Army SkillBridge.
The Army keeps SkillBridge's full 180-day DoD ceiling — but routes approval through your battalion or brigade commander, not your company commander, and requires you to complete SFL-TAP first. AR 600-81 (April 2024) is the current governing regulation; MILPER 25-116 is the implementing message. Soldiers approved before 3 April 2025 are grandfathered.
Key facts
Effective 12 April 2024 — Army Transition Assistance Program
Current Army-wide implementing guidance
Reaches the DoD ceiling for all ranks (no Army-specific tiering)
No further delegation authorized at any tier
Must finish Soldier for Life — Transition Assistance Program before SkillBridge
Packets approved before this date follow prior policy
How approval works
- 1Complete SFL-TAP
Mandatory Army prerequisite. Most soldiers schedule this in the 12-month transition window. SkillBridge cannot start until TAP is complete.
- 2Identify an approved program
Provider must appear on the DoD-approved list at skillbridge.mil/locations.htm. Critical-fill MOS may face additional scrutiny.
- 3Build your packet
Training plan, employer letter of intent, dates that fit inside your last 180 days of service, and demonstrated link to a civilian career path.
- 4Route to battalion or brigade commander
Company commander cannot approve. The Army explicitly removed delegation authority — your packet has to land on a Lt Col or Col desk.
- 5Get unit-readiness sign-off
Mission requirements (deployment, exercises, manning shortage) are explicit grounds for denial. Coordinate with S-1 and your chain on backfill before submitting.
What gets denied
- →Critical-fill MOS — specialties under retention pressure get extra scrutiny.
- →Pending UCMJ or admin action — including financial holds or clearance review.
- →Outstanding bonus / re-enlistment payback — leaving early can trigger payback even with command approval.
- →SFL-TAP not complete — non-negotiable in current Army policy.
- →Late submission — packets that don't give the BN/BDE staff weeks to route are routinely returned.
Sources
Resume to back up your SkillBridge?
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