Coast Guard DCIO (Direct Commission Intelligence Officer)

[bubblehead]

You can make O-6 in any DCO program. What’s different?

Uhm, I'm not sure if you follow promotion stats, but promoting up in some designators is easier than others.

 

[Hair Warrior]

I'm not sure if you follow promotion stats

I do not follow all designators through all the wickets nor calculate the effective throughput rate for each designator over time to find the percentage of LT’s who end up making CAPT, then compare across designators.

I’ve also only met one Navy SSO. He was an ENS in the USNR and 20+ year O-6 U.S. Merchant Marine Officer with more experience driving big gray floaty things than most SWO’s. So I don’t know the gouge on Navy SSO promotions.

 

[Flash]

I’ve also only met one Navy SSO. He was an ENS in the USNR and 20+ year O-6 U.S. Merchant Marine Officer with more experience driving big gray floaty things than most SWO’s. So I don’t know the gouge on Navy SSO promotions.

Huh? Was he an Ensign in the USNR and a merchant marine Captain? There is really no such thing as an ‘O-6 US Merchant Marine Officer’ with one rare exception.

There are plenty of SSO’s in the USNR but they usually are in their own units and rarely go outside them, I know a little more than the average reservist because I MOB’d with a few and I worked with one for a year.

 

[Flash]

I’ve been told (by an O-5, Cutterman, USCG-Ret.) that the Coast Guard doesn’t do URL/RL/SC the same way the USN does, and any USCG officer can hold command at sea. Anyone have clarity on this?

That's my understanding. There was a JAG Coastie who got his LLM during my first year of law school and he had previously commanded a cutter. He said that he could bounce between JAG and more URL type billets, but career timing is a consideration. He also didn't pickup JAG until further into his career. Im sure they aren't giving any old JAG with little sea time command of a cutter.

The commander of the entity I was at for a while was a Coastie who was a SWO/Cutterman and a JAG, he and several others were SWO/Intel O's who did one tour at sea and their next on shore doing their other job. Not sure the breadth of jobs available but there seemed to be plenty, the only folks who seemed to not have to do this were the aviators.

 

[Hair Warrior]

Was he an Ensign in the USNR and a merchant marine Captain?

Affirmative. He captained MSC ships.

 

[BarryD]

You can make O-6 in any DCO program. What’s different?

Didn't know about a SSO DCO program.

On a related note, guys who go through the SSOP (college) can request to go active or something along those lines and essentially commission like NROTC/Academy guys and pick up a flight school spot and stuff. Good deal if you wanted to get a MT degree/not subject yourself to tier 1 pain and commission.

 

[Bergers2short]

The commander of the entity I was at for a while was a Coastie who was a SWO/Cutterman and a JAG, he and several others were SWO/Intel O's who did one tour at sea and their next on shore doing their other job. Not sure the breadth of jobs available but there seemed to be plenty, the only folks who seemed to not have to do this were the aviators.

I got the feeling that this is because their Academy and OCS grads, unless selected for aviation, have to do an initial tour either on a cutter or in sector ops (prevention or response) then they can specialize in intel, hr, etc. I wonder if folks who enter one of those specialties via DCO would be hindered from taking a sea/ops tour because they didn't have that ensign tour.

 

[Crippy011]

Naw, I'm good. By the time it gets implemented, it will be a non-issue for me.

I agree with what Fieldrat stated.

 

[Hair Warrior]

I agree with what Fieldrat stated.

Posting on AW while you’re also logged in the IWIREP? That’s like Jedi level.

 

[Crippy011]

Posting on AW while you’re also logged in the IWIREP? That’s like Jedi level.

It's all about the cause, right?

 

[fieldrat]

I agree with what Fieldrat stated.

This has been nagging me for the past couple of days.

I feel like bringing folks in at higher pay (not rank) OK, but it's all about implementation.

A few options I came up with-

Specialized Warrant (W-1) with incentive pay, and stalled promotion, same as new Cyber Warrant program for IONs.

LDO with Instant LTJG and regular promotion to LT. No further promotion unless you off-ramp at 8 years of service.

I think either of these is a decent starting point for managing the (skills, money, experience) triangle.

 

[Hair Warrior]

I don’t disagree but I am pretty sure the IWC LDO program is gone or going away. No more 6835’s (Intel LDO) - I went to DCOIC with the last one.

 

[Crippy011]

This has been nagging me for the past couple of days.

I feel like bringing folks in at higher pay (not rank) OK, but it's all about implementation.

A few options I came up with-

Specialized Warrant (W-1) with incentive pay, and stalled promotion, same as new Cyber Warrant program for IONs.

LDO with Instant LTJG and regular promotion to LT. No further promotion unless you off-ramp at 8 years of service.

I think either of these is a decent starting point for managing the (skills, money, experience) triangle.

I hear ya. Here's the challanges i'm facing. It took almost 3 years to achieve full TS/SCI adjudication and now there are additional requirements being forced upon reserve units for accounts and visiting the NIOC's. With these delays, i'll be putting on O3 before I can even go to my NIOC to qualify.

Big Navy needs to address these parts first before they can even talk about bringing in more specialized folks. I can certainly sympathize with those who leave after their 3 years.

 

[fieldrat]

I hear ya. Here's the challanges i'm facing. It took almost 3 years to achieve full TS/SCI adjudication and now there are additional requirements being forced upon reserve units for accounts and visiting the NIOC's. With these delays, i'll be putting on O3 before I can even go to my NIOC to qualify.

Big Navy needs to address these parts first before they can even talk about bringing in more specialized folks. I can certainly sympathize with those who leave after their 3 years.

It's an issue across all the Nioc units, both active and reserve. I've seen JO's promote and burn through their entire billet without setting foot on site.

All I can suggest is to have your unit SSO constantly ping the active duty SSO for updates. There are other levers as well, PM me.

 

[Hail_HYDRA!]

Just bumping this thread back to life -

USCG Cyber/Intel is hurting for manning at all levels. I just spoke with the XO of a cyber unit and they are looking to use Navy folks shipboard, and trying to sweet-talk DCO candidates to submit for USCG DCO Intel instead.

Current as of MAR '19

Just spoke to my landlard about this and he confirmed that the Coast Guard are doing direct commissions at the rank of O-3 (himself included), but not just for Intel but billets similar to IP as well.