OCONUS Leave While Mobilized

[nsplayr]

I'll be on a mob for the first time second-half of FY22 (1 Apr - 30 Sep) and I'm looking for an official reference one way or the other on if I can take OCONUS leave. I'm an RPA pilot so the "mobilization" is at our home station flying our normal combat line, so no change in location/mission/etc. from the normal federal MPA orders we work all the time. I had initially thought it'd be no different than taking leave while on federal orders any other time, but other folks have raised their eyebrows and said to try to find out for sure. Looking to have a solid reg to point to before I either book expensive tickets to Europe or rolex the family vacation to another time.

Thanks in advance for the help! All the small wrinkles and permutations in the Guard are vast and mysterious, and even 7 years into my Guard career I'm still but an apprentice...

[herkbum]

I'll be on a mob for the first time second-half of FY22 (1 Apr - 30 Sep) and I'm looking for an official reference one way or the other on if I can take OCONUS leave. I'm an RPA pilot so the "mobilization" is at our home station flying our normal combat line, so no change in location/mission/etc. from the normal federal MPA orders we work all the time. I had initially thought it'd be no different than taking leave while on federal orders any other time, but other folks have raised their eyebrows and said to try to find out for sure. Looking to have a solid reg to point to before I either book expensive tickets to Europe or rolex the family vacation to another time.
Thanks in advance for the help! All the small wrinkles and permutations in the Guard are vast and mysterious, and even 7 years into my Guard career I'm still but an apprentice...

29 years and I never truly figured it out. I don’t think it matters about where you go, as long as your on leave and have the accrued days. I never had anyone tell where I could or couldn’t go.


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[FlamingTornado]

Doesn't matter where leave is, per AFI. If you're on leave, you can pretty much go anywhere you want. (Obviously follow the FCG, get APACS clearance as needed, shots etc, and communicate with your leadership.) It's not like OCONUS leave burns leave at 1.5x the rate of CONUS leave, lol. When you're on leave, you're on leave!

[Scooter14]

Doesn't matter where leave is, per AFI. If you're on leave, you can pretty much go anywhere you want. (Obviously follow the FCG, get APACS clearance as needed, shots etc, and communicate with your leadership.) It's not like OCONUS leave burns leave at 1.5x the rate of CONUS leave, lol. When you're on leave, you're on leave!

That’s not really the point. He’s asking about leave when you’re mobilized.

Im currently deployed, and half the people I work with are “deployed” to Shaw. I think they fall under the same rules we do out here, meaning if you’re less than 6 months you can’t take leave.

I’ll ask the guys when I go in.

[FlamingTornado]

If leave is approved by the unit commander, that's the end of it. There is no distinction, as far as the AFI is concerned, about where leave is. 

The commander could, in anticipation of a dynamic situation and sudden mission requirements, deny certain types of leave. That would be up to the commander's judgment though. 

[mp5g]

Went on a “deployment” a year and a half ago to Georgia for a Title X federal activation. FlamingTornado has it right. We all took leave for family visits, trips, etc., as long as we had the leave and the commander approved it. 

[nsplayr]

On 1/12/2022 at 12:06 AM, Scooter14 said:

 

That’s not really the point. He’s asking about leave when you’re mobilized.

Im currently deployed, and half the people I work with are “deployed” to Shaw. I think they fall under the same rules we do out here, meaning if you’re less than 6 months you can’t take leave.

I’ll ask the guys when I go in.

 

Thanks man, any word asking around?

I heard back from our wing CSS folks that OCONUS leave would not be approved, but no one can point to a reg or business rule or anything in black and white that says that. Appreciate any help!

[herkbum]

Thanks man, any word asking around?
I heard back from our wing CSS folks that OCONUS leave would not be approved, but no one can point to a reg or business rule or anything in black and white that says that. Appreciate any help!

Just talk to your boss and let him know. I bet it works out. Leave the Wing CSS out of it.


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[FlamingTornado]

On 1/17/2022 at 2:18 PM, nsplayr said:

Thanks man, any word asking around?

I heard back from our wing CSS folks that OCONUS leave would not be approved, but no one can point to a reg or business rule or anything in black and white that says that. Appreciate any help!

It sounds like the boss is making a judgment call. 

Recently I projected OCONUS leave to an exotic location. My commander rejected it, even though there is a specific process (FCG, immunizations, APACS, etc) to do it, because of his own risk assessment and judgment.

I was able to change his mind, which turned out to be pointless since the hotel closed and the flight was cancelled lol.

The point is that commanders do have the authority to deny leave based on their judgment. The only way I could see them getting into trouble is if the denial is a pretextual excuse for some kind of unacceptable activity (discrimination, retaliation, etc). 

What I'd do is one of the following things:

• Give up
  • I'd frankly do this. We're still in the thick of a pandemic and COVID entry rules can change dramatically and without notice, causing you to lose out on hundreds or thousands of dollars, many of which may not be refundable
• Ask the Wing CSS for such business rules/written direction
  • None likely exists, it was probably a verbal statement from the boss
• Appeal to the Wing CC
  • This will probably get you smacked down unless you have a pre-existing, good relationship. The boss is going to have bigger things to worry about than making sure that someone in a squadron gets to take exotic leave, while mobilized, during a pandemic

There are battles worth fighting and I honestly don't think this is one of them. You'll be off orders soon enough and the pandemic will end, eventually. Just hang tight, don't rock the boat, and wait until the time is right. We Reservists often get leave denied when we're on orders as the understanding (rightly or wrongly) is that we are a surge capability to be leveraged when mission requirements demand it, so leave is a nice-to-have, not a gotta-have.

My $0.02

Edited January 19, 2022 by FlamingTornado