General promotion timeline past O-1 for Intel, IW, or NFO specialties.

[Semisonic9]

Guys, first let me post that this has absolutely zero effect on which of the following fields I'll be interested in. It may seem strange, but I have a feeling this thread will go a lot smoother if I get that out of the way right up front.

"What's the general promotion timeline for officers in Intelligence, Information Warfare, or Navy Flight Officers (NFOs)?"

A buddy of mine and I were talking this around and he seems to think NFOs would go up the ladder quite a bit quicker than guys in Intel or IW. He's formerly active enlisted, currently in the reserves, so in these matters I give him more benefit of the doubt than I would Joe-blow off the street. Still, I was surprised. He seemed to think an NFO would be O-3 (barring fuck ups, physical causes, etc...we're talking the "average guy" here) by the end of their 4th year in, if not by the end of their first tour. He seemed to think O-4 was possible within the first 6-8 year commitment.

Now I've been haunting the IW forums too, as well as the Intel/IW forums here, and I seem to recall hearing that Intel/IW guys above the rank of O-4/O-5 are fairly scarce. I understand promotion to O-2 is relatively "automatic", as these things go, in regards to time in service. How do the higher ranks sort themselves out?

I realize this may be a sensitive topic for some. The problem is that often times people associate rank with "worth". I get it. I'm not that guy.

But I am curious, if there is this kind of discrepency, how it was established and which specialties tend to move up faster? Is it the difference between being un-restricted line and restricted line officers? The difference between being a "trigger puller" and not? Did a habit just kind of form up, with the overall goal of increasing pilot compensation to reduce attrition of skilled pilots/navigators to the private sector (since I assume NAs would be promoted as fast, if not faster, than NFOs)?

What's the story here?

 

[IRfly]

Not really a sensitive topic. Promotion is what it is. Basically, it goes like this for all communities of which I am aware:

Begin: Commissioned as an Ensign.

2 years later: Doc holds a mirror in front of your mouth. If you fog it, you're promoted to LTJG.

2 years after that: Doc again does the mirror trick, and unless you've f-'d something up in a big way, you're promoted to LT. 4 years from commissioning date.

Your buddy might think that NFO's got promoted more quickly because for FO's and pilots, training takes a long time. It's not uncommon to have an O-3 checking into a squadron (especially for the longer training tracks). So you have an O-3 who has been training/sitting in various pools for four years and compare that to guys in other communities who might be on their third or fourth tour and still be O-3s (like SWO dept heads are O-3s--I don't know specifically about IW and Intel types). Of note--due to the UMFO program, lots of Ensigns are checking into P-3 squadrons as of late.

O-4 isn't going to happen for anyone within a six-years-from-wings minimum obligation timeline. When you are up for it, you are selected by a board. I honestly don't know alot about becoming an O-4 and try very hard to stay positive and not think about it. The bottom line, though, is that there's no acceleration in the promotion timeline for people on the "badass" track. Doctors start out as LTs, and Jags as JGs, but a pilot isn't going to promote faster than a FO. There is, however, a "trigger-puller" acceleration that DOES exist if you're interested:

www.goarmy.com

 

[Semisonic9]

Just dug this up as far as general time-lines go. Seems O-3 is reasonable within 4 years, with 95-100% of candidates being promoted. I'll be darned! Seems like LCDR at 9-11 years puts O-4 out of the reach of pretty much everyone on their first tour.

Now this is an "average" gouge. So in your opinions and experience, how much does your job/speciality affect your chances of rising through the ranks?

Edit- Just read IRfly's post. Informative. The "fogged the mirrors" thing was cute. RL and URL get promoted at a similar pace. And I'm assume the "go army" thing was a joke.

 

[IRfly]

Cute, huh? Here's some more cuteness: you read like a complete douche and you make stupid assumptions. Army officers can get promoted faster--I don't know all the details behind that, but I believe it's three years to O-3 instead of 4.

 

[Semisonic9]

Don't get snippy.

I mentioned it might be a joke because responding to someone posting in a Navy forum specifically about Navy officer rates with a link to a generic army recruitment site is...pretty freaking stupid. I figured you just had a weird sense of humor and were playing off the "trigger-puller" reference to URL officers. Maybe you should have clarified more. Or, and here's an idea, posted a link to something specifically stating "Army officers get promoted faster."

But you didn't do that. Instead, you decided to be a douche. Productive. Thank you.

Several good buddies of mine are in the Army. My father was in the army, in both Panama and Desert Storm. I don't have a problem with the Army. I have a problem with assholes.

 

[Thisguy]

This thing is going to head south real fast.

Yes, two years to the date of your commissioning, you will make LTJG. For LT, it's "4 years" but you don't put it on until the first of the month after you got commissioned.

Example: You commissioned May 22nd, you'll put it on June 1st 4 years later. If you commissioned May 3rd, you'll put it on June 1st 4 years later.

Sometimes they don't even do the fog the mirror trick. I think you can get a waiver. Case closed.

 

[HAL Pilot]

Hey Semisonic9 - you're the douche asshole.

You are wanna-be that ask questions and then bites off the hand of the guy that gives you the answer. I got news for you....the wings under IRfly's name means he has been commissioned and is in the fleet. He's not a wanna-be and he gave you a legitimate answer. Sorry you have no sense of humor.

You get to take a week off to readjust your attitude before you come back.