Commandant
United States Coast Guard
2100 Second Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20593-0001
Staff Symbol: CG-13
Phone: (202) 267-1381
Fax: (202) 267-4493
COMDTINST 1514.1
JUN 24, 2005
COMMANDANT INSTRUCTION 1514.1
Subj: PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST “A” SCHOOL CANDIDATE SCREENING PROCESS
Ref: (a) Training and Educat
ion Manual, COMDTINST M1500.10B
1. PURPOSE
. This Instruction sets forth mandatory procedures for screening enlisted members who
apply for Public Affairs Specialist “A” School. Procedures include those to be administered by the
applicant’s command and those to be administered by the nearest district/area Public Affairs Office.
2. ACTION. Area and district commanders, commanders of maintenance and logistics commands,
assistant commandants for directorates, Judge Advocate General and special staff offices at
Headquarters, and commanding officers of headquarters units shall ensure widest dissemination.
Internet release authorized.
3. DIRECTIVES AFFECTED. The Training and Education Manual, COMDTINST M1500.10B, will
be amended to reflect this policy. This Instruction replaces an informal document entitled “Public
Affairs Specialist Screening Interview Guidelines” previously posted on the G-IPA Intranet site.
4. ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT AND IMPACT CONSIDERATIONS. Environmental
considerations were examined in the development of this Instruction and have been determined to be
not applicable.
5. DISCUSSION.
a. A mandatory screening process for Public Affairs Specialist “A” School applicants has been in
place for more than a decade. The screenings were established for a number of reasons: The PA
rating is the smallest enlisted rating except for Musician. Since it is so small, most non-rated
members have little to no exposure to PAs before deciding on a career path; PAs play an
important role in public understanding and perceptions of the Coast Guard.
b. The screenings have two goals: 1) To determine whether the candidate has the personal qualities
needed to succeed as a Coast Guard PA; 2) To ensure the candidate fully understands the roles
and responsibilities of PAs.
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DISTRIBUTION – SDL No. 143
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B
NON-STANDARD DISTRIBUTION:
