Great questions, hobe. You might be asking them a little early, but not by much!
Helo career path: After you do your first sea tour (right now typically 36 months, can/will vary due to manning), you will roll to SHORE DUTY. This could be a flying job (IP at VT/HT/FRS, SAR and/or C-12 pilot attached to an air station, test pilot, VX-1/rotary wing, etc.) or a non-flying job (NROTC/USNA instructor, NASC instructor, recruiter, admiral's aide, shore staff, etc.). But don't worry, you'll get flight pay either way!! Shore duty is a good time to get a master's degree if you want to stay in, but there are more and/or better opportunities later in your career (war college, NPGS, etc.). Shore duty lasts 24-30 months, and when you're done you'll be close to your obligation, so you might be able to extend and then get out if you so desire. If you stay in, you're 95% likely to be headed for the DISASSOCIATED SEA TOUR, which means non-flying, and on the boat. They range from crappy (battle group staff) to sucky (ship's company on an amphib or carrier). True, some are better than others, and everything is what you make of it, but I always wondered why they don't make SWOs so a "disassociated" GenAv tour!! You don't need a HAC letter to make command as a SWO! Anyway, I'm starting to rant, which leads me to your next question:
Why I think the career path is broken: Mostly because of its inflexibility and the inequitable way in which it's applied. This is a big navy with lots of interesting jobs and places to go, but the way the career path is laid out for JOs, if you want a shot at command (and if you plan on staying in longer than 10 years, you're in this market) then you never get a chance to really take jobs that are interesting to you or that you might find personally fulfilling. You have to follow the party line and go be a staff weenie or a shooter or get your OOD letter on a flat top. Here's the dirty little secret - most VF/VFA guys don't have to do a DST - because of "manning concerns." Well, the manning concerns are same for VP and helo communities but the pointy-nose guys have all the admirals and move all the money around in this navy, so they get the better end of the deal when it comes to career progression... I'm not digging on the jet guys - that's just how it is and it's great for them, but it sucks for everyone else. If I was CNP for a day, I'd scrap the whole "career path" for JOs, except to say that they HAVE to do an intitial sea tour, and then we'll see ya back at the 11.5-year mark for your DH tour. Use the time in between as you see fit, develop skills and goals that suit you as an officer, warrior, and an individual. But, what do I know?
Which pipeline is best to stay in 10+ years? You've picked an odd number there, actually. Your commitment will take you to about 9 years (helo/VP) or 10 years (jets), and if you stay in any longer than that, you're probably going to be in for 20. So the real question is which pipeline is best to make a career with. Well, you can probably surmise the answer from my comments above. I loved flying helos - they were my first choice and I'd probably do it again - but command opportunities for HSL pilots suck, and your chances of wearing a star are extremely remote. A lot better for VF/VFA. Is that because they have better leaders/officers? I'll let you decide when you go on active duty!
These are hot-button issues for me... Feel free to email me if you have other ??s, or post here. Good luck, hope this was helpful...
Grandmaster 235
