MyNavy Assignment Orders and the Exam Window
IT3 Chen has a projected rotation date of 30 September and enters MyNavy Assignment in cycle 2. He applies for three billets: San Diego first, Japan second, and Norfolk third. His command endorsement is due 15 February, and the E-4 exam is 7 March. On 20 February MNA shows him "ordered" to Japan with a report-no-later-than date of 15 June. His leading chief says Chen should decline the orders so he can take the exam at his current command, and that accepting orders will cancel his exam eligibility. Chen has 3 years 9 months of service, a valid PMK-EE, and no adverse conduct. He wants to keep the Japan orders but also wants to compete for E-4 this cycle. He asks whether the orders make him ineligible, how the exam will be administered after a transfer, and what he should tell his chief.
1. Do the Japan orders make Chen ineligible for the E-4 exam? Explain.
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No. E-4 eligibility turns on paygrade, TIR, PMK-EE, and exam registration, not on PCS orders. Accepting orders does not cancel eligibility. The chief's advice is wrong and risky: declining orders without detailer approval can lead to loss of the billet and involuntary assignment. Chen should keep the orders and coordinate exam administration.
2. How should the exam be arranged if he transfers before 7 March?
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He should tell his CCC and admin now, request an exam transfer or alternate site, and confirm that the gaining command can enroll him. If he reports before the exam, the gaining command's ESO administers it; if he transfers after, he tests at the current command. He should get written confirmation of the exam site and keep his PMK-EE documentation. MNA orders and exam registration are separate systems; neither automatically updates the other.
3. What should he tell his chief, and what MNA action is appropriate?
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He should say the orders are binding and he intends to execute them; he will coordinate the exam through the CCC. He should not decline in MNA without detailer approval. If the report date truly conflicts, the command can request an exam waiver or deferment only under the current instruction, but a PCS move is normally handled by testing at the gaining command. Document the CCC's advice.