Retention Control Point (RCP)RCP Update April 2016
THE PURPOSE OF THE POLICY MEMORANDUM IS TO IMPLEMENT RETENTION CONTROL POINTS
(RCPS) THAT ARE CONSISTENT FOR ENLISTED SOLDIERS SERVING ON ACTIVE DUTY ACROSS ALL
ARMY COMMANDS.

THIS POLICY WILL APPLY TO SOLDIERS SERVING IN THE REGULAR ARMY (RA), AND TO SOLDIERS OF
THE UNITED STATES ARMY RESERVE (USAR) OR ARMY NATIONAL GUARD OF THE UNITED STATES
(ARNGUS) WHO ARE SERVING UNDER THE ACTIVE GUARD RESERVE (AGR) TITLE 10 PROGRAMS.

THIS POLICY DOES NOT APPLY TO SOLDIERS SERVING IN THE USAR OR ARNG WHO ARE MOBILIZED,
ASSIGNED TO THE INDIVIDUAL READY RESERVE (IRR), MAN DAY STATUS (M-DAY), OR A TROOP
PROGRAM UNIT (TPU). THIS MESSAGE SUPERSEDES REFERENCE A.

EFFECTIVE 1 JUNE 2011, RA AND AGR TITLE 10 SOLDIERS MAY PERFORM ACTIVE SERVICE (SEE NOTE
1) UP TO THEIR RETENTION CONTROL POINT (RCP) OR AGE 62 FOR RA AND USAR OR AGE 60 FOR
ARNG, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST. SOLDIERS MAY NOT EXCEED THE RCP AS SHOWN BELOW, BY
MORE THAN ONE MONTH. ARMY RETENTION CONTROL POINTS GRADE TOTAL ACTIVE SERVICE IN
YEARS

PVT-PFC 5
CPL/SPC 8
CPL/SPC (PROMOTABLE) 12
SGT 13
SGT (PROMOTABLE) 15
SSG 20
SSG (PROMOTABLE) 26
SFC 26
SFC (PROMOTABLE) 29
1SG/MSG 29
1SG/MSG (PROMOTABLE) 32
CSM/SGM 32

NOTES.
1. ACTIVE SERVICE IS DEFINED AS SERVICE ON ACTIVE DUTY.

2. THE RCP FOR SOLDIERS IN THE GRADES OF SSG(P) AND ABOVE ARE ASSIGNED TO SPECIAL
BANDS (WEST POINT BAND, THE ARMY BAND, THE FIFE AND DRUM CORPS, AND THE ARMY FIELD
BAND) DIFFERS FROM THE ABOVE TABLE. THEY ARE: SSG(P) AND SFC 30 YEARS; SFC(P) AND 1SG/MSG
33 YEARS; AND 1SG/MSG(P) AND CSM/SGM 35 YEARS.

3. MASTER SERGEANTS SELECTED TO ATTEND THE USASMC FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROMOTION TO
SERGEANT MAJOR ARE AUTHORIZED TO SERVE UP TO 32 YEARS.

4. COMMAND SERGEANTS MAJOR AND SERGEANTS MAJOR (HQDA AND ACOM) SERVING IN
NOMINATIVE POSITIONS WHERE THE OFFICER IS A GENERAL OFFICER OR SENIOR EXECUTIVE
SERVICE (SES) EQUIVALENT (OR SERVING AS COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR, USA SERGEANTS MAJOR
ACADEMY OR EXECUTIVE OFFICER TO THE SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE ARMY) ARE AUTHORIZED TO
SERVE UP TO 35 YEARS.

5. SOLDIERS NOT SERVING ON AN INDEFINITE REENLISTMENT, WHO REACH THEIR RCP DURING
THEIR CURRENT ENLISTMENT AGREEMENT THROUGH LENGTH OF SERVICE, REDUCTION IN GRADE,
OR BY REMOVAL FROM A PROMOTION LIST (EITHER VOLUNTARY OR INVOLUNTARY) WILL PERFORM
ACTIVE SERVICE UNTIL THEIR CONTRACTED EXPIRATION TERM OF SERVICE (ETS), UNLESS THEY
ARE SEPARATED EARLIER UNDER APPLICABLE ADMINISTRATIVE, PHYSICAL DISABILITY, OR UNIFORM
CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE (UCMJ) SEPARATION PROVISIONS.

6. SOLDIERS SERVING ON AN INDEFINITE REENLISTMENT, WHO EXCEED THEIR RCP AS THE RESULT
OF A REDUCTION IN GRADE, MAY PERFORM ACTIVE SERVICE UNTIL THE RCP FOR THE LOWER
GRADE OR MINIMUM RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY, WHICHEVER OCCURS LATER, UNLESS THEY ARE
SEPARATED EARLIER UNDER APPLICABLE ADMINISTRATIVE, PHYSICAL DISABILITY, OR UCMJ
SEPARATION PROVISIONS. SOLDIERS WHO HAVE BETWEEN 18 AND 20 YEARS OF ACTIVE SERVICE
MAY NOT BE SEPARATED UNLESS THE CONVENING AUTHORITY RECOMMENDS DISCHARGE AND THE
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE ARMY (MANPOWER & RESERVES AFFAIRS) HAS MADE A FINAL
DETERMINATION IN SUCH CASES.

7. SOLDIERS WITH 20 OR MORE YEARS OF AFS SERVING INDEFINITE REENLISTMENTS WHO EXCEED
THEIR RCP AS A RESULT OF REDUCTION IN GRADE MUST RETIRE NOT EARLIER THAN 90 DAYS OR
LATER THAN 180 DAYS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF REDUCTION IN GRADE.

8. SOLDIERS NOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF PARAGRAPH 6 AND 7 OF THIS MESSAGE, AND WHO
WILL EXCEED THE NEW RCP FOR THEIR CURRENT RANK ON THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS POLICY
MESSAGE MAY SERVE UNTIL HIS/HER CURRENT ETS DATE, IF OTHERWISE QUALIFIED. (THIS DOES
NOT APPLY TO SOLDIERS REDUCED IN RANK.)

9. AS AN EXCEPTION, ARNG AGR SOLDIERS ARE AUTHORIZED THE FOLLOWING RCPS: SGT AND
BELOW AT 20 YEARS; SSG AT 23 YEARS. THE PROMOTABLE STATUS ONLY REFERS TO RA AND USAR.
THERE IS NO PROMOTABLE STATUS IN THE ARNG AGR TITLE 10 PROGRAM. ARNG AGR TITLE 10
ENLISTED SOLDIERS RCP IS ESTABLISHED AT THE NON-PROMOTABLE GRADE.

10. AS AN EXCEPTION, DEPLOYED SOLDIERS WHO REACH THEIR RCP DURING THEIR DEPLOYMENT
MAY SERVE UP TO 12 MONTHS FROM REDEPLOYMENT PLUS 90 DAYS (R+90). SEPARATION DATE WILL
BE NO EARLIER THAN R+90. THIS EXCEPTION EXPIRES FOR ANY SOLDIER DEPLOYING AFTER 1 OCT
2011.

11. ANY DEVIATION FROM THIS POLICY MUST BE FORMALLY REQUESTED AS AN EXCEPTION TO
POLICY. THE EXCEPTION TO POLICY MUST BE ADDRESSED TO DCS G-1, DIRECTOR, MILITARY
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, ATTN: DAPEMPE-PD, 300 ARMY PENTAGON, WASHINGTON DC 20310 FOR
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE ARMY APPROVAL.

12. THE THREE-YEAR PROBATIONARY PERIOD POLICY FOR ALL AGR PROGRAM SOLDIERS REMAIN
IN EFFECT.

13. HQDA POINTS OF CONTACT FOR ENLISTED RETENTION POLICY ARE:

A. REGULAR ARMY: SGM DEAN.T. DRUMMOND, COMM. (703) 695-7579,
EMAIL DEAN.T.DRUMMOND@CONUS.ARMY.MIL

B. ARMY RESERVE: SGM DIANE WARD, COMM. (703) 614-5319, E-MAIL:
DIANE.S.WARD@CONUS.ARMY.MIL

C. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: SGM TIMOTHY WILLIAMS, COMM. (703) 695-
7698, E-MAIL: TIMOTHY.C.WILLIAMS@CONUS.ARMY.MIL

14. EXPIRATION DATE CANNOT BE DETERMINED