Military Report - Week of December 10, 2012

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Military Report - Week of December 10, 2012

AAFES Holiday Gift Cards
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) is offering its (http://www.flickr.com/photos/aafespa/82 ... otostream/) Army & Air Force Exchange Service gift card at local Exchanges this holiday season. While only authorized military shoppers can redeem Exchange gift cards, any American can send one by simply calling 800-527-2345 or logging on to (http://www.shopmyexchange.com/) www.shopmyexchange.com and clicking "Support Your Troops" and then the (https://shop.aafes.com/scs/) "Gift and Calling Cards" icon. From there, Exchange gift cards, ranging in values from $10 to $500, can be addressed to a specific Soldier, Airman, Sailor or Marine or sent to "any servicemember". For more information, contact your local Exchange.
For more holiday discounts for servicemembers and military families, visit the (http://www.military.com/discount) Military.com Discount Center.


How Can You Say Thank You to Our Troops Today?
Thanks-A-Bunch(TM) and Military.com have come together to offer you a unique opportunity to say "thanks" to our troops, our veterans and their families (American Heroes) by providing them with a $50 Thanks-A-Bunch gift card that you can purchase for just $10 (tax deductible) to (http://www.thanksabunch.org/milcom/?ESRC=mrvr.nl) help pay for a nice meal out with family and friends.


AF Advanced Degree Selectees
More than 290 Air Force officers have been selected for advanced academic degree and career broadening opportunities. Advanced degrees are only one aspect of the program. Applicants selected for the special experience exchange program will work temporarily outside their career fields, either with other Air Force functions, other federal agencies or for civilian companies. The list of selectees is available on the (http://www.afpc.af.mil/shared/media/doc ... 30-020.pdf) Air Force Personnel Center website. For more information about available programs, application criteria and related guides, visit the (https://mypers.af.mil) myPers website and enter AAD/SPEED in the search window.
For more on military education programs and benefits, including GI Bill and tuition assistance guides, visit the (http://www.military.com/education) Military.com Education section.


Time to Track Santa
The North American Aerospace Defense Command's (http://www.noradsanta.org) "NORAD Tracks Santa" website is up and running. The site features is available in several languages. Official apps also are available in the Windows Store, Apple Store, and Google Play so parents and children can count down the days until Santa's launch on their smartphones and tablets. Tracking opportunities are also offered on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google Plus. Santa followers just need to type "@noradsanta" into each search engine to get started. Starting at midnight Mountain Standard Time on Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make the preparations for his flight. Then, at 4 a.m. Mountain time, trackers worldwide can speak with a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa's whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to (mailto:noradtrackssanta@outlook.com) noradtrackssanta@outlook.com. NORAD's "Santa Cams" also will stream videos as Santa makes his way over various locations.
For more military spouse and family support resources, visit the (http://www.military.com/spouse) Military.com Spouse and Family Center.


What Comes After the Military? Explore Your Options.
Get started early. Plan Ahead and get your (http://www.military.com/military-transi ... RC=mrvr.nl) free personalized transition plan.


DeCA Scholarships for Military Children
Applications for the 2013 Scholarships for Military Children Program are now available at commissaries worldwide and also online at the Commissaries.com website at (http://www.commissaries.com/) www.commissaries.com and the MilitaryScholar.org website at (http://www.militaryscholar.org) www.militaryscholar.org. The scholarship program awards at least $1,500 at each commissary. To apply for a scholarship, the student must be a dependent, unmarried child, younger than 21 -- or 23, if enrolled as a full-time student at a college or university -- of a servicemember on active duty, reservist, guardsman, retiree or survivor of a military member who died while on active duty or survivor of a retiree. Students with questions about the scholarship program application can call Scholarship Managers at 856-616-9311.
For more military spouse and family support resources, visit the (http://www.military.com/spouse) Military.com Spouse and Family Center.


NEX Offers Free Phone Cards
The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) has announced that military members underway or forward deployed during the holiday season will be given a free $10 phone card to call loved ones back home. NEXCOM will distribute $10 AT&T prepaid phone cards to those ships with AT&T Direct Ocean Service that will be deployed and away from their home ports for the December holiday season. NEXCOM expects to distribute nearly 40,000 free phone cards during the holidays. This is the 11th holiday in a row that NEXCOM has offered free phone cards to deployed military members.
For more holiday discounts for servicemembers and military families, visit the (http://www.military.com/discount) Military.com Discount Center.


Retiree 2012 Tax Statement Reminder
Retiree and annuitant pay customers of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service are scheduled to receive their 2012 tax statements between mid-December through January. Most of the 1099 forms will be available a week earlier via the online (HTTPS://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx) myPay pay account management system for retired military members and annuitants. Retirees and annuitants must keep their contact information current to avoid delays. For more information about account maintenance, 1099-R requests, and logging in to myPay, visit the DFAS website at (http://www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary.html) www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary.html. People without an online account can contact DFAS at 800-321-1080.
For more tips for tax season, visit the (http://www.military.com/money/personal-finance/taxes) Military.com Tax Center.


Deal of the Week: Upgrade and Get $100
Buy a new BlackBerry(R) Bold(TM) 9900 smartphone and get $100 when you trade in. Save 15% on qualified AT&T monthly wireless plans. (http://www.att.com/gov/bb) Get this deal.


New myPay Password Reset Process
Beginning in mid-December, Defense Finance and Accounting Service customers will be able to reset their myPay passwords online by answering a few security questions. Before this new feature, myPay users received new passwords by email or mail. After logging in to their accounts in mid-December, users will be given a list of 17 possible security questions to answer. Users need to answer eight of those 17 questions to set up their online password reset capability. In the spring of 2013, however, all myPay users, including those who use Army Knowledge Online, the Air Force Portal and smart cards, will be required to answer eight security questions. Until then, those who choose to bypass the questions will not be able to reset their passwords online until they have answered the questions. . For more information, contact the DFAS Customer Care Center at 888-332-7411.
For more on military pay benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay) Military.com Benefits Center.


$100k Family Protection From $8 a Month
Give your family the peace of mind with quality life insurance coverage. Get $100k coverage starting at just $8 a month. Isn't your family's future worth it? (http://www.military.com/insurance/?lpid ... =mr1210.nl) Find coverage now.


New Army Cryptologic MOS
The U.S. Army recently opened a new military occupational specialty: Cryptologic Network Warfare Specialist (35Q). Soldiers from any MOS may apply as long as their current MOS will release them to reclassify into this new field. Soldiers in the grades of E-3 to E-6, serving in the active force are eligible. One requirement is that a score of 109 is needed on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery for those who took the test prior to Jan. 2, 2002, and 105 or better after that date. Also, the two pertinent documents on the new MOS can be found in Military Personnel messages 12-173 and (http://www.armyreenlistment.com/Message ... 120621.pdf) 12-187. Interested Soldiers should talk with their career counselors right away to determine if they qualify.
For more Army news, visit the (http://www.military.com/daily-news) Military.com News Center.


Thrift Savings Plan Increases Limits
The elective deferral limit for regular Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) contributions will increase from $17,000 to $17,500 for 2013. The TSP catch-up plan contribution limit will remain at $5,500. Military members can contribute any whole percentage up to 92 percent of basic pay, as long as the annual total does not exceed $17,500 for 2013. Those serving in tax-free combat zones may contribute up to $51,000 in annual contributions for 2013. There are monthly contribution limits, however. Military members can call TSP officials at 877-968-3778 for more information. Military members can visit the TSP website at (http://www.tsp.gov) www.tsp.gov and use their personal identification number and password to access their TSP account. Contribution allocations can also be made via the Thrift Line (877-968-3778). For general TSP questions, Airmen can call the Total Force Service Center at 800-525-0102 (press 1 and then press 6).
For more on TSP, visti the (http://www.military.com/money/personal- ... vings-plan) Millitary.com TSP section.


Phase One of New Military Transition Program
The Transition Assistance Program is making major changes that will revolutionize the way the military prepares people leaving the services, with mandatory participation in programs throughout their military careers to help set them up for a successful transition. The redesigned program, called Transition Goals, Planning, Success or Transition GPS, will be the most-sweeping change to the Transition Assistance Program in two decades. A three-phase rollout of the Transition GPS program will continue through 2014. During current phase one of the rollout, all separating servicemembers will receive counseling about Department of Veterans (VA) benefits, and most will be required to attend newly revamped employment workshops run by the Department of Labor. For more information on the new Transition GPS Program, visit the (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-off ... and-vetera) White House website.
For more on military transition and civilian job listings nationwide, visit the (http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs) Military.com Veteran Jobs Center.


2013 Proposed Military Pay Charts
The President and House of Representatives have proposed a 1.7 percent across-the-board pay increase for 2013. The Senate has yet to present a National Defense budget proposal. If passed the military pay increase will go into effect on January 1, 2013 and will be reflected by the mid-January paydate.
Take a look at the (http://www.military.com/benefits/milita ... RC=mrvr.nl) 2013 military pay charts to see what you may be getting next year.


New Pearl Harbor Historical Sites App
The new Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) Historic Sites app for iPhone and iPad was recently released officially. The JBPHH Historic Sites app allows users to pull up information about various points of interest around the base, including vintage photographs, historical data and more. The app has hundreds of photos and pages of information about the Navy and early Air Corps and Air Force presence in Hawaii. It will be periodically updated as new discoveries of information are made. The Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam Historic Sites app for iPhone and iPad is available for free on iTunes as a 200 megabyte file.
For more on Pearl Harbor, visit the (http://www.military.com/Resources/Histo ... harbor.htm) Military.com Pearl Harbor page.


TRICARE Standard Overview
TRICARE Standard is the TRICARE option that provides the most flexibility to TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries. It is the fee-for-service option that gives beneficiaries the opportunities to see any TRICARE-authorized provider. TRICARE Standard is not available to active duty service members. Standard shares most of the costs of medically necessary care from civilian providers when military treatment facility (MTF) care is unavailable. (http://www.military.com/benefits/tricar ... ESRC=mr.nl) Get the full overview on Military.com.


Tips for Using Credit Cards Wisely
With the arrival of the holiday season, follow these simple rules to keep credit card usage under control: (1) avoid cash advances, which are a quick way to get into debt; (2) pay the full balance every month; (3) save up for big purchases rather than putting them on a credit card; (4) make credit card payments on time, every time; (5) consider using a debit card instead, which is the equivalent of paying with cash or a check. For more tips on credit cards, debt and holiday spending, visit the (http://www.military.com/money/personal-finance/) Military.com Money Center.


New Military.com App
Get military news and benefits on the go with the new Military.com app, available on the (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/militar ... ?ls=1&mt=8) iTunes store for the iPod and tablets. The app is a customizable, up-to-date interface which includes all the latest military news and benefits information from the Military.com site, covering today's headlines, all the important information you need to make use of your military benefits, and everything from discounts for military personnel and veterans to family guides and financial tips. To download the free app, visit the (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/militar ... ?ls=1&mt=8) iTunes store.


DoD's Presidential Inauguration Plans
The Joint Task Force -- National Capital Region (JTF-NCR) social media sites for the 57th Presidential Inauguration are now available. JTF-NCR is providing several interactive, comprehensive sites as sources of information pertaining to DoD involvement in inaugural events. Content includes historical facts, up-to-date details about inaugural events, current and historical photos and artwork, service-specific details, profiles on personnel supporting the inauguration, and even patriotic crafts and activities. The 57th Presidential Inauguration website is available at (http://inauguralsupport.mdw.army.mil/) inauguralsupport.mdw.army.mil. Visit the related Facebook website at (http://www.facebook.com/jointtaskforceNCR) www.facebook.com/jointtaskforceNCR, the (https://twitter.com/JTFNCR) Twitter website, (http://www.youtube.com/jtfncrpa) YouTube website, the (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdw_events ... 1880836857) Flickr website, the (http://pinterest.com/jtfncr/) Pinterest website, and the (http://www.dvidshub.net/unit/JTF-NCR#.UMF2SncTNPI) DVIDS website.
For more military news, visit the (http://www.military.com/daily-news) Military.com News Center.


New Army Online Training Resource
The Army Training Network (ATN) recently added a web page to bring Soldiers the most current information about Training Aids, Devices, Simulators and Simulations (TADSS). ATN is the one-stop shop for Army training tools and resources. Its TADSS resources page offers information about the location, purpose and best practices for using TADSS. The new ATN TADSS page offers information about the TADSS to support training the unit's key collective tasks (KCT) and how to obtain TADSS. For more on TADSS, visit the TADSS page on the (https://atn.army.mil) Army Training Network website. The related (http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/CAC-T/) Combined Arms Center -- Training (CAC-T) manages Army training support and training development, and provides training and leader development programs and products to support Army readiness. Visit its (http://www.facebook.com/usacactraining) Facebook page.
For more on military education programs and benefits, including GI Bill and tuition assistance guides, visit the (http://www.military.com/education) Military.com Education section.


Safety-Kleen Committed to Hiring Veterans
Safety-Kleen is focused on providing safe, dependable environmental services that protect our customers and the environment. We are the largest used oil collector and re-refiner in the world as well as the leader in parts cleaning services. We serve businesses of all sizes, helping them balance their financial objectives with their sustainability goals. We have great opportunities for the skilled men and women who have served in the U.S. Military to join our team of experts that enable our customers to Make Green Work(R). (http://www.military.com/jobs-in/employe ... RC=mrvr.nl) Search and find employment opportunities just right for you.


Sailors May Wear Army All-Weather Coat
The U.S. Navy has announced the optional wear of the Army double breasted black all-weather coat with all uniforms except the Navy Working Uniform (Type I, II and III) and Physical Training Uniforms, effective immediately. The Army double-breasted black all-weather coat will be available in select Navy Exchange Uniform Centers, on-line, and NEX 1-800 call centers in approximately sixty days. The optional all-weather coat will eventually replace the current Navy all-weather coat. The Navy also announced a limited wear test evaluation beginning this month of two types of cold weather parkas (CWP) under consideration for optional wear with service and service dress uniforms in cold weather environments. For more information on uniforms and uniform policy, visit the (http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/s ... ault2.aspx) Navy Uniform Matters website.
For more Navy news, visit the (http://www.military.com/daily-news) Military.com News Center.


Index of Military Forms
Accessing military and veteran benefits requires filling out the correct military forms. (http://www.military.com/benefits/record ... RC=mrvr.nl) See an index of official military forms from the DoD, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Department of Veterans Affairs will help you access your earned benefits. One of the most important documents you need is the DoD form known as the DD-214. Nearly every Department of Veterans Affairs benefit claim and most state veterans benefit applications require vets to submit this military form.


Qualifying for VA Loan Easy in Hard Lending Climate
Despite an even tougher lending climate this year, VA loan qualifying standards haven't changed. Based on an analysis of about 20% of the nation's total number of mortgages (VA loans excluded), everything from credit score to debt-to-income (DTI) ratios and loan-to-value (LTV) requirements have stiffened across the lending industry. The good news is that although conventional and FHA lending may be affected, VA loan qualifying guidelines haven't changed. (http://www.military.com/money/va-loans/ ... RC=mrvr.nl) See this Military.com article for more details.


Navy Suspends Early Release Program
The Navy has announced plans to suspend the Enlisted Early Transition Program (EETP). Navy Personnel Command (NPC) will no longer accept requests to separate under this program. Requests received by the NPC on or after November 30, 2012 will be returned without action. Requests submitted and received prior to November 30, 2012 will still be considered. Commanding officers may still authorize voluntary early separation up to 90 days early in accordance with (http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/r ... 10-102.pdf) MILPIRSMAN 1910-102. The Early Career Transition Program (ECTP) is unaffected and remains an option for Sailors seeking an early release from active duty with an intent to continue their careers in the Navy Reserve. For more information, contact the NPC customer service center at 1-866-U-ASK-NPC (1-866-827-5672).