Carrier deployments

[robav8r]

Concur. There's always the Weps School/WTI/Super JO route.

The VP community is integrating super JO's into the community with the advent of the P-8. Be interesting to watch and see how the community embraces these folks compared to other platforms. My sense is that there is community/institutional resistance in viewing these billets as being just as competitive as the other, cookie cutter, "accepted path" jobs. I think they are necessary and beneficial and I hope the JO's filling them will be rewarded/promoted.

 

[Brett327]

The TACAIR side, the Super JOs (Training Officers) are oftentimes your golden children. One issue I've seen is that if the timing is such that the Super JO isn't an O4 select by the time a FITREP comes due, that person will eat up one of the two or three EPs. I've also seen this with the transition flavored Super JOs. Just adds an extra element of planning to manage opportunities during the FITREP cycle.

 

[Recovering LSO]

The VP community is integrating super JO's into the community with the advent of the P-8. Be interesting to watch and see how the community embraces these folks compared to other platforms. My sense is that there is community/institutional resistance in viewing these billets as being just as competitive as the other, cookie cutter, "accepted path" jobs. I think they are necessary and beneficial and I hope the JO's filling them will be rewarded/promoted.

MPRA seems to be very parochial when it comes to O-3 to O-4 interaction. Will VP O-4s allow a training officer to function as intended or will the fact that he's a JO impede this?

 

[robav8r]

Will VP O-4s allow a training officer to function as intended or will the fact that he's a JO impede this?

Only time will tell. There are so many great pilot/NFO's essential to the transition that I would be surprised if the ones who will have to go super JO won't be taken care of. The question will be how the community will balance the need to ensure upward mobiliy & success for its DH's versus the superstars who have enabled a successful transition during the critical timeframe of 2013 to 2016.

 

[hscs]

Depends on how the community accepts - HS/HSC did the super JO thing with the transition from the H-3 and then to the -60S. From what I can tell, the community was far more accepting the second time around.

 

[HAL Pilot]

MPRA seems to be very parochial when it comes to O-3 to O-4 interaction. Will VP O-4s allow a training officer to function as intended or will the fact that he's a JO impede this?

In my time there were so many LCDRs in a VP squadron that training officer was a seperate department with a LCDR DH. There wasn't really any place for a super JO to fit into the organization. Has this changed?

 

[CommodoreMid]

We had one of the first super JOs, he's now a DH with websan, so I guess it's working out for him so far. When he put on O-4 it was a little weird since he was still doing JO jobs (until deployment) but had to buy into the hinge games, but he was a good dude so we gave him shit for not having a soul any more while still hanging out with him.

 

[squorch2]

60R super JO tours are not being marketed as career enhancing, fwiw.

 

[Brett327]

60R super JO tours are not being marketed as career enhancing, fwiw.

Why am I not surprised.

 

[Gatordev]

60R super JO tours are not being marketed as career enhancing, fwiw.

I don't believe this to be the case. When the first squadron switched, they sent all of the community's A-players there. Obviously that can't work out for the majority, so superstars didn't fare too well. But it wasn't because of a stigma attached to the tour. The community learned its lesson and now you'll see post-RAG SJOs along with "other" SJOs showing up at the transition squadrons. It may not be the coveted <insert golden billet>, but I don't think the transition part of the community has been around long enough for anyone to really know.

Of course I say that as someone looking from the outside (and somewhat indifferent), but not that far outside, at least right now.

 

[squorch2]

The whole "not career enhancing" thing is straight from the detailer's mouth, not my assessment. Well, second-hand from the detailer's mouth. Per the usual path, career enhancing moves for 2nd sea tour almost all revolve around going to a boat.

 

[robav8r]

I don't believe this to be the case. When the first squadron switched, they sent all of the community's A-players there. Obviously that can't work out for the majority, so superstars didn't fare too well. But it wasn't because of a stigma attached to the tour. The community learned its lesson and now you'll see post-RAG SJOs along with "other" SJOs showing up at the transition squadrons. It may not be the coveted <insert golden billet>, but I don't think the transition part of the community has been around long enough for anyone to really know.

Of course I say that as someone looking from the outside (and somewhat indifferent), but not that far outside, at least right now.

^ +1. We have front loaded a lot of talent into the FRS, MPRWS, WTU's, FIT to ensure a successful transition. Concur it's still early, and some of these folks will still be able to ride the traditional career track. For those that are chosen/desire the SJO route, it would be community suicide to not take care of them IMHO.

 

[Gatordev]

The whole "not career enhancing" thing is straight from the detailer's mouth, not my assessment. Well, second-hand from the detailer's mouth. Per the usual path, career enhancing moves for 2nd sea tour almost all revolve around going to a boat.

I can't argue whether it will actually be detrimental or not, because I don't know, however, I'm not sure I'd put much stock in what your detailer says (I mean the actual guy), especially if you're hearing it second hand. I don't doubt he said it, but from the discussions I'm hearing, I don't know that I would necessarily believe the message (taken by itself).

 

[squorch2]

True, nothing exists in a vacuum, and what may have not been career enhancing for my buddy may work just fine for others.

 

[Gatordev]

True, nothing exists in a vacuum, and what may have not been career enhancing for my buddy may work just fine for others.

Anecdotally, there seems to be a lot of game playing lately towards guys coming out of their shore tour, at least for the HSM guys.