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Information on the E6 community
- Thread starter joeschmoe
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my advisor back at the rotc unit was a tacamo guy. deployments are varied, sometimes using (usurping) other bases as their launch platforms. there are 2(3??) squadrons based at Tinker AFB in OK, VQ-3/4. They deploy out of there. I forget what he told me about the exact schedules, but their systems are redundant redundancies. So, during their 'windows' there is always someone on station. At least that's what I was told.
I'm a few weeks away from getting my wings and going to TACAMO. I can tell you all of their missions are classified, so anything you hear is public info or rumor. The det sites are Travis AFB, Offit AFB, and Pax River. The plane is a modified 707, if you want the details check out the Navy fact file on it on www.navy.mil. Oklahoma City, eh, not great, certainly not a northeast city, but it's ok all in all. Try doing a search on the net or on this site if you want to know more.
The E-6 community is one of the "wish you never really use" things in the military. It is basically an airborne command and communications plane that provides a survivable command entity in the event the s@#% hits the fan, a la Dr Strangelove. I seriously thought about trying to go for that community, they did a really hard sell, but it struck me as a little boring. They drill a lot of holes in the sky over the US (literally) and don't travel overseas too much. The guys I know who did it generally liked it. There deployments were 2 to 3 weeks and then they were home for a period (4-6 weeks?) but they have added a det site since that time. One of the big appeals is that they have a newer airframe (they are among the very last 707's built) and great facilities. This is because their funding is generally not controlled by the Navy but the DOD. It is also an opportunity to homeport yourself somewhere for a while, the RAG (VQ-7) is there and so is the wing. A lot of the guys with families wanted to go there. The best source would be to ask intructors who have flown it, always the best source.
And I can tell you that the TACAMO/E6 mission is NOT classified and is well documented in the public domain.Jaxs170 said:
What is classified is the specifics of an individual mission/flight. What TACAMO does is command and control for strategic forces (i.e. nuclear triad among other things.) Specifically, they were originally formed to give launch orders, etc. to our boomers (SSBNs) while they remained submerged. To do this they trail a FLW (f-ing long wire) behind the aircraft to send very low frequency messages that can penetrate the water. Nothing classified about this information. What would be classified would be specifically who they talked to, when, where and what was said.
There is no "I'd tell you but than I'd have to kill you" about this overall mission :watching3.
I spent my 1/c cruise with VQ-3 up at Tinker. Let's see what I can't remember...
Okay, to start with, Oklahoma City was described to me as a married/engaged guy/gal's paradise, as the property values are rock bottom. Everyone out there owns a house with a nice yard, etc. etc. Additionally, you can gauge when you're going to be on deployment pretty well, which again bodes well for having a significant other. The flip side to all this is that you'll be dating someone at most for about 5 weeks before you've got to head out for a 20-30 day deployment, so sticking with one person is tough. (note: this is 2nd-hand knowledge, so take with a grain of salt.)
As for the actual squadron stuff, you'll first go to VQ-7, the FRS (RAG? whatever) where you'll fly modified 737s and learn how to trail the wires (yes, there are two) correctly. One of the side benefits of this is that you are type certified on the 737, so you get to have that feather in your cap if you decide you want to try to make the leap to the airlines.
The planes themselves are pretty new, with the latest being delivered in 98, as I recall. They're a 707 airframe with 4 turbofans - very easy handling in most circumstances. The tricky maneuvers that are performed are the in-flight refueling with AF tankers and trailing the wires. Other than that, you're on autopilot for a lot of the time if you're a pilot. NFOs are either mission commanders or back in the back with the crypto gear overseeing the ETs.
The community itself seemed to be somewhat akin to subs - a tightly-knit team that respected differences in rank and grade, but didn't let that get in the way of a well-developed sense of comraderie. Where you deploy to depends on which squadron you're in - VQ-3 goes mostly to the west coast, whereas VQ-4 goes more to the east coast, but either way, you'll be visiting a lot of Air Force bases, since they have the parts and infrastructure to service the 707 airframe. Ah, and lest you think you'll be going to all of three bases your entire time there, during my 10 day deployment we stopped at Edwards, Offutt, Travis and Luke (California desert, middle of Nebraska, Sacramento and Phoenix, respectively), so you'll get to see a lot. Sometimes the crew will deploy to Hawaii or Europe, but usually the CO/XO get those hops.
That's about that... let me know if you have any other questions.
Okay, to start with, Oklahoma City was described to me as a married/engaged guy/gal's paradise, as the property values are rock bottom. Everyone out there owns a house with a nice yard, etc. etc. Additionally, you can gauge when you're going to be on deployment pretty well, which again bodes well for having a significant other. The flip side to all this is that you'll be dating someone at most for about 5 weeks before you've got to head out for a 20-30 day deployment, so sticking with one person is tough. (note: this is 2nd-hand knowledge, so take with a grain of salt.)
As for the actual squadron stuff, you'll first go to VQ-7, the FRS (RAG? whatever) where you'll fly modified 737s and learn how to trail the wires (yes, there are two) correctly. One of the side benefits of this is that you are type certified on the 737, so you get to have that feather in your cap if you decide you want to try to make the leap to the airlines.
The planes themselves are pretty new, with the latest being delivered in 98, as I recall. They're a 707 airframe with 4 turbofans - very easy handling in most circumstances. The tricky maneuvers that are performed are the in-flight refueling with AF tankers and trailing the wires. Other than that, you're on autopilot for a lot of the time if you're a pilot. NFOs are either mission commanders or back in the back with the crypto gear overseeing the ETs.
The community itself seemed to be somewhat akin to subs - a tightly-knit team that respected differences in rank and grade, but didn't let that get in the way of a well-developed sense of comraderie. Where you deploy to depends on which squadron you're in - VQ-3 goes mostly to the west coast, whereas VQ-4 goes more to the east coast, but either way, you'll be visiting a lot of Air Force bases, since they have the parts and infrastructure to service the 707 airframe. Ah, and lest you think you'll be going to all of three bases your entire time there, during my 10 day deployment we stopped at Edwards, Offutt, Travis and Luke (California desert, middle of Nebraska, Sacramento and Phoenix, respectively), so you'll get to see a lot. Sometimes the crew will deploy to Hawaii or Europe, but usually the CO/XO get those hops.
That's about that... let me know if you have any other questions.
DairyCreamer
Registered User
No offense, but I wouldn't call Offutt "Middle of Nebraska." It is in Omaha after all :icon_tong
Good info, thanks!!
~Nate
Good info, thanks!!
~Nate
squorch2 said:
contrail_dash
Registered User
Sounds like a good track if ya wanna fly ATP.
Selecting E-6
Who is selecting Tacamos right now? Do you have to be #1 in your class? Is there a NSS minimum/requirement? The catch-22 lately is that if you shoot for a high NSS, for Jets or a better shot at gettting what you want, you may get stuck in E2/C2s, even without putting it on your list or putting it last. (Happened to a guy with a 59.9NSS here last week).
Thanks in advance...
Fly-Navy
Who is selecting Tacamos right now? Do you have to be #1 in your class? Is there a NSS minimum/requirement? The catch-22 lately is that if you shoot for a high NSS, for Jets or a better shot at gettting what you want, you may get stuck in E2/C2s, even without putting it on your list or putting it last. (Happened to a guy with a 59.9NSS here last week).
Thanks in advance...
Fly-Navy
LO281OK said:
Try messaging a guy whose user name is simply tacamo, he just selected it. When I was going through selection back in June, the NSS for E-6 was in the mid-50 range, guys who selected it with me had between 52 and 59. I have heard, rumor only, it has stayed up in this range. Before the P-3 shutdown, it was usually an upper 40s spot.
LO281OK said:
You don't necessarily have to be #1, but you atleast have to put it as your #1 choice. There are only something like 20 E6 slots to come up per FY, and a lot of people want it, so, while you may not be the top stud that week, you do need to have it as your first choice.
As far as the E2/C2 thing... the Navy seems to be short on jet slots recently. The guys who selected the week before I did had 7 slots, we had 3, and the two following weeks only had one. Apparently, there is never a shortage of E2/C2 slots. Even guys with solid jet grades have been getting them.
/not a squid, but I know several people who got the E2/C2 'shaft'
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