Several commissioned officer and warrant officer specialties are included in a sharply revamped program that allows National Guard and Army Reserve members to go on active duty in the Regular Army.

The RA Call to Active Duty program is limited to Reserve-component officers of the basic branches.

Officers serving in the Army Medical Department, Judge Advocate General's Corps and Chaplains Corps are not eligible for the tightly controlled program, which is designed to meet branch and specialty requirements of the Army Competitive Category.

Requirements for the fiscal 2016 program are expected to remain in effect until Oct. 1, 2016.

Applicants for an RA appointment must possess the requisite skills, education and experience in the commissioned officer area of concentration or warrant officer military occupational for which they are seeking appointment.

Officers in the following specialties and grades are included in the newly revised Call to Active duty:

Commissioned officers

Promotable first lieutenants and captains who are designated in BR 38 (Civil Affairs) and in year groups 2011 and 2012.

Captains and majors who hold FA 24 (Telecommunications Systems Engineer) or FA 53 (Information Systems Management.

ACC captains and majors, regardless of specialty, who have a language proficiency in Dari, Pashto or Arabic.

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Warrant officers

CW2s and CW3s who hold MOS 152H (AH-64D Apache attack pilot) and skill identifier C, F, G, H or L; MOS 154F (CH-47F Chinook pilot) and skill identifier C, F, G, H, I or L), and MOS 180A (Special Forces), MOS 255S (information protection technician) or MOS 352N (signals intelligence analysis tech).

CW3s and CW4s in MOS 150U (unmanned aerial systems operations tech).

CW2s, CW3s and CW4s in MOS 152H (Apache pilot), 152D (OH-58D pilot), 153D (Black Hawk pilot), 153M (UH-60M pilot), 154C (CH-47C pilot) and 154F (CH-47F pilot) for assignment to Special Operations Aviation positions.

Officers are limited to one branch, functional area or MOS when they apply for this program.

For detailed application criteria and procedures, see MilPer Message 15-380, which was issued Nov. 24.

First sergeant board

In other Reserve component news, the Army will convene a board Feb. 17 to compile an order of merit list for use in assigning Active Guard and Reserve (Army Reserve) senior NCOs to first sergeant duties.

The zone of eligibility will include Army Reserve master sergeants who are serving an AGR tour, and have at least 18 months of time in grade as of the Feb. 17 convening date.

Master sergeants who want to compete for one of these leadership positions must "opt in" for consideration no later than Jan. 22.

For opt-in procedures and other information relating to the board, see MilPer Message 15-388, which was issued Dec. 3.