Photo By Chris Gardner | Charles “Eric” Williams, a Transition Assistance Program career counselor, meets...... read more read more
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FORT SILL, Okla. — Every Soldier eventually takes off the uniform for the last time.
At Fort Sill, leaders say that moment should not arrive with unanswered questions about benefits, no civilian resume, no financial plan and no clear path forward. That is why the Transition Assistance Program, better known as TAP, matters so much.
TAP is the Army’s structured transition program for Soldiers moving from military service into civilian life. It is required by law and designed to help eligible service members prepare for employment, education, vocational training or entrepreneurship after the Army. For commanders, it is not a courtesy or a last- minute out-processing task. It is a commander’s program and a leadership responsibility.
“What I want leaders to understand is that our responsibility to Soldiers does not end when they start clearing post,” said Jane Cunningham, Fort Sill’s transition services manager. “We owe them a solid handoff into civilian life. If we have trained them, led them and cared for them in uniform, then we need to care enough to make sure they do not walk out the gate unprepared.”
That idea is built into the program itself.
The modern Transition Assistance Program traces back to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991, Public Law 101-510, which established transition assistance authorities in Title 10 U.S.C. 1142. DoD later implemented the program in regulation, describing transition assistance as part of the military personnel “life cycle.” In 2011, the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heroes Act strengthened TAP by expanding and standardizing key transition requirements across the departments involved.
Today, TAP is delivered through a multi-agency effort involving the Department of Defense, Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs and, for entrepreneurship training, the Small Business Administration. The Army’s program guidance says TAP exists to ensure transitioning Soldiers receive the training and counseling needed to succeed as civilians, while Army Regulation 600-81 states that commanders are responsible for ensuring Soldiers use TAP services and receive warm handovers when needed.
The message Fort Sill leaders want to reinforce is simple: go early, go often.
Under current guidance, most separating Soldiers are required to begin TAP no later than 365 days before separation, while retirees should start as early as possible within 24 months of retirement. The Army recommends engagement even earlier, generally 18 months before separation and 24 months before retirement, because some of the most valuable opportunities in transition take time to prepare for and approve.
At the front end of that timeline are two steps Cunningham called the most important in the entire process: Individualized Initial Counseling and Pre-Separation Counseling.
“They really set the trajectory for everything that follows,” Cunningham said. “If a Soldier gets those two pieces done on time, we can build a real plan. If they wait too long, then we are trying to compress a major life transition into the final stretch of service, and that is where people start losing opportunities.”
Those early appointments do more than explain requirements. They help Soldiers assess where they stand, establish an Individual Transition Plan and identify the support they need. From there, Soldiers complete core TAP components that include managing the transition process, translating military skills into civilian language, financial planning, VA benefits and employment fundamentals. They also choose a two-day track aligned to their goals, whether that is employment, education, vocational training or entrepreneurship.
The March 2025 Military Leaders Guide to TAP underscores why timing matters. Some opportunities are highly time-sensitive, including DoW SkillBridge and VA Benefits Delivery at Discharge, which require planning before a Soldier reaches the final months of service. The guide also emphasizes that leaders should embrace a “go early, go often” mindset and release Soldiers from duty to attend TAP without interruptions from night shifts or work requests.
That is where command involvement can make or break the process.
According to Cunningham, one of the most common problems is not that leaders oppose TAP. It is that they underestimate how much time and coordination transition really requires.
“Too often, units treat TAP like something a Soldier can just squeeze in whenever there is a spare minute,” she said. “That is not how this works. If leaders do not protect the time, Soldiers get pulled for taskings, they miss classes, paperwork gets delayed and suddenly everybody is scrambling at the end.”
When that happens, the consequences can be real. Soldiers may miss the window to file a VA disability claim through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge process. They may lose the chance to participate in the Army Career Skills Program, which allows eligible Soldiers in their last 180 days of service to take part in internships, apprenticeships or on-the-job training that improve post-service employment prospects. They may also leave the Army with a rushed resume, a weak job-search strategy or no clear understanding of the benefits they earned.
The Army’s commander fact sheet states plainly that the unit commander ensures transitioning Soldiers use TAP services in accordance with Army Regulation 600-81 and supports Soldiers’ attendance at additional classes and events tied to transition goals. It also highlights the TAP Virtual Center, which provides around-the-clock access to courses, counselors and resources for deployed or remote Soldiers who may not be able to attend in person right away.
For commanders and first-line leaders, the final checkpoint is Capstone, which must be completed no later than 90 days before transition when possible. At that point, the commander or designee reviews the Soldier’s DD eForm 2648 to verify the Soldier has completed required TAP mandates, met applicable Career Readiness Standards and developed a viable Individual Transition Plan. If the Soldier is not fully prepared, the program requires a warm handover to an appropriate agency or resource.
That final signature matters, Cunningham said, because it is more than an administrative check box.
“A commander’s signature on the DD 2648 is a certification that this Soldier is ready,” she said. “Leaders should not sign it blindly. They should know whether that Soldier has a plan, understands benefits, has met the standards and, if not, has been connected to real help.”
That help can include a warm handover to an interagency partner or local resource. In the TAP process, a warm handover means more than giving a Soldier a website or phone number. It is a direct connection that confirms the receiving resource knows the Soldier needs help and is prepared to support them. The Military Leaders Guide to TAP describes it as a person-to-person introduction, confirmation from the receiving agency and documentation of the connection on the Soldier’s form.
The broader point, Cunningham said, is that transition should be treated with the same seriousness as any other part of a Soldier’s lifecycle.
“We talk a lot in the Army about taking care of people,” she said. “This is part of that. A successful transition is still Soldier care. It is still readiness. And it says something important about who we are as an Army when we help our people leave service with a plan, with dignity and with confidence.”
The Department of Defense’s own guidance makes a similar case, noting that transition support is not just about the departing Soldier. It also affects military readiness, retention, recruiting and the Army’s long-term credibility with the American public. Service members who leave the military prepared and supported are more likely to speak positively about their experience and more likely to influence future generations who may consider serving.
For Fort Sill leaders, the expectation is clear. TAP should be built into counseling, unit battle rhythm and transition planning early, not pushed to the margins until the last few months. For Soldiers, Cunningham offered equally direct advice.
“Do not wait,” she said. “Even if you think you know what you want to do next, come in early. Plans change. Questions come up. Opportunities open and close. The earlier you start, the more options you have, and the stronger your transition will be.”
Soldiers who are approaching transition and leaders with questions about timelines, requirements or available resources can contact the Fort Sill TAP office to begin the process.
| Date Taken: | 04.28.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2026 13:06 |
| Story ID: | 563784 |
| Location: | FORT SILL, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Hometown: | LAWTON, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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