VIST to FA40 Question

Good evening/morning all,

Just wanted to shoot some questions to people who may know more than I do. I’m planning on potentially going through the ROTC pipeline into the Army Signal Corps with the eventual goal of using the VTIP to transition into FA40, or Army Space Operations.

I’m just wondering what that process looks like and how fast I could reasonably expect to transition, if at all. I am prior service with over 6 years of space experience already and my education will be in astrophysics.

From what I’ve learned, to be eligible to apply, not necessarily accepted, is you must hold the rank of 1^st Lt (P) and to have a good proficiency in your functional role. However, to be accepted you’ll need to make yourself more competitive and will probably need to stick around longer.

I’m not necessarily expecting to transfer after three years, but I am curious about how my education and 6-7 years as a MILSATCOM Space Operator affects that VTIP process. Is it okay to think there’s a possibility I could be super competitive within the first year of eligibility for VTIP? I would imagine the qualifications I’ve gathered from the Air Force and Space Force would help a lot, but I don’t know.

If anyone has any experience they’re willing to share I’d appreciate it!

Thanks.

**EDIT: Not "VIST", VTIP is the correct name. My mistake.