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Updated 30 Apr 2001
What are OPMS XXI Career Fields? OPMS
XXI restructures the Army Competitive Category by grouping interrelated branches and
functional areas into officer management categories called "Career Fields."
Officers will compete for promotion to requirements only with other officers in the same
functional area, subject to DOPMA constraints by career field.
This will end the practice of "double counting" during
promotion boards, in which selected officers count against promotion floors for their
branch and their functional areas. Under OPMS XXI, officers selected for promotion will
satisfy requirements only in either their branch or functional area. Each Career Field
will have its own unique characteristics and development track for officers which will
reflect the readiness requirements of the Army today and into the 21st century. DA PAM
600-3 (available at http://www.usapa.army.mil) outlines the developmental tracks. Officers
in all career fields will be assigned across the Army in TOE and TDA organizations,
performing a wide variety of jobs. In addition, officers from every branch and functional
area, regardless of career field, will continue to fill officer generalist positions (01A)
and officers in the combat branches will fill combat arms generalist positions (02) across
the Army, just as they do today. A description of the four career fields follows:
- Operations Career Field (OPCF). Provides the Army with
officers qualified by training, education and experience in areas directly related to the
deployment, employment and sustainment of land forces. It is composed of officers in the
Army's 16 branches and two functional areas, FA 39 (PSYOP and Civil Affairs) and FA 90
(Multifunctional Logistician Program). Officers in this career field will retain the
functional area they are given during their fifth year of service for the remainder of
their careers, even if they never serve in it. Designation of a functional area indicates
special aptitudes and skills that may provide flexibility for duty assignments later on.
All commands will be filled by officers from the OPCF, with the exception of Army
Acquisition Corps product and program managers. During the OPMS XXI transition years, FY99
- FY02, an officer who has been selected for command prior to being Career Field
designated will still command and may put in a preference for a functional area not in the
Operations Career Field. If the CFD Board designates the command-selectee in something
other than the Operations Career Field, the officer will still command unless the officer
specifically declines to do so. Officers, except Army Acquisition Corps officers, who are
Career Field designated in other than the Operations Career Field are not eligible for
command consideration.
- Information Operations Career Field (IOCF). Responds to
the requirements of the 21st century information age, consistent with Army Vision 2010,
which identifies "Gaining Information Dominance" as fundamental to all future
Army patterns of operation. The IOCF brings together related disciplines with associated
functional areas and incorporates several new ones. The functional areas in this career
field are FA 24 (Information Systems Engineering), FA 30 (Information Operations), FA 34
(Strategic Intelligence), FA 40 (Space Operations), FA 46 (Public Affairs), FA 53
(Information Systems Management), and FA 57 (Simulations Operations).
- Institutional Support Career Field (ISCF). Focuses on the
increasingly technical and complex nature of running the Army as an organization. The
emphasis in this career field is management, planning and programming of Army resources
both near-term and into the future years, projecting requirements, and developing
capabilities in the mid and long-term. The functional areas in this career field are FA 43
(Human Resource Management), FA 45 (Comptroller), FA 47 (Academy Professor, USMA), FA 49
(Operations Research/Systems Analysis (ORSA)), FA 50 (Force Management), and FA 52
(Nuclear Research and Operations) and FA 59 (Strategic Plans and Policy.)
- Operational Support Career Field (OSCF). Strengthens
current readiness while building the future force through its liaison, procurement,
programming and development specialties. This career field contains FA 48 (Foreign Area
Officer) and FA 51 (Army Acquisition Corps.) (Functional Areas 53B/C Systems
Automation Acquisition and 97 Contracting and Industrial Management have been consolidated
into FA51 as areas of concentration.) Since officers are generally designated into the
Army Acquisition Corps (AAC) during their seventh year of service and will have begun the
certification process, they will automatically be designated into the OSCF, unless they
choose to withdraw from the AAC prior to the CFDB. A limited number of officers may
be designated in to the AAC by the CFDB to meet the future needs of the Army and the AAC.
How will Career Fields be assigned? Career fields
will be assigned to officers through a Career Field Designation Board (CFDB), under the
direction of the U.S. Total Army Personnel Command (PERSCOM). The CFDB is a centralized,
formal board, comprised of senior officers representing all the career fields, that is
specially convened to recommend career fields for individual officers. The CFDB will
forward its recommendations to the Office of the Chief of Staff for final approval. To
make their decision the board members will use the officer’s Career Field Preference
Statement, the Officer Evaluation Report (OER) input, information from the official
personnel file, e.g., civil and military schooling and demonstrated skills/aptitudes, and
"requirements information" provided by PERSCOM.
- Officer Career Field Preference Statement. PERSCOM will
notify each officer to be considered of the impending board and will instruct him/her on
how to submit their Officer Career Field Preference Statement, indicating his or her
preferred career field through America’s Army Online home page. This form will not
be submitted through the officer's chain of command. At the appropriate time, PERSCOM will
forward each officer's file to a formal board for Career Field designation.
- Officer Evaluation Report (OER) Input. The new OER (DA
Form 67-9) was designed so that the rater and senior rater could recommend a career field
and a functional area for all Army Competitive Category captains through lieutenant
colonels. PERSCOM published guidance to raters and senior raters on what OPMS XXI
specific information should go on the new OER with a "thru" date of 1 Jan 99 or
later. MILPER Msg #98-194, DTG251910Z Sep 98, Subject: OPMS XXI Career Field Input
on New Officer Evaluation Report, states that effective 1 Jan 99, both the rater and
senior rater must include a potential career field and functional area or branch on all
Army Competitive Category OERs for CPTs through LTCs. See PERSCOM Online for all the
specific information. It is envisioned that when recommending career fields for
rated officers, rating officials will consider the "whole person" with factors
such as: demonstrated performance, educational background, technical or unique expertise,
military experience or training, and personal preference of the officer.
- "Requirements Information." PERSCOM will also
provide the board with the number of officers to be designated into each Career
Field/functional area, as well as the branches from which these officers will be drawn,
based on Army requirements. This process will be similar to the way in which promotion
requirements by branch and functional area are determined today.
During the transition years (99-02) several year group cohorts
will go before a Career Field Designation Board annually. PERSCOM will identify
officers in the window for career field designation and notify them of required actions to
be taken in advance of the board. More information is available at the CFDB Web Site (http:\\us.army.mil).
(Officers in YGs 80, 86 and 89 will go through the first CFDB Spring 1999. These
officers should contact both that web site and their military personnel offices to ensure
that all their personnel information is correct.) Information for each year group
is available in the OPMS XXI Briefing.
NOTE: Career field designation (CFD) should not be
confused with functional area designation that will continue to occur in 5th year of
service. However, one of the possible outcomes of the CF designation is a change in
a functional area.
How will Career Field Based system impact YG
79 and earlier? It will primarily impact assignments. All promotions and command
selections for those year groups will be based on current system. These officers may apply
for Career Field designation if they desire.
Any changes to Branches? No. Officers will be
assessed into the basic branches and generally serve their first 10-12 years learning the
leadership and tactical skills associated with that branch. Officers will continue to wear
their branch insignia throughout their military service. If they are designated into a
career field other than the OPCF, officers should continue their affiliation with their
basic branch through the branch or regimental associations.
Any changes to Functional Areas? Yes. OPMS XXI
recommended additions and deletions to functional areas. New functional areas are: FA24,
(Information Systems Engineering), FA 30 (Information Operations), FA 34 (Strategic
Intelligence), FA 40 (Space Operations), FA 43 (Human Resource Management), FA 50 (Force
Management), FA 57 (Simulations Operations), and FA 59 (Strategic Plans and Policy.)
Functional areas being eliminated are: FA 41 (Personnel Management) (which would be
partially replaced by FA 43) and FA 54 (Operations and Force Development).
During FY99, the Army will instruct all officers holding FA 41
and FA 54 to apply for redesignation into another functional area.
Any changes to Functional Areas 39 and 90? No.
Functional Area (FA) 90 will remain as it is today. Additionally, officers designated into
the OPCF in FA 39 will continue to serve in it and have the opportunity for command.
Can I change Functional Areas? Will it help my promotion
potential? Officers may change FA prior to CFD. CFD may also result in a FA
change. However, neither of these actions will be the driving force behind promotion.
Promotion will continue to be based on manner of performance.
Where is more information on functional areas? DA
Pam 600-3 is the official reference for Officer Personnel Management. It has been updated
and is on the US Army Publication & Printing
Agency web site and has been distributed by CD-ROM.
This web site will be continuously updated with
the latest information.
Return to OPMS XXI FAQs
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Career Field Designation Board (CFDB)
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