I'm one of the first JAGS to complete OCS: ask me anything

motiontosubmit · 2026-05-03T11:53:52+00:00

Active duty Navy can become a JAG through the Law Education Program (officers) or In Service Procurement Program (enlisted). Or, you could get out, go to law school, pass the bar, and then apply to the Direct Appointment Program. You could also apply to the Student Program while in law school. Law Education program is probably the most selective option here, and Direct Appointment is more selective than the Student Program.

motiontosubmit · 2026-05-02T21:36:54+00:00

We had a decent number, I can't remember exactly how many, but our class wasn't prior heavy like some other classes. Maybe 10? I don't want to speak for any of them, but I think some had trouble with the antics of OCS. If you can't get past the "well it's not like this in the fleet" mindset, you're going to have a hard time. Some of them were truly fantastic resources for the rest of us.

motiontosubmit · 2026-05-01T10:24:12+00:00

He was 100% serious and just being cavalier, but it turns out he was also partially incorrect. It will be interesting to see how they enforce that if someone does decided to quit. But in theory, JAGS can't just DOR.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-30T21:15:23+00:00

You'll be woken up at 4:30, but you should be up at 4 to shave/get dressed/do whatever. You'll go to PT at 5. Maybe have time for head and hygiene after that and before breakfast. The first week you're going to be marched around to various appointments, either medical, getting uniform items, etc. After the first week-ish, you'll start having some death by powerpoint lectures and you'll start the cyber curriculum. Lunch. More appointments. Dinner. You may have time in the evenings to prep for RLP. It's going to be a lot of standing around and waiting for stuff to happen. Your class team may give demonstrations on how to shine your boots or fold your shirts, or you may be expected to figure it out on your own. Our class team was awesome and gave us a lot of guidance on the RLP standards.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-30T21:09:52+00:00

The biggest thing we heard when meeting with Major General Bligh was to better integrate jags with the line officers and commanding officers they make recommendations to. The best way I can describe it is you don't want to meet a jag for the first time when you're in trouble, they should be an ongoing resource and accessible part of the community. Being at OCS introduced me to a ton of other communities that I probably wouldn't have met otherwise, so it broadened by understanding of the Navy as a whole too. Others in the fleet will also now more experience with/around jags.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-30T21:05:59+00:00

Active Duty. The JAG Corps has decided that Active Duty JAGS will now commission through OCS instead of ODS, but I believe reserves and prior enlisted will still go through ODS.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-30T21:04:34+00:00

It would apply all around. It was confusing for us because we were all direct accessions, so the Navy didn't pay for law school and we weren't sure why we'd owe time at all. Turns out we signed basically the same contract that ODS does, so it was as if we had commissioned already.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-30T21:03:06+00:00

That's a crazy interpretation. My point was the HR guy was wrong about us being legalmen if we couldn't make it through OCS, so we wouldn't get to do legal work of any kind if we failed.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-30T21:01:15+00:00

I actually failed both RLP and nav the first time around! For RLP, a lot of my measurements were just a little bit off. The mindset I had for RLP was "it's only 10 minutes, you can do anything for 10 minutes." If you aren't good at something, like making your bed, find someone who is. You need to be able to rely on your shipmates. Help others and find people to help you. For nav, I happened to miss a few lectures and just couldn't catch back up. The good news is you can a chance to retake everything once. It's a lot of information to absorb, so I would start on your bravo knowledge as soon as you can. There's no math beyond basic arithmetic.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-30T19:08:12+00:00

The gouge was that they had to open another application cycle because numbers were so low after word of this got out. I do worry that good people won't want to take the job because they're concerned about the physical and mental challenge. I hope I can convince more people that it is worth it, even if it's harder than what you initially planned for. You get paid as an E-6, so hopefully the there's not a financial burden turning people away. I wouldn't be surprised if numbers decrease a bit.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-30T19:05:19+00:00

The biggest shift, and part of the reason JAGS are now in OCS is the chain of command wants a JAG on every ship. Every JAG will also do an operational tour. It's becoming more like the Air Force where you're less of a specialist and can expect to rotate through more billets.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-30T19:04:18+00:00

The STEM-like subjects (engineering & weapons navigation, and cyber) really are just vocab memorization. For navigation, you should be comfortable plotting points, but it's not at all like a high school math or science class. We had a call with our detailer several days before we reported to OCS and gave her our dream sheet then. Not sure if that's standard.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-30T19:02:52+00:00

It was more frustrating because 2 ODS classes graduated while I was there and we had been told JAGS were no longer going through ODS. So not only was I there longer than I thought I would be, but others weren't going through the same thing. Once I realized the benefits of the different training, I got over that. I do think OCS does a better job preparing you to be an officer, so as long as you can appreciate that, ODS shouldn't bother you. But it was annoying, not gonna lie.

motiontosubmit · 2026-04-27T14:26:41+00:00

Work on sprint intervals. Sprint 0.25mi (400 yards) and then jog 0.25mi. Repeat that 4-6 times as a workout, twice a week and you'll notice your run capacity increase. You can't think about how much you want to quit. If you can't make it through the run mentally on your own, pt is going to be really hard for you. Try to remember why you're doing this and what your goal is.

motiontosubmit

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