Details

1. Officers selecting Geographic Preference will receive a one-time-use authorization that can be used to guarantee an assignment within a geographic region of the officer’s choice. The assignment process will be done outside the traditional Army Talent Alignment Process (ATAP) marketplace cycle.

2. Officers intending to use this authorization must contact their career manager. This should be done well before and no later than 3 months prior to the opening of the ATAP marketplace that these officers would normally participate in to find their next assignment (in accordance with their Year Month Available to move, YMAV). Earlier contact will enable greater options.

3. Geographic regions available to the officers using this authorization vary by branch. Refer to the Geographic Preference Maps by Region for information on geographic regions for each branch below (precise geographic regions may vary across ATAP marketplace cycles). When exercising this authorization, an officer must contact their career manager for information on available assignments. Officers will be required to rank order available assignments.

4. Officers may also (optionally) rank order up to 10 preferred jobs outside of their selected geographic region of choice. Officers are guaranteed an assignment either in their selected geographic region or in one of their preferred jobs outside of that region.

5. There is a cap on the maximum number of officers who may exercise this authorization in each geographic region for each branch. This cap is equal to 20 percent of the typical number of jobs in that geographic region, for that branch. Geographic Preference authorizations will be honored on a first-come-first-serve basis for each region up to this limit.

6. If an officer seeks to exercise this authorization, and the officer’s career manager or commander arranges a position outside of the market in the officer’s desired region, the officer’s Geographic Preference authorization will be considered to be exercised if the new position results in an adjustment to the officer’s YMAV.

7. For officers enrolled in the Married Army Couples Program, in accordance with AR 614–100, Section 3–2, “assignment officers will make every effort to assign married Army couples in the same location provided a position exists for both officers, the assignment does not adversely affect either individual’s career, and it meets the needs of the Army.”

8. For officers enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program, officers should verify that appropriate assignment locations exist within the desired region of choice before exercising their Geographic Preference authorization.

9. This authorization may be used for assignments occurring after the completion of the Captains Career Course. It expires upon the officer’s selection for promotion to Major (O-4).