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DCO Intel Eligibility & Process

Reservist

Intelligence Officer
and don't forget like RUFIO said, you have to have at least 1 year military experience for JAG, so he isn't even eligible.

I did put a girl in who's sister is or was AF attorney, she was very smart, near perfect GPA's for all her degrees, not sure if AF is still as competitive as USN JAG but if it is you pretty much need to walk on water to get in.

You are dead on NavOffRec - you have to have prior JAG experience to get into the Navy Reserve JAG Corp - Air Force is competitive too, but not as much. I came very close to landing a slot with Mass Air National Guard as a JAG last winter - even with what lacks in my law pedigree - I shine in other ways.

I had a break in service though (re-enlisted Feb 18 - Selected DCO Sept 18 Board) and the Air Guard had to give consideration to current air guard or reservists applying for the gig. I walked out of that board convinced they wanted me. My enlisted escort that got me on and off base told me that I knocked the interview out of the park and that I was the best candidate they had seen. Had a nice follow up with CO by e-mail too.

Didn't get the gig. I ran into the recruiter that got the competition in later - turns out they loved me - but they took a Mass Air Guard E-4 that just finished law school over me because they felt the need to look out for one of their own trumped other stuff - and you know what - I begrudgingly agree in most circumstances...
 

bubblehead

Registered Member
Contributor
...you have to have prior JAG experience to get into the Navy Reserve JAG Corp - Air Force is competitive too, but not as much. I came very close to landing a slot with Mass Air National Guard as a JAG last winter - even with what lacks in my law pedigree - I shine in other ways.
You can now submit a change of designator request to go JAG if you are already in the Navy Reserve and are of another designator. Before this ability, I helped an 1835 friend of mine go to the Air Force Reserve as a JAG via an Interservice Transfer. It was stupidly easy and the Air Force Reserve welcomed him with open arms.
 

bluemarlin04

Well-Known Member
I don’t understand the appeal of commissioning directly into the reserves either. You’re at a HUGE disadvantage in terms of knowing the job and understand how NAVY intelligence works. Why not commission on Active Duty and get paid well for 4-7 years and than become a reservist? I was enlisted in the reserves and that was a lot different because you’re not a decision maker as enlisted.

A lot of DCOs mistakenly think that their job as a Agent, Policy Maker, State Dep employee, or even as an Intelligence Analyst has anything to do with Navy Intelligence. I can’t tell you how many reserve Ensigns I come across who explain to me they have “XYZ experience” and than have to be told that’s great and it means nothing. Not to say that the DCOs are bad people or terrible leaders they’re just misguided cause the people at pers tells them we need all their skills when in reality it isn’t true at all.

To OP. Don’t discount an active duty commission. It’s only a few years and you’d enjoy it and learn way more and you’d get vet benefits upon transferring to the reserves (reservists don’t get them until they mob).
 

jiawei309

New Member
I don’t understand the appeal of commissioning directly into the reserves either. You’re at a HUGE disadvantage in terms of knowing the job and understand how NAVY intelligence works. Why not commission on Active Duty and get paid well for 4-7 years and than become a reservist? I was enlisted in the reserves and that was a lot different because you’re not a decision maker as enlisted.

A lot of DCOs mistakenly think that their job as a Agent, Policy Maker, State Dep employee, or even as an Intelligence Analyst has anything to do with Navy Intelligence. I can’t tell you how many reserve Ensigns I come across who explain to me they have “XYZ experience” and than have to be told that’s great and it means nothing. Not to say that the DCOs are bad people or terrible leaders they’re just misguided cause the people at pers tells them we need all their skills when in reality it isn’t true at all.

To OP. Don’t discount an active duty commission. It’s only a few years and you’d enjoy it and learn way more and you’d get vet benefits upon transferring to the reserves (reservists don’t get them until they mob).

Out of curiosity, how long do you think it takes for a new DCO to get up to speed on the Navy Intelligence culture, standards, etc with the amount of time they put in on average?
 

bluemarlin04

Well-Known Member
Out of curiosity, how long do you think it takes for a new DCO to get up to speed on the Navy Intelligence culture, standards, etc with the amount of time they put in on average?
Well I met some LCDR DCO 1835 once who told me he was excited to get underway on the carrrier because he could finally work on his SWO pin so I’d say at least a little while.

The job as an intel officer is very different than regular standard intelligence at an agency. I think a lot of people mistakenly think it’s similar
 

bubblehead

Registered Member
Contributor
The job as an intel officer is very different than regular standard intelligence at an agency. I think a lot of people mistakenly think it’s similar
Reserve INTEL is extremely hit or miss. I can't tell you how many times I saw the faces of those who were completely dumbfounded when they got to a unit and realized they were doing nothing. Reality did not meet their expectations.
 

Reservist

Intelligence Officer
I'll chime in on this thread - I have 9 years experience as a Navy Reserve enlisted intel bubba. Was recently selected for 1835 (Yeah me - waiting to pin but I digress).

Intel can be hit or miss - but keep in mind - this is a part time job and the miss part might have more to do with the reservist than the Navy, though you could argue the other way too and I may agree with some of it.. You do it 24 days a year over the course of 12 months. You do a lot in year, but there are plenty of basic military requirements to meet in a year, medical, physical fitness test, general military training (each one of these things can eat up the bulk of a drill weekend for the unit as a whole though it takes each member a few minutes to an hour to do them and when thier part is over, they have no direction for the day).

Planning for a Unit - is just that - planning for large evolutions. Lots of bodies, a few people engaged all day, everyone scheduled for something, so over lap is unlikely because of planning, and then well the day is over. You only squeeze so many evolutions as a unit into a drill weekend. You will have lots of down time as a JO after you do your required Unit stuff at drill.

Here's the hit or miss part - with that down time - you make stuff happen or you can sit on your ass. I suggest in all honesty, doing a little of both.

Sit around, bullshit with the other reservists, learn something, then - ask around about how you can do more. If you want to charge hard, I bet you can find a way to accelerate your training and get involved in all kinds of stuff if you are serious and you ask around a bit. People will make and give you opportunities. You will also see that many people are sitting around too long, being passed by, because the took the sit on your ass part of this too seriously. Find a good mix. Listen, learn, then act...

It's tricky for all of us - but you really can make the reserve what you want. Not necessarily on the exact time scale you want, but if you are patient, you can get what you want out of this. It is rare in my opinion that you get to a unit with no one in that unit that you can go to to get behind what you want to do. Some units are better than others, but even bad units will have a few good leaders that can help. All in all - the reserve intel thing is cool and you can make it what you want. Not fast always, but if you are patient - you can find what you want out of it. Rarely will it fall into your lap, but that can happen too.
 
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ABMD

Bullets don't fly without Supply
So is it the resume? The satisfaction of "serving?" Why not just go active duty?

Maybe those looking at a Direct Commission already have an established civilian career and don't want to step away from a six-figure salary to serve when they can maintain their career and serve part-time. Everyone's motivation is different.

Myself? I've always wanted to serve, but "life" got in the way. I was too selfish when I was younger (Will I got to war? Will I die?) to join and my undergrad University didn't offer any type of ROTC. At the time I had no idea you could apply to OCS after school (live and learn) so I went to work in a job I hated for a few years. After years in a dead-end job I spoke to a recruiter about an aviation career path, and began the process of submitting an OCS application. When I read you had to have uncorrected 20/40 vision I withdrew my application (I had a previous eye injury that I thought in all my 20 something year old knowledge would have disqualified me only to find out 13 years later I have uncorrected 20/20 vision!). So fast forward through marriage, a bunch of kids and graduate school the desire to serve was still there. So I researched my options and knowing I always wanted to serve in the Navy I applied for a Navy DCO slot, 2 attempts later I was selected for the 3105 program. I can now serve and maintain my civilian career which is more than supportive of my military service.
 

bluemarlin04

Well-Known Member
To be fair, an O-3, 1310, USN asked me the same question about earning an IDWO pin for himself.
That’s actually not uncommon. Line officers assigned to certain billets can earn their IWO pin. I’ve sat boards for them before.

And let’s be serious. The IWO pin is a complete joke and should have never happened. IWO isn’t a warfare area and never will he no matter how hard they try to make it seem that way. That’s not to say information warfare doesn’t contribute significantly. It’s just not a warfare area. I digress. But here’s a good link. The way the community is going played a siginificant role in me resigning from active duty right before my IZ look for LCDR

https://m.usni.org/magazines/procee...mation-warfare-decade-indulging-false-analogy
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
To be fair, an O-3, 1310, USN asked me the same question about earning an IDWO pin for himself.

That’s actually not uncommon. Line officers assigned to certain billets can earn their IWO pin. I’ve sat boards for them before...That’s not to say information warfare doesn’t contribute significantly. It’s just not a warfare area....

I’ve seen plenty of aviators with the intel pins so yeah, it’s a thing.

Until the mid-90’s or so aviators could also earn a SWO pin on their disassociated tours, until SWO’s threw a fit and linimited the pin to SWO’s and a few CWO and LDO designators (and a few Enlisted), and now they are limiting even more apparently after their recent mishaps.
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
But here’s a good link. The way the community is going played a siginificant role in me resigning from active duty right before my IZ look for LCDR

https://m.usni.org/magazines/procee...mation-warfare-decade-indulging-false-analogy

That is an excellent commentary on the drift in the Navy IW community over the past decade. Most intel and crypie folks I've dealt with in that time have been great at their jobs but the community leadership seems fixated on a few things that make little sense in the bigger picture being part of the Navy. I think they've gotten away with it because the URL folks in charge have largely ignored or have been unaware of their internal contortions and changes the community has undergone since they became IDC/IWC.
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
I’ve seen plenty of aviators with the intel pins so yeah, it’s a thing.

Until the mid-90’s or so aviators could also earn a SWO pin on their disassociated tours, until SWO’s threw a fit and linimited the pin to SWO’s and a few CWO and LDO designators (and a few Enlisted), and now they are limiting even more apparently after their recent mishaps.

I had a few CVN CO's and XO's that had SWO pins, on the CVN's I was on it was required for the surface designator LDO's to earn their SWO pin and some weren't too happy about it.
 
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