Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog

Throwback Thursday Classic Post – How Long Do You Have to Stay in the Navy if Executing PCS Orders?

Posted on July 23, 2020 Updated on July 18, 2020

Question: If I execute PCS orders, how long do I have to stay in the Navy before I can retire or resign?

Answer: This is something called “retainability” and is detailed in paragraph 9 (on page 6) of OPNAVINST 1300.15B – Navy Military Personnel Assignment Policy. Here’s the quick and dirty version.

It all depends on where you’re coming from and going to:

• Coming from OCONUS to CONUS = You must wait 1 year before you can get out of the Navy.
• Going to a CONUS operational billet = also 1 year.
• Coming from CONUS to a shore/non-operational billet = 2 years.
• Going OCONUS anywhere = You must serve the full tour length, which depends on your specialty and where you’re going. I could try to explain tour lengths, but it can get complicated. If you’re not sure what your tour length is, ask your Detailer.