Aviation and SWO closed for 2003 (?)

[mimisoko9]

I am in the NYC metro area and my recruiter informed me today that Aviation is "closed." He had previously told me SWO is also no longer accepting applications. He was not clear on how long they would be closed, but promised to loook into that.

Has anyone else heard anything like this? Is it likely that they will be closed for the rest of the year? If am on record has having started the application process before the announced closing (I declared NFO in early Dec), would I still be shut out?

Any recommended course of action or general information would be greatly appreciated. Obviously, this is very disappointing. Thanks.

Mimi

 

[geerst]

Mimi,

Aviation is closed for FY-03; SWO is closed till FY-05. That is "as of today." Things change, the pendulum seems to swing violently in Navy manning, so in 3 months we might not be able to find enough aviators or "shoes" (SWOs). The national goals for both pilot and NFO were met back in November. Some lucky few might get selected during the course of the year due to someone not shipping off to OCS or for whatever reason. But the majority who want aviation (or any of the other closed programs), who apply now, if selected, will be assigned an OCS class that graduates after 01 October, which counts toward FY-04 goals. A mid-July OCS start date (that is, July 2003) will count for FY-04 since OCS is 13 weeks long. For most folks who get selected, as of today, they can expect a start date in the Fall. Hope this helps.

LCDR Todd Geers, US Navy Officer Recruiter

 

[mimisoko9]

That is very helpful, thank you.

I was under the impression that I could not even submit an application, or it would just get "shelved" for a long time. Naval aviation is a direction that I am certain about regardless of convenience of timing, so if I simply have to wait longer than originally anticipated, it's not that big a deal. And who knows; as you alluded to, the restriction might be lifted and open sooner than originally planned.

Thanks again.

 

[gq]

With Aviation being closed, does this mean the board stops looking at Aviation applications? And what does this mean for applicants who are waiting to hear if they get selected or not?

 

[geerst]

Yes and no. The board is not currently "selecting" folks because the selection process is now for FY-04 seats, and those numbers have not been approved/promulgated by Big Navy. Your recruiter can still submit your kit up the chain, which, upon arrival, will be literally separated into two piles: exceptionally qualified and not. What happens to the two piles? I do not know. Will the "have nots" be non-selected and the "haves" be held until FY-04 numbers are decided? Maybe. Will the "have nots" be held for awhile because the Navy does not know how many slots it needs? Maybe. This is the process you and I must deal with. Not ideal, I know. On the outside, it would not make a profit, I know. But...

Keep this in mind. Your recruiter is told to find X number of aviators for the fiscal year. He does and send their kits to our HQ, which further processes the kits for accuracy, then contacts the Navy Bureau of Personnel (BUPERS) to convene a selection board. The selection board is comprised of fellow aviators, who are assigned to BUPERS as Detailers (guys and gals who help their fellow JO aviators with duty assignments). The selection board is told to select X number of applicants. They will definitely have Y number of kits to choose from. Right now, the selection board does not know how many, or X, to choose. Also, the selection board does not tell the recruiters what they look for in an applicant; that is, what is more competitive than the other. All we can tell to bubbas like you is ace the ASTB, have a high GPA, run like the wind, etc. One last thing, although I do not actually say this, I have seen it mentioned in this forum, when your recruiter tells you "no news is good news," that is true.

Hope this helps.

OPO