Courtesy Photo | Cmdr. Matthew Poss, Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Jacksonville...... read more read more
In the Navy when an officer has less than six years of active commissioned service, they are considered a probationary officer. When a probationary officer doesn’t complete their initial training, required qualifications are not obtained, or are unable to complete initial operational assignments they can be referred to the Probationary Officer Continuation and Redesignation Board.
Officers referred for POCR have the opportunity to explore redesignation to a different officer community.
That’s where Cmdr. Matthew Poss, Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Jacksonville site director at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, has made progress bringing PCOR candidates into the Navy Supply Corps community.
“I'm the senior Supply Corps Officer in Pensacola and all Naval aviators begin their career training in Pensacola,” Poss said. “When they leave the aviation pipeline, they need to find a different designator. The aviation school’s command sends them my way if they are interested in learning more about the Supply Corps.”
Poss says he helps the officers by taking time to meet with them, tell them about the Supply Corps, answer their questions, and even give them a tour of his site’s operations.
“The Supply Corps sells itself since it's such a great community,” Poss said.” I just give them a detailed overview of the opportunities the Supply Corps provides. They're at a difficult and stressful time in their lives, so having someone who takes the time to care about their situation and mentor them is very impactful. I show them an example of the Supply Corps Officer dedication to mentoring, which is a value instilled in us throughout our careers.”
While the candidates consider the Supply Corps, Poss also vets the officers to ensure they would be a good fit for the community.
In total, Poss has helped recruit 25 POCR candidates into the Supply Corps. One of those officers is Lt. j.g. Xiang "Sean" Chi.
Chi started in the aviation community but was administratively disqualified from flight training and had to select a new designator.
“While that wasn’t the path I initially envisioned for myself, it ultimately led me to the great opportunity that is the Navy Supply Corps,” Chi said.
Chi said he appreciated the time Cmdr. Poss took to help him learn about the Supply Corps, the community culture, and potential career progression.
“Talking with him was instrumental in helping me make an informed decision and putting down Supply Corps as my top preference in my POCR package,” Chi explained. “It was clear from the start that this was a close-knit community where everyone supported and looked out for one another, which was something that deeply resonated with me. Furthermore, I have always been interested in military logistics and the Supply Corps offered a clear path for me to work in that area.”
Before going to the Navy Supply Corps School, Poss gave Chi the opportunity to spend a month and a half on temporary duty at site NAS Pensacola to get hands-on experience in the Supply Corps.
“That was an invaluable experience that allowed me to get some early exposure to the inner workings of the Supply Corps,” Chi said. “While there, I supported the shipment of fleet-wide advancement exams, conducted wall-to-wall inventory of depot-level repairable and consumables, and provided general administrative assistance.”
For PCOR candidates, Poss has some advice when they consider their options.
“I always tell them to conduct their due diligence of all of the communities they could lateral transfer to before deciding if the Supply Corps is the best fit for them,” Poss said. “I tell them they will go to sea and lead Sailors right away, so if that interests them, the Supply Corps is a good fit. I also tell them a good Supply Officer is a master relationship-builder and creative thinker, because we are in the business of customer service and we need to leverage our relationships to collectively brainstorm and solve difficult problems to support the Fleet.”
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2025 08:03 |
| Story ID: | 501546 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NAVSUP FLC Jacksonville grows Supply Corps with POCR candidates, by Tyler Grimes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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