Is CFA Okinawa only a deployment for Navy personnel? Any PCS opportunities?

[boatznhelos]

Hey y'all, I'm new to the military and this forum so I apologize in advance if I posted this to the wrong place or if I sound uneducated.

Anyway, I was looking up bases that Navy can PCS you that are overseas and I came across CFA Okinawa but it seemed confusing to me. Does Navy personnel only get deployed to Okinawa and no one gets stationed there, or can you get PCS there depending on your job? What about pilots/NFO's, can they PCS there or only deploy?

I'm trying to do some research before I apply to the next SNA/NFO board. I asked my recruiter these questions but he had no answer.

 

[cfam]

Hey y'all, I'm new to the military and this forum so I apologize in advance if I posted this to the wrong place or if I sound uneducated.

Anyway, I was looking up bases that Navy can PCS you that are overseas and I came across CFA Okinawa but it seemed confusing to me. Does Navy personnel only get deployed to Okinawa and no one gets stationed there, or can you get PCS there depending on your job? What about pilots/NFO's, can they PCS there or only deploy?

I'm trying to do some research before I apply to the next SNA/NFO board. I asked my recruiter these questions but he had no answer.

There is a naval support activity at Okinawa with several units (not operational squadrons) that are based there. It is highly unlikely that you will be based there as a pilot or NFO, but you may go on a detachment there or deploy there depending on your platform. That being said, there is an entire airwing in Iwakuni, Japan, so there is a non-zero chance you could be stationed in Japan at some point in your career. Here’s some light reading on the units that are actually based in Okinawa: https://cnrj.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/CFA-Okinawa/About/Tenant-Commands/

 

[Brett327]

Pretty sure they still fly C-12 there on the Navy side, but those pilot gigs are usually for off-track careers, so you won't get those orders unless you're getting out... generally speaking.

Like Cfam said, lots of opportunity to be stationed in Japan, but if you're only now applying for Pilot/NFO, there are about 1000 other things you need to be worrying about than where you might be stationed for shore duty in 6-9 years.

 

[boatznhelos]

Pretty sure they still fly C-12 there on the Navy side, but those pilot gigs are usually for off-track careers, so you won't get those orders unless you're getting out... generally speaking.

Like Cfam said, lots of opportunity to be stationed in Japan, but if you're only now applying for Pilot/NFO, there are about 1000 other things you need to be worrying about than where you might be stationed for shore duty in 6-9 years.

Dang, I feel stupid for asking but thank you for the honesty. But how do those pilots even get to a C-12? I assume they start with a multi engine airframe and stay in that specific one for the majority of their career.

 

[Brett327]

Dang, I feel stupid for asking but thank you for the honesty. But how do those pilots even get to a C-12? I assume they start with a multi engine airframe and stay in that specific one for the majority of their career.

That's not how any of this works. Focus on the basics of getting accepted, commissioned, and winged. All of this stuff will become apparent to you in due time.

 

[croakerfish]

If you want to go overseas in aviation, your options (as far as squadrons, there’s no limit to what you can do in a non-flying capacity) are Iwakuni (everything in the carrier air wing except the helo squadrons), Atsugi (3 helicopter squadrons), Guam (1 helo squadron), Hawaii (1 helo squadron), and Rota Spain (1 helo squadron).

 

[robav8r]

That's not how any of this works.

 

[Griz882]

All of this stuff will become apparent to you in due time.

Oh let the sun bear upon my face
With stars to fill my dreams
I am a traveler of both time and space
To be where I have been
Sit with elders of a gentle race
This world has ever seen
Talk of days for which they sit and wait
All will be revealed

Signed @Brett327
Zeppelin NFO

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

That's not how any of this works. Focus on the basics of getting accepted, commissioned, and winged. All of this stuff will become apparent to you in due time.

I know Jimmy Buffet and the smash mouth singer guy died and all but you don’t need to take it out on the OP.

All joking aside, a non 13XX question: Wouldn't these C-12 billets be shore duty / base air ops billets for aviators and I’m assuming whoever lands such billets will get some sort of “training” once they get on station… right?

 

[Brett327]

I know Jimmy Buffet and the smash mouth singer guy died and all but you don’t need to take it out on the OP.

All joking aside, a non 13XX question: Wouldn't these C-12 billets be shore duty / base air ops billets for aviators and I’m assuming whoever lands such billets will get some sort of “training” once they get on station… right?

So now you are telling me to take it easy on posters asking questions? Do I have that right?

 

[insanebikerboy]

I know Jimmy Buffet and the smash mouth singer guy died and all but you don’t need to take it out on the OP.

All joking aside, a non 13XX question: Wouldn't these C-12 billets be shore duty / base air ops billets for aviators and I’m assuming whoever lands such billets will get some sort of “training” once they get on station… right?

I looked at these types of jobs about 10 years ago so it might have changed. My detailer at the time said that if I got the orders I’d go to some training enroute.

 

[Brett327]

I looked at these types of jobs about 10 years ago so it might have changed. My detailer at the time said that if I got the orders I’d go to some training enroute.

Aircraft like C-12, RC-26, etc that do not have an FRS go to a simulator-based training program at FSI in San Antonio. It's pretty bare bones, but these aren't terribly complex aircraft. We're trying to get one of our inbound Pilots through an Army C-26 FRS-like program for some additional experience and in-aircraft training.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I was thinking in line with what @Brett327, nothing fancy like going to an FRS or completely different training track/VT squadron. And then these billets are often the "career killers" in the aviation community, right?

 

[Brett327]

I was thinking in line with what @Brett327, nothing fancy like going to an FRS or completely different training track/VT squadron. And then these billets are often the "career killers" in the aviation community, right?

That's kind of a chicken vs the egg thing. Most folks that get those billets are looking for an off-ramp from the Navy, so more than likely, their career is already in a non-due course status.

 

[cfam]

@Brett327 they had C-12s as of when your HAVOC DH predecessor was the base CO there (he got the training too), so it was going still strong within the last two years.