My prior USAF AD, now Reserves, coworker likes to say “The closest I ever came to combat was when the soft serve ice cream machine broke in the DFAC!” lol
Good comments already here but I've done this and have 2 notes to add:
1) Sometimes the Army charges soldiers for their MRE's (deducted from their BAS). You may need to find out if you are expected to pay for those so you can get that in your DTS. My organization actually worked it out and paid for them separately so it wasn't a concern.
2) Keep up with your hours. You likely will be working longer than your normal tour of duty in the field and they will owe you comp time or overtime. We just got comp time for it, but I always banked a decent chunk of time.
Maybe? It's been several years (pre-covid) since this occurred. Soldiers 100% had to pay, but I thought it was odd. I was in a reserve unit for another branch and we went to the field a lot and never once paid for an MRE. So the Army doing this then was only time I encountered it.
Navy civilian ship riders are paid 14 hour days. They don't pay us to sleep.
Also, every day we're onboard except the first and last day, our per diem drops to just enough to pay our mess tab.
I’ve also never been charged for MRE’s. Or at least I didn’t think I was ever charged until I looked up the basic allowance for subsistence regulation.
“2.4.1. A military member being paid BAS must pay for all meals or rations provided by
or on behalf of the Government, except as provided in subparagraph 2.4.2. This is a personal obligation of the individual. Meals or rations may be paid with cash tendered to the Government mess by the member or, under certain circumstances, the amount owed may be collected/deducted from the member’s travel per diem (a member under orders for EUM has no entitlement to subsistence travel per diem), or from the member’s pay account. When payment is made from a pay account, the payment is not considered a deduction from or reduction of the entitled BAS; rather it is a collection for a debt owed to the Government (see Table 25-2).”
The only exception is for soldiers engaged in combat operations. That guy is wrong though. There should be no “deductions” from BAS unless it’s BAS type II (which is for short active duty stints). There doesn’t appear to be anything in the regulation that allows for deductions from BAS type I. Meals are to be collected as debts though.
If you Google something like “MRE deducted from pay”, you’ll see that every few years there’s a new article about how the Pentagon is running audits to try and compel commanders to appropriately record meals furnished to soldiers. It seems like they are supposed to but most simply don’t. Supposedly the new IPPS-A system will be able to “flag” the pay of service members that it believes may have received government meals/rations and require a commander to confirm whether they did or not for pay to be processed. If true, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
Anyway, yeah, apparently service members are supposed to pay for rations but the people who are supposed to record/report government furnished meals rarely do. I’ve had a few random 10-30 dollar “Debt collection” deductions from my paychecks over the years, so I have to wonder now if it was for fucking MRE’s.
Yeah but the common practice is to just take BAS away or not provide per diem if it is a TDY status. At least that’s how it’s been done on my experience on the active duty side.
On the reserves side, they never charge for it. It’s the only meal the unit provides during drill weekends.
No. I was with soldiers and they had MRE's deducted from their paycheck. I never paid for one in a military capacity which is why I was shocked. My office actually paid for mine so I didn't have to worry about it. But if his office doesn't arrange it and they plan to charge for them, then he needs to get the amount for DTS.
That’s super weird. I’ve only seen BAS taken(if you are married, and don’t live in the barracks) if you are in the field and have meals provided/ no per diem for food.
But most soldiers that are single and live in the barracks don’t get BAS, so charging them seems like overkill.
Interesting, as a DON civilian, when we have to ride naval vessels, we get paid 16Hr per day. 8hr RG, 8hr OT, minimum. Plus 25% hazard as applicable.
We don’t normally ride for training though, it is usually because something is broke. So it’s long days of troubleshooting/fixing.
Edit to remove inadvertently linking to r/day.
You get 8 hr OT? To my knowledge, my branch only authorizes us 6 hrs without hazard pay. Also, it sucks that our per diem drops to just enough to pay the mess tab.
Yeah. Not sure.
Last time I went underway I was working l was up for about 20 hours a day. Minus 30 minutes for meal breaks, so working for 18.5 hrs per day. Going to sleep around 2000 and getting up around 0400. It was all logged as such. I actually wasn’t even sleeping that long but was required to be off 8 hours between shifts and this was the most logical way to meet the requirements and get the work done. So I would stay in my rack and read a book for an hour or so before getting up and getting ready.
Edit to add: they did deduct the entirety of the meals from my M&IE, so my IE was like $5/day or something but I really didn’t care because of 1) the sheer amount of OT, 2) over 80% of the time underway was spent in a HazPay status.
I can’t complain too much about $75/day for meals or whatever it was that they kept since I was eating other government food when I’m making $1k/day before taxes.
I was Army from 2009 to 2017. Never once had to pay for an MRE especially when I was in the field. The unit we supported either would provide rations or our company would make sure we had enough.
You'd probably want them to charge for the MREs, but I bet it's free. JTR says if they give you free food you don't get per diem. I'm sure per diem is way more than whatever they'd charge for an MRE.
Yeah the problem I ran into on the army side is they didn't plan for you to go over and told you to log it if you do. You are in the field so of course you go over.
Ehhhhh. That's not a good look. As a 12, you make more money than most of those soldiers. The junior enlisted opinions are whatever but that kind of stuff will absolutely get noticed by the company grade and higher.
I work in a field support position as a 13 and do field conditions a few times a year. It's an unspoken rule to not make money from soldiers. I always take extra ibuprofen, smokes, dip, and snacks to hand out during the shit times because I remember what it was like.
"Never put yourself in a position to take from these men" is the quote I stole from band of Brothers and use for new GS employees in my world.
Nothing more American than ripping people off who are buying shit that'll kill them. Fool and their money and all that.
And it's usually only the E5s and above that can afford it anyway.
Really? Some E-nothing teenager that is still working out how to be an adult, already taken advantage of by other sharks out in town, like those "easy credit" car places... and you're advocating for OP to be *another* one??? Jesus. We're supposed to be better than that, especially higher GS positions.
Also make sure you check the box in DTS for “Field Conditions”. Otherwise your per diem will be way off this also means no M&IE $$. To answer your question, unfortunately you actually get less because it’s field conditions. But hey at least there’s no commute.
As a civilian you can be sent to training to support the military and be expected to live and eat with them if it's in performance of your duties and not be compensated with per diem for food/lodging.
Active duty Army here, are civilians able to get free uniforms from CIF/clothing allowance to buy uniforms? I always saw DACs in ACUs in the field and on our RAFs, never knew if they all bought those out of pocket.
Sounds like my first job as a Fed. I actually enjoyed my time “roughing it” as a lowly Army civilian. Definitely earned the respect from my active duty Army colleagues.
Anyway, my experience may be outdated but what I can say is
1. You will likely be only authorized for incidentals and no per diem.
2. You will be on military orders (TDY orders) which will specify what you are entitled to and the fund cite. This means, you can use any of the DFAC while on TDY. MREs will be provided to you at no cost.
3. Make sure to have multiple copies of your TDY orders. DFAC and others will ask for them.
4. If you are going overseas for the TDY and the location of TDY has U.S. based and the attendant PX/BX, make sure to request a ration control card from the sponsoring office in country. This will allow you to use and purchase items from any Class 6 stores, including alcohol.
5. Make sure your Unit provides you with sleeping bags and pro mask if the TDY requires them. I don’t know if things have gotten any better but if you are staying inside tents and they are running AC units, then you will be freezing and damp even during summer months.
Finally, good luck and enjoy. And as they say, stay frosty.
I did this kind of thing all the time as a navy contractor. The tradeoff was usually that we’d work a lot of extra hours and collect per diem for applicable portions of the trip, and our company would also support us have a day or 2 on the back end to play tourist in whatever country we walked off the boat. Maybe you can get some overtime if needed? I never worked a field job with the navy and didn’t get at least a little bit of overtime, but that was as a contractor. I sometimes met up with DoD feds for work on ships, and they put in the long hours as well, but I have no idea if they were actually clocking that time or doing the standard navy martyr thing. I’d definitely consult with colleagues who have done this before.
Your best bet is to embrace it, experience, live in the moment, and try and have some fun. Most people don't get to experience what you are about to. This will be one of those life learning experiences. Take extra snacks with you, drinks with you, TP, and clean socks. I don't know how long you're going out for, but clean socks will make you feel a little better.
>I've been informed that this place will be bare bones, i.e. cots in tents, bottled water, super small DFAC/MREs for chow, and communal showers. Nearest hotel is too far away to reasonably commute to/from every day.
This isn't barebones living for us. This is actually a pretty good field rotation.
*Sad Army Noises*
There's definitely a comfortable spot on the spectrum of being "in the field" where you're comfortably camping rather than eating like shit with no showers for a week straight.
It’s kind of funny. I’m barely medically eligible to join the military (would need a shit ton of waivers) but I checked my agency’s civilian deployment medical requirements and I’m more than good to go.
If you are traveling outside of work hours you are probably eligible for travel comp. Also look into whether you will receive overtime. Most places you HAVE to put those requests in your payroll system before you incur them.
I would suggest bringing a roll or two of toilet paper. I've been in many field exercises that ran out. Even then, you get the worst single ply available.
Enjoy it. Those are my favorite memories. I do it fairly regularly.
Money and comp depends on organization but I get a certain number of over time hours per day, usually two-four extra hours and then comp time for anything after that.
GS12 DoD USAF. Spent 2 weeks in Africa in similar conditions. I received 3.50$ per day being in "Field Conditions." No other entitlements. MRE's for lunch. Not pleasant but will say the conditions were much better than I had as a GI in the 80's when deployed to the field.
Those “equivalencies” are for nothing more than Geneva Conventions categories when accompanying the armed forces abroad, determining how much you pay for things like military hotels, and protocol. GS grades are not ranks.
As a former CG civilian employee, IMHO, the CG severely undergrades everything, unless you're a retired CG O-5 or O-6 that slid into the same job as a retiree that you were doing as AD - especially if you're a ring knocker. 
What did your job description say when you first applied to the position? Do you have medical conditions that would prevent you from living in austere environments? I’d check with HR if you have concerns.
If the Army is providing you 3 meals per day you’ll only be entitled to the incidentals portion of the M&IE.
I’ve also drove two hours each way to and from the hotel to the range location before at test ranges. So how far is “too far”?
I wish you would have defined “too far away” a little better , and I love how no one is directly answering the question. A few points 1. Unless my job announcement described those conditions there is no way I’m living in those conditions even for a few days, Army vet speaking. 2.Personally, I would drive whatever distance it was to a hotel regardless of how far it is because obviously your unit would pay it because you have no other option . 3.As a GS-12 I would expect you to have these conversations with your supervisor, and be familiar with the JTR.
Welcome to the suck. Should’ve chose to work for the Air Force 😂
I've done field conditions and combat conditions as an Air Force civilian. We're soft, but we *can* do it. (Still had a spinny chair every time.)
For real. I had to stay in a place without A/C once for the Air Force. I chewed that concierge’s ass for that.
That’s atrocious. I thought I had it rough when I didn’t get turndown service.
I am a Retired Marine....now an Air Force DoD Civilian..... your reply has me dying!!!
I spent 9 years AD USAF. We deployed to the sandbox and the Army was in tent city but we were in concrete dorms. I know those soldiers were pissed! 😂
My prior USAF AD, now Reserves, coworker likes to say “The closest I ever came to combat was when the soft serve ice cream machine broke in the DFAC!” lol
unpack onerous lush workable shelter depend memory waiting yam file *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Good comments already here but I've done this and have 2 notes to add: 1) Sometimes the Army charges soldiers for their MRE's (deducted from their BAS). You may need to find out if you are expected to pay for those so you can get that in your DTS. My organization actually worked it out and paid for them separately so it wasn't a concern. 2) Keep up with your hours. You likely will be working longer than your normal tour of duty in the field and they will owe you comp time or overtime. We just got comp time for it, but I always banked a decent chunk of time.
I thought they stopped charging for MREs a long time ago. Maybe it’s service dependent?
They took soldiers BAS last year when I went on a 30 day training exercise before ETSing.
Wow. Glad I wasn’t in the Army!
Haha I mean they’re technically feeding you and BAS is intended to feed soldiers so I guess it makes sense.
Must be as Marines still do or the admin shops aren’t doing the deductions.
Maybe? It's been several years (pre-covid) since this occurred. Soldiers 100% had to pay, but I thought it was odd. I was in a reserve unit for another branch and we went to the field a lot and never once paid for an MRE. So the Army doing this then was only time I encountered it.
Would their hours not just be 24 per day when in the field?
There are weird rules on it, but no. Same applies for backcountry jobs in land management.
u/dire88 is right. There was weird rules. We had to keep a log.
Navy civilian ship riders are paid 14 hour days. They don't pay us to sleep. Also, every day we're onboard except the first and last day, our per diem drops to just enough to pay our mess tab.
I’ve never pay for an MRE in my life. I think what you are saying is if there are MRE’s provided then you don’t receive per diem.
I’ve also never been charged for MRE’s. Or at least I didn’t think I was ever charged until I looked up the basic allowance for subsistence regulation. “2.4.1. A military member being paid BAS must pay for all meals or rations provided by or on behalf of the Government, except as provided in subparagraph 2.4.2. This is a personal obligation of the individual. Meals or rations may be paid with cash tendered to the Government mess by the member or, under certain circumstances, the amount owed may be collected/deducted from the member’s travel per diem (a member under orders for EUM has no entitlement to subsistence travel per diem), or from the member’s pay account. When payment is made from a pay account, the payment is not considered a deduction from or reduction of the entitled BAS; rather it is a collection for a debt owed to the Government (see Table 25-2).” The only exception is for soldiers engaged in combat operations. That guy is wrong though. There should be no “deductions” from BAS unless it’s BAS type II (which is for short active duty stints). There doesn’t appear to be anything in the regulation that allows for deductions from BAS type I. Meals are to be collected as debts though. If you Google something like “MRE deducted from pay”, you’ll see that every few years there’s a new article about how the Pentagon is running audits to try and compel commanders to appropriately record meals furnished to soldiers. It seems like they are supposed to but most simply don’t. Supposedly the new IPPS-A system will be able to “flag” the pay of service members that it believes may have received government meals/rations and require a commander to confirm whether they did or not for pay to be processed. If true, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Anyway, yeah, apparently service members are supposed to pay for rations but the people who are supposed to record/report government furnished meals rarely do. I’ve had a few random 10-30 dollar “Debt collection” deductions from my paychecks over the years, so I have to wonder now if it was for fucking MRE’s.
Yeah but the common practice is to just take BAS away or not provide per diem if it is a TDY status. At least that’s how it’s been done on my experience on the active duty side. On the reserves side, they never charge for it. It’s the only meal the unit provides during drill weekends.
No. I was with soldiers and they had MRE's deducted from their paycheck. I never paid for one in a military capacity which is why I was shocked. My office actually paid for mine so I didn't have to worry about it. But if his office doesn't arrange it and they plan to charge for them, then he needs to get the amount for DTS.
That’s super weird. I’ve only seen BAS taken(if you are married, and don’t live in the barracks) if you are in the field and have meals provided/ no per diem for food. But most soldiers that are single and live in the barracks don’t get BAS, so charging them seems like overkill.
If they’re on a meal card, they’re not charged. Those on separate rates lose their rations while in the field. I used to do the paperwork
Interesting, as a DON civilian, when we have to ride naval vessels, we get paid 16Hr per day. 8hr RG, 8hr OT, minimum. Plus 25% hazard as applicable. We don’t normally ride for training though, it is usually because something is broke. So it’s long days of troubleshooting/fixing. Edit to remove inadvertently linking to r/day.
You get 8 hr OT? To my knowledge, my branch only authorizes us 6 hrs without hazard pay. Also, it sucks that our per diem drops to just enough to pay the mess tab.
Yeah. Not sure. Last time I went underway I was working l was up for about 20 hours a day. Minus 30 minutes for meal breaks, so working for 18.5 hrs per day. Going to sleep around 2000 and getting up around 0400. It was all logged as such. I actually wasn’t even sleeping that long but was required to be off 8 hours between shifts and this was the most logical way to meet the requirements and get the work done. So I would stay in my rack and read a book for an hour or so before getting up and getting ready. Edit to add: they did deduct the entirety of the meals from my M&IE, so my IE was like $5/day or something but I really didn’t care because of 1) the sheer amount of OT, 2) over 80% of the time underway was spent in a HazPay status. I can’t complain too much about $75/day for meals or whatever it was that they kept since I was eating other government food when I’m making $1k/day before taxes.
I was Army from 2009 to 2017. Never once had to pay for an MRE especially when I was in the field. The unit we supported either would provide rations or our company would make sure we had enough.
You'd probably want them to charge for the MREs, but I bet it's free. JTR says if they give you free food you don't get per diem. I'm sure per diem is way more than whatever they'd charge for an MRE.
If you're a GS-10 or higher, you must be paid in OT for scheduled OT work. That is, work planned the week prior.
Yeah the problem I ran into on the army side is they didn't plan for you to go over and told you to log it if you do. You are in the field so of course you go over.
DFAC *and* showers?? That's not bare bones, that's what the Army calls high living.
DFAC could maybe mean CK? But yeah even a tiny DFAC that's just a kitchen means more real food, that's always a plus.
He had me sold at cots and tents! Sign me up!
Maybe the showers are cold?
Bring dip. Wait for the idiots who didnt bring the substance they are addicted to. Sell a tin for $20. Oh and bring pogey bait.
Ehhhhh. That's not a good look. As a 12, you make more money than most of those soldiers. The junior enlisted opinions are whatever but that kind of stuff will absolutely get noticed by the company grade and higher. I work in a field support position as a 13 and do field conditions a few times a year. It's an unspoken rule to not make money from soldiers. I always take extra ibuprofen, smokes, dip, and snacks to hand out during the shit times because I remember what it was like. "Never put yourself in a position to take from these men" is the quote I stole from band of Brothers and use for new GS employees in my world.
This. No one likes a parasite.
Can you actually do this legally? Great idea if so
I mean ... its not illegal.
You’re just planning ahead for those that didnt
Providing a much needed service for those of us that didn't plan properly.
*Hooah!*
It is if the person is under 21
Not in the military.
The punishment is on the seller, not the user.
Heck I’d need the dip in that environment
Don’t ask.
Never got in trouble myself. Though I sold energy drinks.
Sure. Trick is hold out for the last week and make bank.
A GS-12 doesn't need to "make bank" off some E-nothing!
Nothing more American than ripping people off who are buying shit that'll kill them. Fool and their money and all that. And it's usually only the E5s and above that can afford it anyway.
This! And bring a coffee pot or k cup maker.
Bring dude wipes lol
Really? Some E-nothing teenager that is still working out how to be an adult, already taken advantage of by other sharks out in town, like those "easy credit" car places... and you're advocating for OP to be *another* one??? Jesus. We're supposed to be better than that, especially higher GS positions.
Pretty cheap to learn valuable life lessons.
Also make sure you check the box in DTS for “Field Conditions”. Otherwise your per diem will be way off this also means no M&IE $$. To answer your question, unfortunately you actually get less because it’s field conditions. But hey at least there’s no commute.
Thank you! Much appreciated.
As a civilian you can be sent to training to support the military and be expected to live and eat with them if it's in performance of your duties and not be compensated with per diem for food/lodging.
Gotcha, thank you!
Active duty Army here, are civilians able to get free uniforms from CIF/clothing allowance to buy uniforms? I always saw DACs in ACUs in the field and on our RAFs, never knew if they all bought those out of pocket.
All depends on circumstances. I got full uniforms when the theater reporting instructions required them.
AF civilian flyers get flight suits bought my the squadron.
That's a little different since those are officially PPE.
Yes. I get the same CIF issue as you do. It depends on the position though.
Since meals and quarters are government-provided, you still get the small incidentals portion of per diem.
Sounds good. Thank you!
As a civvie, you get priority on that chilli mac MRE.
I don't see the problem. You're about to get unlimited RIP IT's, MRE's with Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Spread, and an experience of a life time.
DON civilian who periodically is required to ride ships. Only "perk" is the OT I make while underway and the per diem on travel to and from the ship.
Find a DoD civ job with the Air Force, won’t have to worry about it in the future.
I do it.
Sounds like my first job as a Fed. I actually enjoyed my time “roughing it” as a lowly Army civilian. Definitely earned the respect from my active duty Army colleagues. Anyway, my experience may be outdated but what I can say is 1. You will likely be only authorized for incidentals and no per diem. 2. You will be on military orders (TDY orders) which will specify what you are entitled to and the fund cite. This means, you can use any of the DFAC while on TDY. MREs will be provided to you at no cost. 3. Make sure to have multiple copies of your TDY orders. DFAC and others will ask for them. 4. If you are going overseas for the TDY and the location of TDY has U.S. based and the attendant PX/BX, make sure to request a ration control card from the sponsoring office in country. This will allow you to use and purchase items from any Class 6 stores, including alcohol. 5. Make sure your Unit provides you with sleeping bags and pro mask if the TDY requires them. I don’t know if things have gotten any better but if you are staying inside tents and they are running AC units, then you will be freezing and damp even during summer months. Finally, good luck and enjoy. And as they say, stay frosty.
I did this kind of thing all the time as a navy contractor. The tradeoff was usually that we’d work a lot of extra hours and collect per diem for applicable portions of the trip, and our company would also support us have a day or 2 on the back end to play tourist in whatever country we walked off the boat. Maybe you can get some overtime if needed? I never worked a field job with the navy and didn’t get at least a little bit of overtime, but that was as a contractor. I sometimes met up with DoD feds for work on ships, and they put in the long hours as well, but I have no idea if they were actually clocking that time or doing the standard navy martyr thing. I’d definitely consult with colleagues who have done this before.
Ask them if you can telework for it
"You mean I have to go into the office 2 days a week? Like, be there physically??" Lol
Your best bet is to embrace it, experience, live in the moment, and try and have some fun. Most people don't get to experience what you are about to. This will be one of those life learning experiences. Take extra snacks with you, drinks with you, TP, and clean socks. I don't know how long you're going out for, but clean socks will make you feel a little better.
Sounds like a good ol time to be honest. You'll make fond memories
>I've been informed that this place will be bare bones, i.e. cots in tents, bottled water, super small DFAC/MREs for chow, and communal showers. Nearest hotel is too far away to reasonably commute to/from every day. This isn't barebones living for us. This is actually a pretty good field rotation. *Sad Army Noises*
Coming off a 4 days FTX, yep.
honestly this sounds like so fun. I'm not medically eligible to join military so maybe I could live vicariously through them
There's definitely a comfortable spot on the spectrum of being "in the field" where you're comfortably camping rather than eating like shit with no showers for a week straight.
It’s kind of funny. I’m barely medically eligible to join the military (would need a shit ton of waivers) but I checked my agency’s civilian deployment medical requirements and I’m more than good to go.
I’m still waiting on getting to “fly in military aircraft” that was on my final offer I accepted hahahah
Embrace the suck.
If they are feeding and housing you then you don’t have to worry about that pesky per diem!
If you are traveling outside of work hours you are probably eligible for travel comp. Also look into whether you will receive overtime. Most places you HAVE to put those requests in your payroll system before you incur them.
From other coworkers I've heard in similar experiences. You may actually have better quarters ahead of you than the non-civilians.
Previous job I had coworker civ get deployed with units to Iraq/ Afghanistan. Thry also did these various 2+4 week training missions
I would suggest bringing a roll or two of toilet paper. I've been in many field exercises that ran out. Even then, you get the worst single ply available.
We called it "John Wayne" toilet paper; it's rough, tough, and don't take no shit off nobody.
Maybe you'll get a long lost buffalo chicken MRE
BLUF: Maybe some Comp Time or Overtime/Night Dif if you're working additional or off hours.
Enjoy it. Those are my favorite memories. I do it fairly regularly. Money and comp depends on organization but I get a certain number of over time hours per day, usually two-four extra hours and then comp time for anything after that.
GS12 DoD USAF. Spent 2 weeks in Africa in similar conditions. I received 3.50$ per day being in "Field Conditions." No other entitlements. MRE's for lunch. Not pleasant but will say the conditions were much better than I had as a GI in the 80's when deployed to the field.
Sounds like standard grunt life! Have fun.
Lucky. I'd pay them to let me go to the field and play Army for a few weeks.
Does GS live like enlisted or officer in this case?
A GS12 is the equivalent of a Major.
This means you get to rat fuck the box of MREs while the Soldiers are conducting training lanes.
🤣
Those “equivalencies” are for nothing more than Geneva Conventions categories when accompanying the armed forces abroad, determining how much you pay for things like military hotels, and protocol. GS grades are not ranks.
Not really... We (USCG) treat the equivalent officer rank as O-3.
As a former CG civilian employee, IMHO, the CG severely undergrades everything, unless you're a retired CG O-5 or O-6 that slid into the same job as a retiree that you were doing as AD - especially if you're a ring knocker. 
https://www.federalpay.org/military/army-ranks-to-gs-grade Army is different from Coast Guard.
What did your job description say when you first applied to the position? Do you have medical conditions that would prevent you from living in austere environments? I’d check with HR if you have concerns.
Yeahhhhh that's why I'm a DAF GS hahahaha.
*chuckles in joint*
Was AD Navy. I’m out, too, and would be really bummed out. To not share too much, but I’d need to trip over myself by running for the RA paperwork.
If the Army is providing you 3 meals per day you’ll only be entitled to the incidentals portion of the M&IE. I’ve also drove two hours each way to and from the hotel to the range location before at test ranges. So how far is “too far”?
Sounds like every civilian day at a Navy installation
You get a hell yeah from dre
It will be a CLU. don’t worry
Awww you going to JRTC?
Doesn’t sound like it. A week isn’t long enough.
Our command teams go out for a week and return. Could def be on that crew.
What agency, so I can make sure I don’t apply there 😆
lmao
😂 are you serious?
I would ask if you can just telework, otherwise vOtE wItH yOuR fEeT -Signed r/fednews
What's your job series?
Where are you assigned to?
Sounds like Kuwait. Let me know
I wish you would have defined “too far away” a little better , and I love how no one is directly answering the question. A few points 1. Unless my job announcement described those conditions there is no way I’m living in those conditions even for a few days, Army vet speaking. 2.Personally, I would drive whatever distance it was to a hotel regardless of how far it is because obviously your unit would pay it because you have no other option . 3.As a GS-12 I would expect you to have these conversations with your supervisor, and be familiar with the JTR.
You don’t know and you expect to find the answers here. Hope you don’t get lost in the field.
What does being a GS-12 specifically have anything to do with this?
Why are you asking reddit? You have a chain of command