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  National Threat Level: Elevated

Reserve Program Administrators

Reserve Program Administrators (RPAs) are the Coast Guard's Military Human Resource specialists.  Their primary function is to oversee the Coast Guard's Reserve Component and to act as advocates for the personnel who serve Team Coast Guard as part-time professionals in the Reserve.  

There are approximately 75 Reserve Program Administrators (RPAs) serving in the Coast Guard at any one time.  They are all Reserve Officers, serving on active duty in order to organize, administer, recruit, and train Coast Guard Reservists.  They range in grade from Lieutenant Junior Grade (O-2) to Captain (O-6).  While RPAs serve throughout the Coast Guard, primary assignments include Coast Guard Headquarters Office of Reserve Affairs (CG-131), CGPC Reserve Personnel Management, and  Maintenance & Logistics Command (MLC) and Integrated Support Commands (ISC) in the Force Optimization Sections.

 

Reserve Program Administrators - MISSION

 

Reserve Program Administrator - History

Building on lessons learned during World War II and the Korean conflict, and recognizing the need for trained reserve forces, Congress enacted legislation which became the Armed Forces Act of 1952. The Act defines the purpose, qualification policies and administrative guidelines for Reserve Components.  One of those guidelines states that "within such numbers and in such grades and assignments as the Secretary concerned may prescribe, each armed force shall have officers of its reserve components on active duty (other than for training) at the seat of government, and at headquarters responsible for reserve affairs, to participate in preparing and administering the policies and regulations affecting those reserve components" (10 U.S.C. 265).  In 1954, the Department of Treasury directed the Coast Guard to comply with the Act by having, "...not less than thirty-seven officers of the Coast Guard Reserve..." on active duty for the training and administration of the Coast Guard Reserve Component.

For the next five years, the directive was complied with by reserve officers on limited active duty contracts until, in 1959, the first RPA Designation Board chose a total of 41 officers ranging from O-3 through O-6 as the first Reserve Program Administrators.  Subsequent boards were allowed to designate up to ten RPAs through 1964.  At that time, RPAs were probationary for one year, then given active duty agreements of up to two years if performance was deemed satisfactory.  After a five-year period, they were given an opportunity to remain on active duty, subject to the needs of the service, or be released from active duty as merited by law or regulation (e.g. failure of selection for promotion).  At twenty years, needs of the service dictated whether the officer would be retired or retained on active duty.  Then, as today, RPAs were not restricted to Reserve-funded billets.

In 1963, the Kerrins-Stephans Legislation revamped the promotion system for all active duty officers.  RPAs were excluded from the newly-established Active Duty Promotion List (ADPL), but were to be selected and promoted in a manner "as close as practicable" to the ADPL (i.e. zones, opportunity for selection, etc.).  However, RPA promotion boards differed in three major areas:

A 1964 Commandant Instruction further refined the RPA designation process, limiting the annual number of designees to no greater than eight and imposing service requirements for them.  In addition, service and retention possibilities were aligned with those of the ADPL.  However, it would not be until 1968 that RPA Commanders (O-5) would be allowed to compete for Captain (O-6) two times.

Since then, there have been four major changes to the RPA promotion system:

Research has produced evidence of innumerable natural working groups since the inception of the RPA corps tasked with seeking better and more equitable ways to manage RPAs, often driven by such contentious and politically-driven issues as numbers, retention boards, and selection opportunities.  In all cases, the marching orders were not "why", but "how", a premise explained by adherence to the Armed Forces Act of 1952 and unequivocally reinforced when Congress in the late 1970s countermanded the decision of the Navy to eliminate their Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR) program and manage the Naval Reserve Program with regular active duty personnel.

Currently, Admiral Allen's Modernization efforts include an effort to realign the Coast Guard's Reserve Forces Readiness System which will undoubtedly impact the RPA Corps in major ways.  

 

Reserve Program Administrators - Policy

RPA Policy is primarily contained in The Personnel Manual, Commandant Instruction M1000.6A Chapter 1.B.3-4.  All officers interested in applying are encouraged to read this section and the referenced legislation.  

Appointing Reserve Program Administrators:  RPAs are authorized under authority of 10 U.S.C. 10211 and 12501, which authorizes the Service to assign certain Coast Guard Reserve officers-Reserve Program Administrators (RPAs)-to extended active duty to organize, administer, recruit, instruct, or train Coast Guard Reserve components.  RPAs are commissioned Coast Guard Reserve O-2 & above and are assigned to Coast Guard Headquarters and other places as the Commandant determines as necessary to fulfill the Coast Guard Reserve mission.  

Assignment:  RPAs serve on extended active duty in a special occupational field. However, they are required to have a wide knowledge of the Coast Guard to carry out their duties properly. Therefore, the Service generally assigns them to duties administering the Reserve two-thirds of the time and general Coast Guard duties the other third. When not assigned to a Reserve administration billet, they may be assigned to any appropriate grade level billet, including postgraduate training.

Removing RPA Designation: Once an officer has been assigned an RPA or provisional RPA designation, the Commandant may remove it for any of these reasons and release an officer so serving to inactive duty: a board of officers convened for that purpose so recommends and the Commandant approves, the first board to consider the provisional RPA officer does not select him or her for designation as RPA, on the RPA's approved request, on failure of selection for promotion on a fully qualified basis, or on termination of extended active duty.

Promoting Provisional RPAs: Provisional RPAs shall be selected for promotion and promoted in accordance with the regulations governing RPAs in PERSMAN Chapters 5.A. and 14.A.

 

Reserve Program Administrators - APPLYING

To apply to become a provisional Reserve Program Administrator (RPA), you'll need to follow the guidance in the Personnel Manual which is supplemented and updated annually via ALCOAST.

CGPC convenes a board each year to recommend officers for designation as RPAs and provisional RPAs.  The actual number of RPAs designated each year varies as it is dependent on reserve end strength, but four to six candidates are the historical norm.  The ALCOAST soliciting applications is typically released late summer/early fall, selections are normally made mid-winter, selections announcements made in the spring, and appointees are typically issued PCS orders to report to their new assignments during the summer assignment season.  

Service Requirements: To qualify for designation as a provisional RPA, an active duty ADPL officer or Inactive Duty Promotion List (IDPL) Reserve officer in the grade of lieutenant or lieutenant (junior grade) must have at least two years' commissioned service in the Coast Guard or Coast Guard Reserve when the RPA designation board convenes. Lieutenants must have three or fewer years in grade when the board convenes.

RPA Designation Board: Boards to recommend officers for designation as RPAs and provisional RPAs convene as described in PERSMAN Chapter 14.A., normally annually in January or February. Commander, (CGPC-opm-1) solicits applications and announces the convening and application deadlines via ALCOAST. 

  

PY04 RPA Solicitation

PY04 RPA Selection

PY05 RPA Solicitation

PY05 RPA Selection

PY06 RPA Solicitation

PY06 RPA Selection

PY07 RPA Solicitation

PY07 Selection
* PY08 Solicitation *
 		      

Designation as Provisional RPA: All officers initially are designated provisional RPAs. ADPL officers must resign their Coast Guard commission and accept a commission in the Coast Guard Reserve; they then transfer to the RPA promotion list and immediately begin serving as provisional RPAs on extended active duty. The Services recalls inactive duty Reserve officers to extended active duty within 60 days of notification of selection. After selectees complete two years' extended active duty as provisional RPAs, the next RPA appointment board considers them for designation as permanent RPAs. Each officer designated as a provisional RPA shall initiate a National Agency Check immediately their selection.

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Last Modified 7/17/2008