USMC 2016's API Lead Ensign is the CAOC Marine Liason Officer

[Flash]

This is mostly true in my experience. LOTS of reserve Navy folks, and from actual Air Operations Center reserve units and many years removed from flying tours. Imagine that, AOC folks working in an AOC....

My unit would be one of those, we have had a steady stream of folks getting involuntarily MOB'd the last few years and if they have the AOC AQD/NOBC's they usually go to a job related to that. Figure that, using the system how it is supposed to be used.

My assumption is that there are suppose to be X number of folks from each service for the CAOC and the USAF and Navy have good sources for their billets, from what little that has been described here the Marines haven't quite got as good a handle on that yet.

 

[sevenhelmet]

I think they finally stopped sending first tour guys within their first two years in a squadron, but I know plenty of guys still getting rewarded for their decision to return to a MAG (often right after refresh) with all expense paid trip to bullshitistan.

Seems a mite strange, especially given that I hear a number of fairly senior USMC majors with years out of the cockpit are being given orders back to squadrons, and 2xFOS captains are being "continuated", possibly in contravention of Title 10 (nobody seems willing to commit on that one)... all to fill squadron seats, apparently.

How far off the mark am I right now?

 

[pourts]

Seems a mite strange, especially given that I hear a number of fairly senior USMC majors with years out of the cockpit are being given orders back to squadrons, and 2xFOS captains are being "continuated", possibly in contravention of Title 10 (nobody seems willing to commit on that one)... all to fill squadron seats, apparently.

How far off the mark am I right now?

No, you understand it perfectly. You have to fill the squadron seats-- maybe with people outside the cockpit for a LONG time-- because squadron seats is where you get your guys to fill IAs. Duh!

 

[Gatordev]

Are we talking USN or USMC? If USN, describe when this is happening in their career progression.

There was one that popped up here. It ended up (eventually) going to a second tour guy. That same IA I saw pop several years ago on the west coast and ended up going to another second tour guy. Both were FRS instructors, but both were getting out and were public with that info.

 

[DanMa1156]

During my first sea tour (HSC CVW background), a few months after deployment, we got told we needed to send someone IA to either Bahrain or Qatar, I can't remember. No one volunteered and I'm not entirely sure what happened to it, but as I understand it, our CO/XO team fought it pretty hard and was able to get the FRS within the wing to take it.

 

[Pags]

A former co-worker of mine left his shore tour and reported for his second sea duty as a squadron WTI and was promptly sent on IA to Kuwait. Granted his IA was as a PR (CSAR) staffer when OIR kicked off so he was using his skills. His billet had since been filled by another former Squadron mate of mine who's on a SELRES MOB.

 

[Swanee]

I agree that the very concept of IA's is absolute bullshit. It's a terrible, broken system. Sending pilots that have had millions of dollars invested in their training is a level of stupidity only achievable by the Marine Corps.

To make matters worse, a lot of IA's I saw doled out by MAG-13 were to shitbirds who got in trouble (DUI, frat) or just sucked. However, there were also just the unlucky ones who got to deal with a shitty, pointless deployment in addition to the stigma of people assuming they sucked because they got picked.

Strangely enough, ground non combat MOS's seem to actually seek IA's as a fitrep builder. Hearing ATC guys give an "after action PME" on their time as a battle captain is a little surreal.

Odd as it may sound I know of one Hornet and one Harrier guy who have elected to take an IA to get away from their respective communities. The Hornet dude doesn't want any part of the low hours/old airplanes/no $ for mx impending bust, and the Harrier guy didn't want yet another deploying fleet tour.

It's telling when guys actively seeking any way to get out of the fleet. The Harrier guy is a WTI to boot.

 

[Hotdogs]

For what's it worth, the number and frequency of IAs has gone down significantly since the end of OEF/OIF. The typical ones that I see are stupid ones to MAW or MAG and usually end up being the broken, jailbird, or low preforming pilots. Certainly not the rule though. I honestly don't know how the Corps can justify sending IAs to communities hovering around 55% manning right now. That being said, it's not like they've (F/A-18s only) have jets to fly either...so.

 

[Gatordev]

Semi recent IA...

Older IA...

Right, but Brett's asking about current IAs. While we're all in agreement they exist, even more importantly (or bafflingly) is that they still exist this very moment.

 

[DanMa1156]

Right, but Brett's asking about current IAs. While we're all in agreement they exist, even more importantly (or bafflingly) is that they still exist this very moment.

Understood. Should have put a better time cap on things. I didn't leave all that long ago - if it was a year long IA / GSA or whatever it was called which I think it was, it would still be going on.

 

[Gatordev]

Understood. Should have put a better time cap on things. I didn't leave all that long ago - if it was a year long IA / GSA or whatever it was called which I think it was, it would still be going on.

Gotcha. For some reason I thought you left a year ago.

 

[Rugby_Guy]

This guy motivates the hell out of me. I'm gonna by to start putting in SNIVs for "self-monitored inventory PFT" until Stucon or Ops starts scheduling me twice a day out of spite. #gettingthroughflightschoolfast

 

[Treetop Flyer]

Odd as it may sound I know of one Hornet and one Harrier guy who have elected to take an IA to get away from their respective communities. The Hornet dude doesn't want any part of the low hours/old airplanes/no $ for mx impending bust, and the Harrier guy didn't want yet another deploying fleet tour.

It's telling when guys actively seeking any way to get out of the fleet. The Harrier guy is a WTI to boot.

I don't doubt it, but that sounds like a strange choice. A FAC tour seems like an easy choice to escape and be guaranteed flying orders on the back end. Not all IA's are equally shitty, but that still seems weird.

 

[Swanee]

I don't doubt it, but that sounds like a strange choice. A FAC tour seems like an easy choice to escape and be guaranteed flying orders on the back end. Not all IA's are equally shitty, but that still seems weird.

I agree. Harrier guy has some family influences that are helping. Hornet guy isn't a shitbag either- in fact- he was the golden boy who was in line to be the next div lead/WTI/TOPGUN in the MAG. But at the end of the day these are guys who want to leave flying as fast as they can. Maybe this is the natural evolution of things, maybe not. I don't know.

It's not my game anymore so take it with the proper amount of salt.

 

[whitesoxnation]

I don't doubt it, but that sounds like a strange choice. A FAC tour seems like an easy choice to escape and be guaranteed flying orders on the back end. Not all IA's are equally shitty, but that still seems weird.

I think he's talking about taking an IA while already in a flying unit in order to get away.