ricciardi, deputy commanding general (Inactive Ready Reserve), Installation Management Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to commanding general (Troop Program Unit), 88th Readiness Division, Fort Snelling, Minnesota.

Maj. Gen. Jamelle C. Shawley, commander (Inactive Ready Reserve), Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, Operation Enduring Freedom-Horn of Africa, Djibouti, to deputy director, Strategic Initiatives, J-5 (Individual Mobilized Augmentee), Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.

Brig. Gen. Matthew N. Metzel, deputy commanding general, Operations (Troop Program Unit), 200th Military Police Command, Fort Meade, Maryland, to deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7 (Inactive Ready Reserve), U.S. Army Reserve Command, Fort Liberty, North Carolina.

Brig. Gen. Charles Phariss II, chief information officer and deputy chief of staff, G-6 (Individual Mobilized Augmentee), U.S. Army Europe-Africa, Germany, to commander (Troop Program Unit), 311th Signal Command (Theater), Fort Shafter, Hawaii.

Brig. Gen. Royce P. Resoso, deputy commanding general, Support (Troop Program Unit), 335th Signal Command (Mission Support Element), East Point, Georgia, to chief of staff (Individual Mobilized Augmentee), Defense Information Systems Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland.

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COMMENTS

  1. What is the difference between a retirement PCS vs a terminal assignment?

    AR 614-100, 6-8 Terminal Assignment is an Army Regulation for Officer Reassignments. It states information about requesting a "Terminal Assignment" to PCS and have a final tour at or near the location where you will retire.

  2. PDF Army Publishing Directorate

    We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us.

  3. Are Terminal Tour Assignments a real thing? : r/army

    AR 614-100 Officer Assignments Policies, Details, and Transfers. para. 6-8 states " A terminal tour assignment allows the officer the opportunity to serve in a position located near a designated home of retirement. Such an assignment is encouraged as much as possible within Army requirements and the effective use of personnel and funds.

  4. Permanent Change of Station For Soldiers

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    Refer to slides 12 and 13 for additional information) Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Retirement Planning Briefing: The briefings are held in the community center, bldg. 405, on the 1st Tuesday of each month, from 0800-1200. RSO contact information (703) 696-5948, email. [email protected].

  6. How to Request a Terminal Assignment For Military Retirement

    Contact your assignment officer or adjutant 12 months prior to your current end-of-tour and submit a written intent to retire letter. This is a formal notification that you intend to retire at the completion of your next assignment, thus making your next assignment your terminal assignment. You will be asked for three assignment choices, so ...

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  12. PDF CONUS Reassignment Briefing

    assignment; this is not a service remaining requirement. •Before issuing assignment orders, the Soldier must initial the airborne option statement, indicating acceptance or declination of the airborne assignment. •If the Soldier declines the assignment, withdrawal of SQI (P) and deletion of assignment will be submitted IAW AR 614-200.

  13. HRC Homepage

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  14. General Officer Assignment Announcement, dtd 3 July 2024

    General Officer Assignment Announcement, dtd 3 July 2024 ... The Chief of Staff of the Army announces the following officer assignments: Regular Army . Major General Thomas M. Feltey, Deputy Commanding General, III Corps, Fort Cavazos, Texas to Commanding General, 1st Cavalry Division, ...

  15. Maximizing Talent by Improving Retirement Options

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    Title: NOVDEC2017.indd Subject: Brig. Gen. Patrick Matlock, division deputy commanding general-support, 25th Infantry Division, speaks to 3rd Brigade Combat Team executive officers from brigade to company, battalion supply officers (S-4s), and maintenance control officers inside the 3 25th Brigade Support Battalion main motorpool bay at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Oct. 15, 2015.

  17. Army

    ASK is the Army's online portal for enlisted talent management, where NCOs can preference their assignments and see the matches based on their skills and preferences. Learn more about ASK-EM, the new initiative that simplifies the assignment process and improves readiness and stability for NCOs and their families.

  18. IPPS-A Update: Assignment History, Temp. Orders, MACP, PGA Guide, User

    Any assignments after Go-Live have limited ability to be updated and are accessed via manage assignments. It is extremely important that new assignments are correct. Assignments after Go-Live, specifically adjusting dates, involve not just the Soldier you are attempting to update, but the dates associated with other Soldiers that held the position.

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  20. Army HRC rolls out talent management platform for Army Reserve Active

    The Army Reserve - Soldier Assignment Profile is now open to all AGR officers conducting a PCS during the 22-01 distribution cycle from October 2021 to March 2022. Brig. Gen. Kris Belanger, deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Human Resources Command, and director, Reserve Personnel Management Directorate, in coordination with the HRC's ...

  21. Army HRC rolls out talent management platform for Army Reserve Active

    The Army Reserve - Soldier Assignment Profile is now open to all AGR officers conducting a PCS during the 22-01 distribution cycle from October 2021 to March 2022. Graphic by Staff Sgt. Ben Shaw.

  22. AGR Page

    The Active Guard Reserve program allows Soldiers transitioning off active duty the opportunity to compete for AGR positions closer to home. If you'd like to apply for the AGR program, visit the U.S. Army Human Resources Command website, or for Officer/Warrant Officer applicants call 1-502-613-6365 and for Enlisted applicants call 1-502-613-5927.

  23. General Officer Assignments

    The chief of staff of the Army announces the following officer assignments: Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Feltey, deputy commanding general, III Corps, Fort Cavazos, Texas, to commanding general, 1st ...