'Countdown' guide leads sailors through detailing system

Sailors seeking career-path clarity — especially in the first few months of the new Career Waypoints program — have a new reference available: A step-by-step guide through the 18 months preceding their projected rotation date.

The Navy’s latest Detailing Countdown, released late last month (and available here), tells sailors what needs to be done, and when, for them to take charge of their detailing process, including links to reference materials. It provides instructions on how to navigate the Career Management System’s interactive detailing program and offers a guide to the Career Waypoints system, which replaced the often-derided Perform to Serve in June.

Similar guides using the “countdown” format have been generated since at least 2008, but they took on new importance in 2009, when sailors were offered a self-service online option through CMS and were given more direct responsibility for their career management, Navy officials said.

The new version is the first post-PTS offering and has what the Navy calls “important changes,” including outlining when the Career Waypoint re-enlistment opportunities take place during the detailing process.