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TAO, A. Strike O, or A. Air Ops
- Thread starter Duhgreat
- Start date
Being on a boat sucks. But if you've got to be on a boat Air department is the best place to start. It's a steep downhill from there to other departments.
The LHD equivalent to those jobs were all awful and thankless. Of the lot LHD Air Ops probably had it the best but he was a USMC guy on ships company and no one expected anything from him other than a signed Air Plan. If we were in port or doing SWO stuff he was scarce. For instance, the ship pretty much told him to take leave for INSURV.
The LHD equivalent to those jobs were all awful and thankless. Of the lot LHD Air Ops probably had it the best but he was a USMC guy on ships company and no one expected anything from him other than a signed Air Plan. If we were in port or doing SWO stuff he was scarce. For instance, the ship pretty much told him to take leave for INSURV.
Are battle group commander staff positions still a thing (CCDG or CSG)? Where do they fall in the hierarchy these days? I remember standing CCDG watch on the Kitty Hawk during TLAM launches and our excursion in Somalia (and flying in my off time). Not too bad for a disassociated sea/boat tour.
CSGs are a one star command and have a staff, usually O-6 Chief of Staff, bunch of random O-5s, LTs from various communities, Chiefs, an a cook rounding things out. I think the TLAM "guy" on a carrier works for the CVW commander since he's the strike warfare commander.
Didn't mean to word this as a CWC question. This was more about the staff positions for AB or the CWC.
So we used to have Carrier Group and Cruiser Destroyer Group commanders (1 or 2 stars) in charge of the carrier battle group. Now its CSG and CCDG commanding carrier group, correct? So, whatever they are called now, are the staff positions still another option along the lines of TAO, A Strike or A Air Ops with regard to assignments, timing, competitiveness, etc..? If so, where do they lie in the hierarchy these days? In my day, the preference and value was (low to high) LHD, shooter, carrier TAO (DESRON if you were HSL), CVW staff, and CarGru/CruDesGru staff.
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Negative. Carrier Strike Groups replaced Carrier Groups and Cruiser Destroyer Groups awhile back. And the PHIBRONs and MEUs report to an Expeditionary Strike Group. So a one-star commanding CV and escorts, regardless of designator = CSG Commander. One-star commanding amphibious assets = ESG Commander. And if you glom the two together, you get an Expeditionary Strike Force, and I have no idea if that’s a thing that’s actually happened, or just a phantom doctrine item the good idea fairy keeps in her hip pocket.
Although it might be amusing to be a fly on the wall watching COMRELs and Air Ops details get hashed out for an ESF, just to watch CV land and LHD land come crashing together.
Get that shit waaay outta here. Giving me flashbacks to the boat...
The TAO isn't the one making the call to launch the alert on the civ traffic squawking on a published jet route. You can typically thank W for that. A good TAO is working the RMP and RAP and working with the P watch-standers to reallocate assets as required. They can build a lot of SA for the bridge.
I would go with Asst Air Ops given the choice, closest relationship to general aviation stuff, no watch if a no fly day.
Go to Air Department if you want to spend your day keeping your Sailors from eating paint chips. Go to Ops if you want to lead Sailors smart enough to eat only the unleaded paint chips. Your AC's generally have their shit together and are paint chip free.
I would go with Asst Air Ops given the choice, closest relationship to general aviation stuff, no watch if a no fly day.
Go to Air Department if you want to spend your day keeping your Sailors from eating paint chips. Go to Ops if you want to lead Sailors smart enough to eat only the unleaded paint chips. Your AC's generally have their shit together and are paint chip free.
Some of the best advice ever given out on this site.
Modern organization is as such: CSG Commander is a one star, Pilot, NFO, or SWO. Their flag is usually on the Carrier, and have their staff (~30) embarked. The DESRON commander, Carrier CO, and CVW Commander (CAG), all O-6s, work for the Admiral. I think the CG CO (O-6) does as well, but maybe also for the DESRON. Not 100% on that one. There's one O-3 Aviator billet on CSG staff to speak for aviation issues. I'd say it's a good-ish deal in that you only embark when the Admiral gets aboard, but there's only 12-ish CSGs so it's not a lot of billets. One boat probably has that many shooters alone.
As far as heirarchy of disassocated sea tour jobs? Depends on what community you're from and what you want to do. CVN ANAV and AOPS are "community billets", tightly held by detailers and only given to people with very strong records. Usually I've heard FRS COs/XOs offering these to their LTs and proposed as "I'm making you an offer you cannot refuse". After that, for boat jobs, TAO, Strike OPS, Air Ops, Shooter are all just flavors of 13xx LT jobs, no better or worse from what I've seen. The other staff jobs will vary based on community values (HSM to DESRON staff, HM to MCMRON Staff, VP to PATRONWING Staff, etc). WTIs is the newer career path, going back to a squadron as a Tactics Officer for second sea tour. TACAIR had this model for a while and the rest of aviaition has copied it. WTIs tend to also get tapped for CVW staff now as well.
Whiskey (CG CO, O-6 SWO) works directly for the RDML and is a peer of the DESRON (O-6 SWO), who is Zulu. Whiskey is the only principal warfare commander who doesn’t reside on the CVN.
In addition to the ones mentioned, the new O-6 on the CVN who reports directly to the RDML is Quebec (O-6 IWC).
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It happened when we invaded Somalia in the early 90s. Got my JMUC during that deployment. Beside the jointness, we also had the multi-national thing going on. CCDG-5 was in charge of it all. At least for a little while. Then up to Persian Gulf for other fun.
I can't believe I found this!