why prior service is harder to reenlist into the military?

Basically because prior-service is more expensive. for the most part, you get to keep the rank you left at, and pick up with time in grade / time in service, almost like you never left...and if you stay 20 years, you get the retirement benefit they DON'T want to pay (and I think I read somewhere that only 22% of all who enlist actually serve 20 or more years!). As you know, making rank is like a pyramid - the higher you go, the fewer stripes there are. most prior-service don't want to start over at E-1, and if there is an E-5 or E-6 opening, that stripe will go to someone who has tested for it and made the grade, so they can move up. Not exactly fair to just give the stripe away to someone that gave it up now, is it?

As much as it DOESN'T make sense, it costs the government LESS money to grab a new recruit off the street, send them to basic training, follow-on school, and then overwork them for 4 to 6 years to get them up to your level of expertise - because a large percentage of those troops will then get out and not reenlist. If you are allowed to come back, you earn more right from the get go. Plus, since you are older, you may have more health issues (which costs money), more likely to have a family (which costs money) and thus more likely to live in base housing (which costs more money to maintain and operate than a dorm room).

It's NOT personal, it's money. It is a money issue, that's all.

As of today, the NAVY isn't taking 'prior service' applications at all - not even their own, and in VERY few circumstances, some from the Navy reserve. Navy recruiters I know have told me they have not placed a prior-service applicant in over 2 years. Everyone wants to stay in (because of the economy) and the navy has to trim sailors to the tune of 5 digits. I have heard numbers around the 20,000 range! That’s HUGE. New recruits are waiting 6-7 months to get a job.

The Marines fall under the department of the Navy, so their rules are going to be the same toward Prior Service applicants.

The only services that are "kind-of" working with prior service is the Army and Air Force.

Before you get excited about running to the Air Force, there are significant hurdles to getting a prior-service slot. First off - if you weren't prior service Air Force, it is going to be near impossible to get. The very first criterion: what was your job in the military? To get a PS air Force slot, you have to have a 5 skill-level IN the career they are looking for. If you didn’t do it in the Air Force, the job must “very closely match” the one they are looking for. How you define “very closely match” is anyone’s guess. For example: If this month (and these openings DO change) they are looking for Combat Computer Controllers, if did not have a skill level in that career field – you can’t get the slot. So if you were “information Assurance” – no good. Also, you CAN’T cross train into a critical short career field (that would make sense) – basically, the Air Force doesn’t want to pay to cross-train you. They want someone already in the skill level they want, or can easily be put in upgrade training to meet the skill level requirement within a year, and if you have to go to tech school – that won’t happen. The second criterion? What is your pay grade (rank?). You can NOT go up, and the higher your rank, the fewer jobs. I don’t THINK you can even volunteer to be administratively busted down a rank for the purpose of getting back in. Third – you have t be qualified in every other way – just like a new recruit. If you have any credit issues, more than 3 dependants (wife & two kids – even if you had more while you were in), need almost any kind of waiver – it won’t happen.

That leaves the army. The army does have a few prior service slots, and you don’t have to already have a skill level in the job to get it – although I am sure that is a plus. But you also don’t have much of a selection, either. They will look into the crystal ball and see what they have available for your rank (since you get to keep it) – and that’s what you get to choose from. If you meet the age, weight, height requirements, and are under 41 (you can subtract the number of active years from your age, and if it is below that, you are good to go) – then you can apply.

That’s pretty much all there is. Bet you wish you stayed in now?

Prior Service Army

Because people who try to get back in most likely are going to want to keep their rank. Each branch has a set limit on the number of people they can have at each rank usually beggining at E-4 and up. IF someone prior service was an E-4 or up and the service they are entering has there limit reached for that rank its going to make it tough for them to get in. Also letting in too many prior service makes it harder for the lower ranks to pick up since the spots are being filled. There is no limit set on the number of E1 to E-3 as long as the entire service doesnt exceed its total amount of personnel. Because of this is a lot easyer for fresh people to enter. Also fresh people are not trained yet, and have the freedom to take any job where there is an opening. For some prior service they are going to be kept in the same job as before since they are trained in it already. Each job has a limit on the number people it can have. IF the job fills then it is out of luck., or even if it isnt filled there may not be an opening for that job at there rank. There are other reasons too, but these are a couple. Then againg it could be what the others are saying; that you shouldnt have gotten out in the first place and now they are punishing you, and what I said is just their politically correct cover story.

Because you are taking a re-enlistment slot from someone who is currently on active duty.

Lets think about it, would the military want a career soldier or Marine to continue being a career soldier or Marine that doesn't need to be reprocessed, having to take another drug test to be sent to Pensacola, FL, take another full physical, go check for mental and financial stability, and retraining.

Or a prior service person with time loss that has all those problems?

Simply put, because your using a reenlistment slot, not an enlistment slot.

And they are gonna let people currently in the service, reenlist, before they will let a prior service reenlist.

When reenlistment's are high, there are no slots for you to reenlist into

When reenlistment's are low, then there are slots to reenlist into.

Lately, reenlistment's have been high.

That's why they tend to force all prior service, into specific MOSs, if they want back in.

You have to retrain into a MOS that has a low reenlistment rate.

That's easy. They are well over their recruiting quota's. Like 115% over so. It's cheaper to bring in a new recruit at E-1 than prior service at E-4. They have been taking prior service in some tough to fill MOS's such as 11B, keep checking with a recruiter.

If you have been separated less than 12 months, by law, you can take the USPS postal exam. Go to your local post office and ask where the closest hiring and testing site is. Bring your DD214 and request to take next test. They have to allow you to take it.

also because the military is looking for "17-24 year old males" as their fighting force. Prior service are typically too old...and also what dude above me said.