There seems to be way to much emotion in this discussion. Yes it sucks to hear that your background might not be the best fit for a job but that is just how it is. When you consider how a CVW is composed it makes sense that the CVW Commander should come from someone who knows how to execute a strike and not from being a part of the supporting cast.
Also, I think this point gets glossed over way too much, THE POINT OF A CVN IS TO PUT FIGHTERS AND STRIKERS INTO HARMS WAY. Everything else is there for support. Yes, everything and everyone is just as important but the roll of the boat isn't to launch E-2s to keep an eye on things. Would it make sense that the commander of a SEAL team be from a COMMs shop background? Fuck no.
Yup, people don' t like hearing that their performance in flight school, starting day 1 at API, affects their career potential, but it's a fact. Sure, some guys legitimately get drafted, but if I had a nickel for every time I heard that excuse, I'd be a rich man.
I saw people take VS cuz they wanted to live in San Diego, then they complained when that they were irrelevant - duh, it was pretty much obvious that was gonna happen. And that's no dig on the old VS community - they played an important part in the scheme of things, but if you thing sitting in the right seat giving tank signals to the pointy nosed types is going to make you the tactical equivalent the guys doing that job... well you'd be mistaken. It was especially apparent when the VS transition types coming into VFA...
Having observed briefs from "strike lead events" from VF/VFA/VAQ (EA-6B)/VAW/VS, it's obvious when someone spends 40 minutes out of a 60 minute brief on admin, emergencies, and comm checks that they aren't very knowledgeable about what goes down on the sharped edge.