Many voluntary education opportunities are available to service members regardless of where they serve. Military members serving outside the continental United States (OCONUS) have various options to begin or continue their education. Depending on the location, service members may access education counseling services, testing services, and on-site and online courses.
Service members can access educational opportunities in forwarding deployed areas within the Central Command (CENTCOM) and Africa Command (AFRICOM) areas of responsibility (AOR). Some bases have government civilian education services officers or military education and training specialists assigned to the education/learning resource centers who can advise service members in various stages of their education journey. DANTES website (https://www.dantes.doded.mil/EducationPrograms/ support-in-school/overseas-support.html) is an excellent resource to learn which universities and colleges are physically located on military overseas and contingency installations.
On behalf of the Services, DANTES provides Contingency Area Edu cation Support through a contract with the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). Current service locations are Kuwait (Camps Arifjan, Camp Buehring, and Ali Al Salem); Qatar (Al Udeid Air Base); Bahrain (Manama Naval Support Activity and Isa Air Base); Djibouti (Camp Lemonnier); Jordan (Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and Joint Training Center); Egypt (North and South Camps Sinai), Saudi Arabia (Prince Sultan Air Base) and United Arab Emirates (Al Dhafra Air Base). Service members will have access to local support, aca demic guidance, and testing services if they deploy to any of these locations. Government education personnel work closely with the contracted university to ensure students can continue pursuing their education goals while deployed.
DANTES facilitates the availability of academic exams by operating National Test Centers (NTCs). These NTCs offer service members and eligible civilians access to College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and DSST internet-based testing (iBT) exams, online creden tialing examinations, and other electronic exams. Contracted test examiners also proctor electronic exams for service members en rolled in distance education courses with non-contract education colleges and universities on a space-available basis.
MSgt Sean Walls is a 3F2XX Education and Training Specialist assigned to Kuwait’s learning resource center. When discussing his deployed expe riences, he shared, “I couldn’t have asked to work with a better and more professional contractor.
Ms. Barbara Norl, the local UMGC representative, truly has been a pleasure to work with, and it feels like a real team atmosphere in the education center at Ali Al Salem. We bounce ideas off each other, share advice and feedback, and collaborate where appropriate.”
DANTES offers opportunities to earn college credit and meet certification requirements through a variety of methodologies. Service members have real time access to their ins tructors via face-to-face, streaming, and hybrid courses. Service members may also enroll in online courses. DANTES offers courses leading to a certificate or associates of science degree, lower- and upper-level courses leading to the award of a bachelor’s degree, as well as courses leading to graduate degrees. The degree programs offered in CENTCOM/ AFRICOM regions are consistent with the degree programs available at the home campus. Service member participation in degree programs is funded through military Tuition As sistance (TA) based on Service policy, the GI Bill, federal financial aid, the various Services COOL programs, or funded individually by an eligible student. Depending on the time of year and the location, service members often have the opportunity to participate in gra duation ceremonies while deployed.
How to set up service members for success prior to their deployment to Contingency Areas: Once a service member is notified they will be deployed, they should set up an appointment with their home base counselor. Counselors can assist service members to create a plan to continue their education goals while deployed. Here are a few helpful hints:
1. Review the education plan/degree plan to gether. Help the service member to secure an education plan before enrolling in courses while deployed.
2. Assist the service member to set realistic goals for the time they will be deployed. Deploy ments are usually six months but can be as short as three months and as long as 18 mon ths. Consider whether there will be enough time to complete a course or two.
3. Research what programs and services are avai lable at the overseas or contingency locations. The DANTES website is a good resource to learn
which universities and colleges are physically located at overseas and contingency locations. Term schedules for onsite classes may already be available and service members can learn if upcoming course offerings will transfer into their current degree plans.
4. If there is no onsite college or National Test Center where the service member is deploying, there are other options. There are hundreds of online classes to choose from. Service members can also to use the time while deployed to pre pare for a college level equivalent exam when they return to home station.
5. Encourage service members to download the MilEd Benefits mobile app https://www.dantes. doded.mil/Resources/MilEdBenefits.html so they have access to military education resour ces anytime, anywhere.
The Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education (VolEd) Program, through the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) ensures Contingency Area Education Support for deployed military members and those stationed overseas in the USEUCOM, USCENTCOM and USAFRICOM AORs (areas of responsibility).
The DANTES European Advisor is available to help military students pursue their education goals while downrange including:
Managing institutional partnerships that provide contingency area education support
Coordinating mobile testing opportunities at down range locations
Conducting training workshops and attends local education fairs
Encouraging military components to stay updated on DANTES education programs
Obtaining feedback from education center staff about DANTES material and operations
All active duty, enlisted, officer and warrant officers, National Guard and Reserve components, in all military services, including the U.S. Coast Guard are eligible to use Contingency Area Education Support services.
Access to face-to-face academic counseling services
Opportunities to earn college credit and meet certification requirements
Expanded test center accessibility for military members
Availability of undergraduate and graduate academic programs
The Troops to Teachers (TTT) program helps service members and veterans become certified and employed as teachers in K-12 schools. TTT was reauthorized on December 27, 2021, via the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, after being canceled on October 1, 2020. While the Department of Defense is currently reviewing requirements for the program and determining funding levels, the program recently received partial funding to restart some services in certain states with a TTT program. State TTT programs serve as advocates and guides for participants throughout the teacher certification process. Services provided by state offices currently include:
Counseling - Guidance on state specific alternative and traditional routes to teacher certification.
Referral - Connections to accredited teacher prepa ration programs and state credentialing agencies. To view states currently providing counseling and referral services, visit the States Currently
Offering Services section on www.ProudToServeAgain.com.
Stay toon for next month’s DIB, where we will be hi ghlighting more info about the Troops to Teachers program!
The DCSN gives counselors a forum to: share information, discuss best practices, and connect counselors with one aother to enhance the spirit of collaboration.
The DCSN allows counselors a forum to:
• Share Information
• Discuss Best Practices
• Peer-to-Peer Support (We can all learn so much through the spirit of collaboration)
For questions related to the DCSN or to request a copy of the October recording, contact Ms. Mareba Mack, DANTES Program Manager, at counseling@ us.navy.mil.
The next DCSN is tentatively scheduled January 2023.
