Well, the main reason there's usually an E-2 draft is because my community does a crap job of recruiting and selling itself in the VTs. The biggest pitch I ever heard was "E-2s don't suck as bad as they say." Well, gee, sign me up. VT INFO jobs are "career killers", so guess what kind of guys wind up there.
Anyway, I decided to go E-2s after getting a good recruiting pitch from a VAW-120 (RAG) instructor who came down to P'cola. I'm now in a squadron with brand-new Hawkeye 2000s, and we're the only carrier-air community, besides the Hornet guys and the CODs, who aren't going to be flying a different airplane within 10 years. E-2s aren't a glamor job, but we've got job secuirty and one of the toughest jobs of any NFOs in the fleet. Don't buy any of this "combat ATC" crap.
After you finish up Intermediates, you'll do some cats-and-dogs classes around P'cola (advanced swim survival, DJET), then head up to Norfolk, where you'll be sent to SERE unless they need you right away for a class. Most go to SERE in Maine (go in the summer, go in the summer, go in the summer...questions?) maybe one of every 20 to San Diego. Come back from SERE, and you're off to the races.
The first eight months or so are almost all systems stuff, a little flight stuff (engines, flight controls), but mostly radar, IFF, PDS (passive detection system), radios, etc. You start learning basic controller stuff in the last two months before you get winged. You do 2 or 3 "winging flights" where you control Lears on mock intercepts, after which you're soft winged.
It's not like winging in Pensacola; you have an official ceremony and a party, but then it's "congrats, see you on monday" and it's back to work. After wings, you move on to datalinks, Intel, and get into learning how to control strikes, surface searches, CSAR, more air-to-air work. Final phase is Tactics, where you do a bunch of simulated war events, and Battle Problems, which are full-on simulated combat. BP5 is a no-holds-barred North Korean "red hordes coming over the horizon, you're gonna die" event. Then you do your NATOPS check and off you go to your fleet squadron. Wings to stan check is about six months, give or take.
You find out your fleet squadron a day or two before your class gets winged. They'll get you the coast you ask for (Norfolk, Point Mugu, Japan) 99% of the time, but beyond that, no guarantees. If you get an east coast squadron and they aren't deployed, they usually send a little delegation that cheers for you, give you your tshirt, patch, hat, etc. It's nice.
You get very, very few flights in the RAG. A few systems hops before wings to introduce you to flying the War Hummer, two or three winging flights, a few more systems hops after wings learning how to run datalinks, plus after wings you're eligible to be the "stunt mole" riding alone in the back for pilot training flights. Those are boring as hell, but it's flying and there's no instructor grilling you, so it's not too bad. But that's it. Put it this way: I got more hours my first month in my fleet squadron than I did in 16 months in the RAG.
So, your fleet squadron: your first few months depend on what your squadron's doing (where they are on the deployment cycle). But generally speaking, you get to the fleet and start qualifying as an RO (radar officer). Some COs will just automatically desig you, others have you do some basic quals. Should take you less than a month.
At first you're doing pretty simple stuff, sending guys to the tanker, driving the S-3 around, etc. But once the more senior guys get a warm fuzzy about you, they'll start giving you tougher work. And you work your way up the ladder.
Three guys in the back: CICO is the mission commander, usually at least a 2nd-cruise JO; ACO does most of the air control, and the RO. Two pilots up front, but once you're off the pointy end of the boat, you don't talk to them much until you're coming down off station and getting ready to land.
More questions?
