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JDAL Positions

National Guard-Senior Leader Management Office

JOM Chief - Col Joseph Ascherl, 703-607-3642

ANG JOM Matters - Lt Col Adam Bourassa, 703-604-4409

ARNG JOM Matters - CPT Michael Nei, 703-607-2088
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2

JDAL101

• Established by Goldwater-Nichols DoD Reorg Act of 1986

• Develop a cadre of joint matters experts to support senior DoD

leaders

• Joint ≠ joint matters

• Joint matters relate to “the achievement of unified action by 

integrated military forces (planning or execution) in land/sea/air 

operations—or the information environment...”

• Must be a funded O4 – O6 authorization in a joint activity and 

incumbent must serve a 2-year tour

• List is relatively small: < 15% of DoD field grade officers

• JCS holds semi-annual validation/5-year revalidation boards 

with the results approved by OSD (July-December)

• NGB-J1 solicits nominations from the States (joint elements) 

and NGBJS/OCNGB; holds Screening Panel to review inputs
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Only permanent JDA positions, where an officer gains significant experience in 

joint matters, may be designated as JDAL positions. A position must be 

involved in:

(1) The development or achievement of strategic objectives through the 

synchronization, coordination, and organization of integrated forces in 

operations conducted across domains, such as land, sea, air, space, or in the 

information environment, including matters relating to any of the following:

(a) National military strategy.

(b) Strategic planning and contingency planning.

(c) Command and control, intelligence, fires, movement and maneuver, 

protection, or sustainment of operations under unified command.

(d) National security planning with other departments and agencies of the 

United States; or

(e) Combined operations with military forces of allied nations.

JDAL Position Standards
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In the context of joint matters, the term “integrated forces” refers to 

military forces that are involved in achieving unified action with 

participants from:

(1) More than one military department; or

(2) A military department and one or more of the following:

(a) Other departments and agencies of the United States.

(b) The military forces or agencies of other countries.

(c) Non-governmental persons or entities.

JDAL Position Standards
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(1) Student positions for joint education and joint training.

(2) Instructor positions not responsible for any of the following:

(a) Preparing and presenting JPME Phase II courses in national security 

strategy.

(b) Theater strategy and campaigning.

(c) Joint planning processes and systems; or

(d) Joint, interagency, and multinational capabilities and the integrations of 

those capabilities.

(3) Fellowship or internship assignments that are affiliated with educational, 

degree granting, or research programs where the officer does not fill a 

permanent billet.

(4) Positions or assignments within an officer’s own Military Department.

(5) Temporary, overage, or unfunded positions.

(6) Positions requiring grades O-3 and below.

Exclusions from the JDAL 
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The JDAL is the position management file of 

the JDAMIS that the CJCS manages. 

Positions are added to the JDAL to identify 

duties in which officers gain significant 

experience in joint matters. 

JDAL positions will not be used as an 

assignment incentive.

Joint Duty Assignment List (JDAL)
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The Military Services must ensure that at 

least one-half of their O-5 and above 

Service S-JDA positions are filled at any 

time by officers who have the appropriate 

level of joint qualification.

JDAL Fill Requirements
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The primary purpose of the JDAL Validation Process is to review 

positions nominated by joint organizations for addition to or deletion 

from the JDAL as outlined in CJCSI 1330.05A.

– The CJCS is responsible for ensuring all positions on the JDAL meet 

the definition of joint matters. 

– CJCS is responsible for revalidating JDAL positions every 5 years.

JDAL Validation Process
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JDA credit is granted to an officer who completes a tour of duty in a JDAL 

position (S-JDA position). An officer begins to accrue JDA credit on 

assignment to the JDAL position and stops accruing JDA credit on departure 

from the JDAL position.

• A tour of duty where an officer serves in more than one S-JDA without a 

break between such assignments will be considered to be a single tour of 

duty in an S-JDA.

• Assignment of more than one officer to the same S-JDA is not authorized 

except during reassignment. The overlap of incoming and outgoing officers, 

during which time both officers accrue JDA credit, may not exceed 90 days.

• Officers (O-6 and below) must serve a minimum of 2 years to receive full 

JDA credit. 

• Constructive credit for joint duty tour completion does not apply to GO/FOs.

• Officers may depart an S-JDA up to 60 days early and receive constructive 

credit. AKA: a Minimum of 22 Months!!

JDAL Credit
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Officers who do not receive full joint duty tour credit in an S-JDA may 

receive accrued JDA credit if:

(1) Departing the position for a command-boarded position or senior 

developmental education; or 

(2) Returning to their Military Service or departing the position due to 

reasons cited in Section 7 of the DoDI 1300.19

All other requests for accrued JDA credit will only be considered for 

fully documented mission reasons.

Accrued JDA Credit
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Officers may be released from S-JDAs before completing the 

prescribed tour lengths without a JDA tour length waiver if they are:

(1) Serving in overseas S-JDAs, including Alaska and Hawaii, for 

which the tour length prescribed by DoD Instruction 1315.18 is less 

than 2 years.

(2) Less than full-time RC officers.

(3) Reassigned for unusual personal reasons, including extreme 

hardship and medical conditions beyond the control of the officer or the 

Military Service concerned.

(4) Retired or released from active duty.

JDAL Tour Length Exclusions
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• Officers departing an S-JDA with an approved waiver will only be 

granted accrued points for JDA credit. 

• All other requests for early release that do not meet the criteria must 

contain a detailed explanation of why an exception to policy is 

warranted. 

• Regardless of whether the Military Service requests JDA credit, the 

waiver must still be processed for tracking purposes.

• Waiver requests are considered on a case-by case basis and will be 

the exception.

• Will be submitted to the CJCS at least 90 days before the desired 

departure date.

JDAL Tour Length Waiver
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Establishes policy and assigns responsibilities for National Guard (NG) 

Joint Force Headquarters-State (JFHQs-State) (NG-JFHQs-State) 

manpower planning, to establish the “Joint Element,” in each State, 

Territory, and District of Columbia in accordance with (IAW) the 

references 

• Initial NG JFHQs-State “Joint Element” billets are established in the 

approved Table of Distribution and Allowances (TDA) authorizations 

for the Army National Guard (ARNG), and the Air National Guard 

(ANG) Unit Manning Document (UMD), of the headquarters of each 

State. 

• The “31+4” Requirements in Enclosure A specify “baseline” 

maximum staffing for each NG JFHQs-State to execute Federal 

requirements, and in conjunction with the recommended 

organization structure in Enclosure B, allow the ARNG and ANG to 

recognize “Joint Element” positions in the ARNG TDA and ANG 

UMD. 

National Guard Joint Force Headquarters
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* For full details see CNGBI 1001.01 
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15

Joint Matters Matrix

Organizations should use this matrix to identify the duties/functions of the submitted positions. (Definitions for the 

functions and duties are listed in the back-up slides.)

For example: 

A position’s duties involve strategic planning. The function is Strategy and the duties are Planning. 

Joint Staff J-1
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State PM will be responsible for the management of State positions.

• Ensure States assigning correct individuals

• Notifies NGB JOM PM upon JDAL tour start dates

• Notifies NGB JOM PM upon JDAL tour stop dates

• Submits waiver to NGB JOM PM for early removal of personnel in 

JDAL positions

• Assists State in writing/submitting positions for JDAL 

recommendation

• Assists State with Revalidation process of approved JDAL positions

• Actively tracks all assigned personnel within State JDAL positions

Management of State JDAL Positions
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• JDAL validation process is a J1 function

• State JDAL position nominations are for O-4 – O-6 

positions

– J1 sends TAGs nomination criteria to follow when submitting 

packets

– J1 screens packets each March and September

– JCS approval board is held each July and December

• J1 POCs

– Mr. John Gorski, (703) 607-0876, 

john.w.gorski.ctr@mail.mil
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Question?