DoD Creates Joint Qualified Officer Designation

In a major overhaul of the system for identifying officers with joint duty qualifications, the Defense Department is establishing a joint qualified officer (JQO) designation effective Oct. 1, which will replace the joint specialty officer category. Normally, active-duty officers must be joint qualified to be eligible for promotion to flag or general officer rank. The new system, announced July 30, will identify qualifications as they occur, beginning at paygrade O-1. The system is retroactive to Sept. 11, 2001, for active duty officers and to Oct. 1, 1986, for others. Officers will have a dual track to becoming a JQO: one through completing joint professional military education courses coupled with joint-duty assignments; and two by accomplishing equivalent levels of joint experience, education and training, with points weighted by difficulty of the assignments.