No more CAP now it’s MAP

The Navy has replaced the Command Advancement Program or CAP with the Meritorious Advancement Program or MAP.  Why did CAP get replaced with MAP and what changed other than the name and will it affect you?   

 

Potentially the Meritorious Advancement Program could affect everyone  who is trying to advance.  It could close up some ratings and open others time will only tell.  Here are some questions  I’ve seen and heard I’ll try my best to answer them.

 

Why the New Program?

Efforts to have the right rating, with the right rank, at the right time have been a nightmare for the upper chain of command over the years.  Some shops have half a dozen 1^st classes and no 2nds, others have no seaman and some rating ranks are over manned while others are under.  This can be accredited to many problems personnel leaving the Navy is a big one.  Ratings like IT and Nuke rating have a low retention rate because the opportunities for high paying jobs on the outside. Other problems stem from programs meant to make the Navy better have worked against proper manning like the Command Advancement Program.

 

How did CAP hurt manning?

CAP gave the Commanding Officer an opportunity to advance a specific number of high performers at the end of an advancement cycle.  The problem was not advancing those A+ sailors it was when they did it.  Every rating is given a number of how many can advance each cycle.  When a CO advanced someone using CAP at the end of the advancement cycle it made that rating go over by 1.  Compound the problem Navy wide and all those sailors getting advanced puts manning off more and more.

 

How does MAP change manning issues?    

MAP does not advance someone after the numbers have been set for a cycle instead it does it before the cycle.  MAP gives the people that decide on how many people will advance a true number of manning that will not be affected by the people meritoriously advanced sailors.   This has some potentially good and bad side effects. 

 

What is the bad?

If you have a rating that has a lot of people meritoriously advanced then the cycle that follows will have fewer openings for those who take the test. Another issue is those who are poor and good test takers.  A poor test taker who missed it by a few points would get CAPT with the old program.   Now with MAP you can’t identify those poor test takers and a sailor who would have made it off the test could be CAPT (Or is it MAPT?)

 

How is it good?

Manning will be better that is a given BUT some other benefits to MAP are in NAVADMIN 141/15.   It lays out how it will be implemented and is rather interesting.   Commands are given a “Quota” of how many they can advance but it is possible to request more slots for advancement.  If your command has 3 outstanding 2^nd classes, but are only quoted one MAP advancement spot they can request more 2^nd class spots.  If they are denied more spots another cool feature is that an E6 spot can be used for E5 spot essentially making E4 and E5 able to compete with the E6’s.  The spots only go down they can’t go up.   Another nice thing about MAP it is not only for

 

Will I be eligible and when does it start?

To be eligible you have to have time in rate(TIR) for your pay grade by 1 July.  It has been initiated and 2015 will be the first time it is used.

 

It will be interesting to see how this ends up working.  Overall I think MAP will be a plus for the navy life but only time will tell. 

If you have any questions please use the comments below.