<p>JAMO4,</p>
<p>You are absolutely correct. However, two things to note on the Navy side:</p>
<p>One, the person requesting must obtain the approval of the commanding officer…which means, if the CO needs the manpower, he/she doesn’t have to approve the request. I am sure if the person is of Olympic caliber, the request would be approved.</p>
<p>Two, the eligibility guidelines are promulgated at the service level. This means the governing document for the Navy, BUPERSINST 1710, can always be modified by the SECNAV, even in a time of war…just like the SECNAV wrote a policy on suspending the selective alternate (or whatever the official name) program. I am not saying it is going to be changed, but you can’t say this is a sure thing.</p>
<p>From what I know about the program, it usually applies to shore command tours.</p>