Transition
Spend your last 180 days in uniform working at a civilian company, on military pay, with military benefits. Here is how it works and how to get it approved.
A SkillBridge intern through TAP on a site visit at Camp Humphreys, Feb. 6, 2026. U.S. Army photo by Monique Freemon, DVIDS (public domain).
SkillBridge is a Department of Defense program that lets you spend up to your final 180 days of active duty in a civilian internship, apprenticeship, or training program while keeping your full pay, BAH, BAS, and benefits. Your commander has to approve it, and approval is a privilege, not an entitlement.
The official program directory lives at skillbridge.osd.mil. Start planning about a year before your separation date.
Trade the motor pool for a civilian employer for your final stretch in uniform. Learn a trade or a desk, and build a network before your discharge.
The deal
What you get: Spend up to your final 180 days of active duty in a civilian internship, apprenticeship, or training program while keeping your full pay, BAH, BAS, TRICARE, and leave. The host company does not pay you; the government does.
How it works
Your commander must approve it. Approval is a privilege, not an entitlement.
Source: DoD SkillBridge · Military OneSource
Say you are an E-4 with seven months left on your contract, no civilian work history, and a resume that says "machine gunner." SkillBridge exists for exactly that situation. The DoD lets approved civilian companies and agencies host transitioning service members for industry training, apprenticeships, and internships during their last 180 days of service. You show up to the company instead of the motor pool, learn a trade or a desk, and build a civilian network before your DD-214 (your discharge record) prints.
Programs run anywhere from a few weeks to the full 180 days; many are around three to four months. Some are hands-on trades like welding, CDL truck driving, or aircraft maintenance. Others are corporate rotations in IT, logistics, or project management. Hosts cannot charge you for training, materials, or equipment.
Yes. You stay on active duty the whole time, so your basic pay, BAH, BAS, TRICARE, and leave accrual all continue exactly as they do now. The company does not pay you a salary during the program, because you are still a service member. That is the trade: the government keeps paying you while a civilian employer trains you and, in many cases, looks at you for a job offer.
Your commander. SkillBridge is permissive duty, which means your command can approve or deny it. The command weighs mission impact before signing off, can say no, and can even recall you from a program if the unit needs you. Each branch also adds its own rules: approval levels, paperwork, and in some cases caps on program length that vary by rank, with junior enlisted generally eligible for longer windows than senior leaders. The Army runs its version through the Career Skills Program (CSP); other branches use the SkillBridge name with their own instructions.
For the junior enlisted service member, this means a clean record, completed TAP requirements, and a request packet that answers the commander's questions before they are asked all raise your odds. TAP is the Transition Assistance Program. Showing up with a printout of the website and no plan does not.
Your command grants SkillBridge; it is not a box you check. Start early, line up the paperwork, and treat the program like a long interview, not a guaranteed job.
The catch
Permissive duty: Your command can deny it for mission reasons or even recall you. Showing up with a printout and no plan does not get approved.
Raise your odds
It is training and a foot in the door, not a job offer. Treat it like a months-long interview.
Source: DoD SkillBridge
You generally qualify when all of these are true: you are on active duty (Guard and Reserve members may qualify only on certain long active-duty orders); you are within 180 days of your separation or retirement date when the program starts, and the program fits entirely inside that window; you have at least 180 continuous days of active service behind you; you expect an honorable characterization of service and you are in good standing; and your commander approves it.
Browse the official directory at skillbridge.osd.mil. You can filter thousands of approved opportunities by industry, location, and duration. Start about 12 months out, because company application timelines and command approval can each take a couple of months, and the math only works if the whole program ends before your separation date. Talk to your installation's transition or education office and complete your required Transition Assistance Program (TAP) pieces early.
Apply to the company first. Once they accept you, build the approval packet your branch requires and route it through your chain of command. Plan the calendar with terminal leave in mind: SkillBridge, permissive TDY, and terminal leave all have to fit inside the same final stretch. See our separation money checklist for how to sequence them.
What is SkillBridge?
A DoD program that lets transitioning service members do a civilian internship, apprenticeship, or training program during their last 180 days of service while staying on full military pay and benefits.
Do I still get paid during SkillBridge?
Yes. Full basic pay, BAH, BAS, and benefits continue because you remain on active duty. The host company does not pay you a salary during the program.
How do I apply for SkillBridge?
Find a program at skillbridge.osd.mil, get accepted by the host, complete your TAP requirements, then submit your branch's approval packet through your chain of command. Start the whole process about a year before separation.
Can my commander say no?
Yes. SkillBridge is permissive, so the command can deny it for mission reasons or recall you from an approved program. A strong, early request packet is your way to make yes easy.
Does SkillBridge get me a job?
No. It is training and a foot in the door, not a job offer. That said, DoD now requires partner programs to show that a high share of participants receive qualifying offers, and many companies use SkillBridge as a hiring pipeline. Treat it like a months-long interview.
Can I do SkillBridge away from my duty station?
Often yes, if your command approves it, but you typically cover your own travel and housing costs at the program location while your BAH stays tied to your duty station rules. Confirm specifics with your branch's instruction.
Can junior enlisted do SkillBridge, or is it just for NCOs?
Any eligible rank can apply, E-1 to O-whatever. In recent branch policy, junior enlisted members have generally been eligible for the longest program windows.
You do not have to figure this out alone. Start with the official program directory and policy at skillbridge.osd.mil. Then lean on your installation transition office (TAP, or SFL-TAP for Army) and education center, plus your career counselor and first-line supervisor, who can tell you how your specific command has handled requests. Military OneSource, at 800-342-9647, also keeps a SkillBridge overview. All of these are linked in Sources below.
