Requests for orders now coming earlier

By Katie PetersonFebruary 18, 2021

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas (Feb. 17, 2021) -- Last year, huge strides were made to get soldiers their requests for orders sooner, with 90 percent of 790 RFOs for Command and General Staff College students and permanent party leaving Fort Leavenworth issued by Feb. 26. This year, the Fort Leavenworth Adjutant General’s office began receiving RFOs a month earlier, even with COVID-19 precautions.

“This puts the AG in a position of better meeting our goals of having orders published 120 days out from the report date,” said Angela Holifield, chief of Human Resources Services at AG. “Due to most of the military teleworking, (COVID-19) does pose challenges.

“Technology is providing the ability to work from home and, through TEAMS, collaborate with our peers,” she said. “(Human Resources Command) is able to meet through TEAMS and slot service members in positions, thereby producing RFOs. Everyone is keeping the day-to-day mission going in spite of COVID-19.”

As of Feb. 16, 308 of the 828 RFOs needed this year have been received and 209 have been published. Holifield said the AG office is working to receive all RFOs by March 15.

The increased speed of RFOs being delivered to soldiers was an initiative started by Gen. Gus Perna, Army Materiel Command commanding general, in early 2020 with the goal of having RFOs in the hands of service members no later than 120 days prior to their departure.

Before this initiative, RFOs were not being received until, at most, 60 days prior to departure.

Once AG receives initial RFOs, they are prepared for publication by the Reassignment Section and sent to the U.S. Student Detachment, which electronically distributes the completed orders to CGSC students.

The amount of time it takes to go from HRC to AG to the student liaison depends on whether the soldier will be traveling stateside or outside the continental United States.

For a typical CONUS assignment, if there is no temporary duty involved, the soldier doesn’t owe anything before orders are published. For OCONUS assignments, the soldier may have to go through Exceptional Family Member Program considerations and screenings.

For EFMP and OCONUS medical requirements, visit https://www.ftleavenworthlamp.com/community/2021/02/ 04/plan-for-exceptional-family-members-before-pcs-moves/.

Additionally, necessary paperwork must be completed, including an online levy briefing, and housing availability must be processed.

For more information, CGSC students can visit the U.S. Student Detachment office on the third floor of the Lewis and Clark Center.