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Career advancement in Supply

USSRyan

New Member
I like to ask those Supply Officers with a few years into the service or anyone knowledge in these subjects....

1). What kind of career advancements are available to you (e.g. as in opportunity to transfer to another field)
I wanted to transfer to "Joint & Foreign Service" after a few years in the service but not sure being in Supply will let me do that because Supply Corps is listed under "restricted line".

2) Does any Supply Officer have a chance to raise to O-6 and received a Command? OR receiving a command is only for those in "unrestricted line"?

3) Lastly, Can a Supply Officer apply to Post-Graduate School in Monterey and study any subject (not relating to supply)?

Thanks in advance and sorry if this is not the right place to post this question.

Cheers!
 

HueyHornet75

Registered User
pilot
USSRyan,
I can't speak specifically for the Navy nor its Supply Corps but here's what I can tell you.
1) There are always opportunities in the Service to transition/transfer. However, it is not easy. The way the military works , even like your initial application, many opportunities are reviewed by a board. This means that excelling in every job you do, getting good fitness reports and proving your value to your PRESENT community, will they give you an opportunity to be rewarded and leave said community. They will not give a shitbird (most of the time) the chance to to lat move.
2) I'm sure SuppO's can reach O-6. Again, another lofty goal. Probably a little bit easier in the Navy to reach O-6 than in the Marines, but still difficult. You'll probably need O-5 command prior to pinning on O-6, so do your homework and see what the different O-5 SuppO Commands and locations are.
3) I think anyone can apply to NPS. There are advantages and disadvantages to this, and it really depends on what your personal goals are. What's stylish for command boards varies from time to time. One year NPS is a good thing, the next it could be bad. If you want to go to NPS, refer back to (1).
Lastly, you can do what you can to "check the boxes" for command or rank, but you should do it because you want, not because of advancement. If doing what you want helps you promote or slate, then great. Checking boxes for box's sake may leave you dejected if you "did all the right things" and you didn't get what you wanted or hoped for.
Hope that helps. Perhaps some knowledgeable Navy types will offer more specific Navy/Supply advice. Or maybe you'll get stomped for not searching another thread...standby.
 

helolumpy

Apprentice School Principal
pilot
Contributor
1). What kind of career advancements are available to you (e.g. as in opportunity to transfer to another field)
I wanted to transfer to "Joint & Foreign Service" after a few years in the service but not sure being in Supply will let me do that because Supply Corps is listed under "restricted line".

Most Suppos will follow a set career path. You may be able to transition later on, however I'm at a lost as to what the "Joint & Foreign Service" is. Are you asking about doing a Joint Tour? Then the answer is, yes, Suppos do Joint tours. Foreign Service is a term that applies to Department of State, so you can't transfer to that. You'll need to get out of the Navy and get picked up by DOS.

2) Does any Supply Officer have a chance to raise to O-6 and received a Command? OR receiving a command is only for those in "unrestricted line"?

I would ask this guy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_S._Thompson

He's a Suppo and a 3 star. The Unrestricted Line means command AT SEA. There are LOTS of Supply Commands, Suppos just don't get to command ships.

For more info: http://www.bupers.navy.mil/NR/rdonl...E0D60322/0/ItsYourCareer200820070131draft.doc

3) Lastly, Can a Supply Officer apply to Post-Graduate School in Monterey and study any subject (not relating to supply)?

http://www.bupers.navy.mil/Officer/Pers44/SupplyCorps/CareerCounselor/ Check out this website, it has info about putting together a PG school package as a Suppo. The short answer is Yes, you can go to PG school. However, your major might be directly tied to Supply related topics.
 

USSRyan

New Member
thank you all for ur thoughtful inputs. After reading your answers I did some more digging and found the following on http://www.navy.com/faq.html which also answered some of my concerns.

CAN I EXPLORE NEW FIELDS OUTSIDE OF THE JOB FOR WHICH I RECEIVE TRAINING?
Absolutely! Once you’ve served at least one tour in your designated field (Pilot, Naval Flight Officer, Intelligence, etc.) the opportunities open up. Here is just a sampling of the many opportunities available to Fleet-experienced Officers: Engineering Duty Officer, Public Affairs, Fleet Support, Recruiting, Space Command, Space and Electronic Warfare, Joint and Foreign Service, and staff positions.


I got some more questions: Have anyone ever switched to a different field? How easy/difficult it is to do so?
I am applying for SUPP but I want to transfer to variety of assignments after I put a few years in SUPP. Do you think SWO have better chance in getting into different assignment then SUPPO?



Thanks in advance for you time.
 

BigRed389

Registered User
None
thank you all for ur thoughtful inputs. After reading your answers I did some more digging and found the following on http://www.navy.com/faq.html which also answered some of my concerns.

CAN I EXPLORE NEW FIELDS OUTSIDE OF THE JOB FOR WHICH I RECEIVE TRAINING?
Absolutely! Once you’ve served at least one tour in your designated field (Pilot, Naval Flight Officer, Intelligence, etc.) the opportunities open up. Here is just a sampling of the many opportunities available to Fleet-experienced Officers: Engineering Duty Officer, Public Affairs, Fleet Support, Recruiting, Space Command, Space and Electronic Warfare, Joint and Foreign Service, and staff positions.


I got some more questions: Have anyone ever switched to a different field? How easy/difficult it is to do so?
I am applying for SUPP but I want to transfer to variety of assignments after I put a few years in SUPP. Do you think SWO have better chance in getting into different assignment then SUPPO?

Thanks in advance for you time.

What do you mean by switching fields? Do you mean like going from Suppo to SEAL? Because it is possible, but how likely it is depends on the needs of the Navy in both the community you are trying to leave and the one you're trying to join. Also depends on what stage you are in your career.

Or do you mean just doing something different? You change jobs/command in the Navy every 1.5-4 years depending on community.

Or if you mean staying the same community, but doing something a little "out of the box" then yes, on the SWO side at least, that is pretty common if you want it.
 

USSRyan

New Member
What do you mean by switching fields? Do you mean like going from Suppo to SEAL? Because it is possible, but how likely it is depends on the needs of the Navy in both the community you are trying to leave and the one you're trying to join. Also depends on what stage you are in your career.

Or do you mean just doing something different? You change jobs/command in the Navy every 1.5-4 years depending on community.

Or if you mean staying the same community, but doing something a little "out of the box" then yes, on the SWO side at least, that is pretty common if you want it.

Yes, switching from SUPPO to another field like 'Joint and Foreign Service' or to SWO. Yes I also want to be able to do different jobs within the same community. So like you said, it is up to the need of the community so I guess there is nothing i can do except to pick one and join my favorite.
Do you mind sharing what community u in and whether or not you liked your job?
 

snizo

Supply Officer
One of the benefits of Supply is that you are basically required to change communities with every tour. You'll always be doing something "supply" related, but you could be doing it with SWOs, Aviators, SEALs, SeaBees, Submariners, etc. There are many many options open to us and changing communities with every tour is considered a good thing. I don't know a single Supply Officer who has tried to change out of Supply (which probably says something in itself).
 

helolumpy

Apprentice School Principal
pilot
Contributor
'Joint and Foreign Service'

What do you mean by Joint and Foreign Service? I've never heard that term used in my 19+ years.

If you mean Joint service, serving at a Combatant Command, a Joint Task Force or the Joint Staff, then yes, you can do it as a Suppo.

As I stated earlier, "Foreign Service" is the term for people who work in U.S. Embassies abroad. You can't do Foreign Service as a military officer. You can do Military Attache, however I don't think that is available to Suppos.

Please explain what you mean by using this term.
 

USSRyan

New Member
To snizo: thanks for that info. That sounds exciting to be able to work with many communities. I am looking forward to it.

To helolumpy: Well, I got that from navy career website in Q&A section. I am assuming that is for those who work with military personnel from other countries during a joint operation or training. You might be able to dig up more info about that than I could.
About the Foreign Service, Yes, I am aware of what they do since I did internship with them in DC. Thanks for bringing up Military Attaché position too because I hope to be able to apply for that position in about 15 yrs or whenever I am eligible to apply for it. What community do I have to be in, in order to apply for it?


Thanks.
 

helolumpy

Apprentice School Principal
pilot
Contributor
To helolumpy: Well, I got that from navy career website in Q&A section. I am assuming that is for those who work with military personnel from other countries during a joint operation or training. You might be able to dig up more info about that than I could.
About the Foreign Service, Yes, I am aware of what they do since I did internship with them in DC. Thanks for bringing up Military Attaché position too because I hope to be able to apply for that position in about 15 years or whenever I am eligible to apply for it. What community do I have to be in, in order to apply for it?
Thanks.

I did a search and saw what you're talking about. Foreign service would be either an overseas tour (Japan, Europe, Bahrain, etc) with the US Navy or possibly an exchange tour with a foreign military. I don't know if Supply Corps has an exchange opportunity, you'd need to talk to a SuppO.

As for attache duty, once again, I don't know if SuppO's can get that job. Everyone I know who did an Embassy tour was an Unrestricted Line (pilot, swo, sub driver).
 

macattack

Member
I did a search and saw what you're talking about. Foreign service would be either an overseas tour (Japan, Europe, Bahrain, etc) with the US Navy or possibly an exchange tour with a foreign military. I don't know if Supply Corps has an exchange opportunity, you'd need to talk to a SuppO.

As for attache duty, once again, I don't know if SuppO's can get that job. Everyone I know who did an Embassy tour was an Unrestricted Line (pilot, swo, sub driver).

The attache system is a different career field altogether now. http://www.npc.navy.mil/Officer/Intelligence_Information/ForeignArea/
 

snizo

Supply Officer
I did a search and saw what you're talking about. Foreign service would be either an overseas tour (Japan, Europe, Bahrain, etc) with the US Navy or possibly an exchange tour with a foreign military. I don't know if Supply Corps has an exchange opportunity, you'd need to talk to a SuppO.

I had an Aussie LT in one of my Supply School classes. She was going to work at Mayport for a few yrs. If we're taking people from other nations' services, I'd imagine we're giving some people up, too.
 

zab1001

Well-Known Member
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
As I stated earlier, "Foreign Service" is the term for people who work in U.S. Embassies abroad. You can't do Foreign Service as a military officer. You can do Military Attache, however I don't think that is available to Suppos.

No, you can't be in the DoS Foreign Service as a military officer. You can, however, work in an Embassy and essentially for an Ambassador.

There are Attaches, who are sourced by DIA, they work on one "side" of an Embassy.

Then there is the Military Group/Office of Defense Cooperation/Military Assistance and Advisory Group/Military Liaison Office/Office of Defense Representative. That is an office led by an O6 (rarely by an O5), usually with one US military officer from each branch acting as service representative, aka the "Section Chief" (usually a Navy Section Chief, Army Section Chief, and AF Section Chief in each Embassy). The MILGP (or whatever name they use depending on poltical sensitivities) acts as their respective Combatant Commander's direct representative in-country and is responsible for mil-to-mil engagement (Tradtional Commander's Activities, Humanitarian Assistance, FMS, IMET...). MILGP Commanders and Section Chiefs are administratively owned by the COCOM.

MILGPS have officer billets beyond Section Chiefs as well, TCA coordinators, Asst Section Chiefs, Ops O, HA/DR or HAP coordinator...my point is that there are plenty of billets for military officers within the Embassy. The MILGP Commander's source branch is usually constant and coincides with the partner nation's military power structure (if they have no Navy, then the MILGP CDR will not be USN). Most, if not all of the jobs I've described (that are designated as belonging to the USN) are already recoded for FAOs. I have yet to meet a FAO who changed over from Supply.
 

helolumpy

Apprentice School Principal
pilot
Contributor
No, you can't be in the DoS Foreign Service as a military officer. You can, however, work in an Embassy and essentially for an Ambassador.

True enough, but this is not Foreign Service which is what the OP originally listed as a possible opportunity as a SuppO.
 
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