That stinks. I can see how that job might fall to the only IWC officer in a flying squadron, and I can see how it would be a major time suck for him/her (along with everything else they have to do).
Intel in a squadron isn’t a thing. It really isn’t and it’s awful the IWC mismanaged billets so poorly. Shore side the intel officer will be the security manager, IT divo, Anti-Terrorism Officer, EKMS manager (sometimes the assistant if the CO wants to have their Avionics Divo be the main guy) and whatever else the CO deems need continuity and can’t be passed between new pilots during their syllabus progression.
That means the Intel O will be handling foreign travel packages and APACS (tons of people going on foreign travel when the squadron is shore side both official and unofficial), managing the security, doing inventory, doing EKMS destruction and inventory, issuing and managing the SIPR accounts etc.
When the Carrier got underway I was responsible for collecting SAAR-N forms for the entire squadron (all 300), moving all the EKMS and SIPR stuff to the ready room and than working with the ship to setup the SIPR computers in the CO stateroom and Ready Room and get safes placed to store Crypto and getting MOUs signed, safe certifications, etc.
There is no time and no need for intel products at the squadron level shore side. The intel officer is a free body to the squadron. They don’t have JWICs and barely even have a SIPR terminal to use. Same goes for the JOs assigned to ships that are in the yards.
I don’t blame the squadrons for utilizing them that way. That’s completely the fault of the community managers.
Once Underway it was even worst. There is so much work the squadron needs from you and so much infighting in CVIC. At the end of the day your skipper signs your fitrep and I recognized that and prioritIzed my squadron which the CO appreciated but that doesn’t mean I liked the job.
The SIO argues with the CSG N2 on who gets priority. CAG AI tries to take their scraps and dukes it out with the CRC and CSG N-21. DESRON N2 is or was a LT so he got little say in anything. Now they got the IWC Commander making matters even worst. And the new Intel JOs are caught in the middle doing ridiculous shit.
And I won’t even get into the golden child CSG N2 mentality hand picked from groupies at PACFLT all looking to get their ticket punched to move onto 7th Fleet and than back to PACFLT. All of them looking to make names for themselves.
It’s a complete dumpster fire and disaster. And the standing up of the “Information Warfare” (heavy emphasis on WARFARE) is to blame. But that’s a different topic for a different thread.
I ended up resigning because I couldn’t agree with the new path the 1830 community is going down. I don’t want to be a part of a community hell bent on legitimizing themselves to everyone.