Credit available for officers serving in strategic joint environments Published Jan. 8, 2015 By Master Sgt. Timm Huffman HQ RIO Public Affairs BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The U.S. military operates increasingly in a joint environment, which means the Air Force Reserve requires officers who are qualified to lead troops regardless of their branch of service. Reserve officers who have served in a joint environment at the strategic level may apply for joint service credit through the Headquarters Air Reserve Personnel Center's Joint Officer Management program. "Joint-qualified Air Force Reserve officers can deploy or work in joint environments with minimal spin up time," said Sara Simms, JOM service manager. "These officers report to duty with a fundamental understanding of the language that our sister services employ." To be eligible for joint service credit, the Reserve officer must perform duty that meets the definition of joint matters, which are matters related to the achievement of unified action by integrated forces. In addition to performing duty in the joint environment, they must also complete Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) I and II. There are two established tracks for completing qualifying joint duty: Experience Joint Duty Assignment and Standard Joint Duty Assignment. The E-JDA is an experience-based path. This track is accomplished when the officer performs strategic planning and command and control duties in a multi-service, multi-agency environment where they led strategic or command and control operations. An example of this type of work is a deployment to a combatant command where the officer can demonstrate how their duty fulfilled a strategic or C2 role. The second track, S-JDA, is accomplished by filling one of the 306 Individual Reserve positions on the Joint Duty Assignment List. These positions are already identified as meeting the requirement and definition of joint. To qualify for joint credit in these positions, the member must work three years and perform a minimum of 36 days per year in the billet. They must also accrue 10 E-JDA points during that time period. The officer can earn joint credit in two years, working 36 days per year, however, they must earn at least 18 E-JDA points. Those additional points can be earned either before or after the JDAL assignment. Officers may combine S-JDA experience with the E-JDA path. An officer must accumulate 36 points total and complete JPME I and II to become Joint Qualified. These 36 points can be earned by amassing several experiences or one. However, experience must be submitted within one year of performing the qualifying duty. Officers who would like to self-nominate experience for joint credit must do so within one year of that experience. Each self-nomination must be for 30 or more days, where 30.4 AD duty days are equivalent to one joint point. To have the best chance of receiving credit, submitters should consider these five points: Clearly write what and how the work led to a unified action. Ensure most duties were performed at the strategic level. Operational and tactical level work, such as feeding of troops, does not qualify for joint credit. Review and follow the JOM Handbook when writing packages. Provide all required supporting documents, which may include relevant orders, reconciled travel vouchers, award citations, officer personnel records, and letters of evaluation. Understand the definition of joint matters. Receiving a joint award or working in a joint environment does not necessarily meet that definition. Positions meeting the definition of joint matters are those the strategic decision making level. Brig. Gen. Samuel C. Mahaney, ARPC Commander, encouraged officers to pursue opportunities that would allow them to perform at the joint strategic decision-making level. He said that from his own career experience, working in the joint environment was a great and eye opening experience. "As the Air Force Reserve joins the Air Force and Department of Defense in a future of increasingly joint operations, we expect leaders to embrace joint and to expand their horizons in the decision-making process," he said.