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SWO Career Paths

Marceli said:
Hello, what is the best type of ship to be stationed at for brand new swo ensigns?
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For professional development?

FDNF-J Cruiser or DDG. Easily. The Cruiser has more depth at all the key spots and more experience (2nd tour DHs, 2nd tour divos, 2nd tour CO) which makes things easier, while the destroyer provides more opportunity to stand out if you're really committed because of that same lack of depth. Rate it as Cruiser you'll have a slightly easier time / see more, but DDG you'll get to do more and often have more individual power / influence. In either you'll get tons of underway time in high traffic environments and will see everything you need to set yourself up for success in the future, both in ship handling and in tactical situations. A shooter sees everything in terms of missions and they are underway all the time.

After that FDNF-E DDG, because you'll get less sea time than the FDNF-J, but still more / more consistent underway time in more difficult situations than your CONUS peers.

After that any Cru/Des (though non-independent deployer is preferable because you need the time interacting with the strike group to learn how that goes).

Avoid gators like the plague if your goal is professional development. Their combat systems side is very limited, their strike group role is limited, and you just don't see everything you'll need to in order to succeed as a department head because the way they operate is just so different than any shooter.

For quality of life?

Any San Antonio class. Quality of life is way higher, you aren't on a real big deck but you enjoy the perks of O-6 command, and the larger crew is a blessing that keeps giving. Fewer mission areas, newer ships, larger crews, less frequent deployments / less chance of getting underway to support various things. Everything there to like.

Barring that the youngest / newest hull you an find.

Avoid Everett / Jacksonville / Sasebo / non-fleet concentration areas.
 
HSalt said:
That being said, there are way more CRUDES in the fleet. Sounds like DDG homeported away from a carrier or amphib are solid choices.
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I would agree, but am biased as I was on independent deployers my entire SWO career.

Aluroon said:
SOLID ADVICE

Avoid Everett / Jacksonville / Sasebo / non-fleet concentration areas.
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I would disagree here, but it's really a personal opinion. Fleet concentration areas can be great for the amount of SWO stuff and resources available to you but it can be difficult to "get away from the Navy" as it will seem likely everyone you meet is in the Navy or works as a Navy civilian. I would advise against the traditional advice and say to find tours that are outside of fleet concentration areas (Norfolk, San Diego, Yokosuka) and focus on opportunities to get as much direct leadership experience as possible. There are plenty of opportunities to really have responsibilities larger than your rank. For instance, as a LTJG I was a full department head (just a smaller department) and then an XO (just a smaller ship) but still had to fulfill all of the tasks and duties expected of each. When I worked on a fleet staff as a LT, I had the opportunity to make plans and decisions that would affect the movement of entire strike groups. Both tours have given me a perspective that I would not have had if I had followed the traditional advice of doing two Norfolk DDG/CG sea tours and then going somewhere easier for my shore tour. It's all about what you want to get out of your career.

But the first thing you need to do is get qualified.
 
AllAmerican75 said:
I would disagree here, but it's really a personal opinion. Fleet concentration areas can be great for the amount of SWO stuff and resources available to you but it can be difficult to "get away from the Navy" as it will seem likely everyone you meet is in the Navy or works as a Navy civilian. I would advise against the traditional advice and say to find tours that are outside of fleet concentration areas (Norfolk, San Diego, Yokosuka) and focus on opportunities to get as much direct leadership experience as possible. There are plenty of opportunities to really have responsibilities larger than your rank. For instance, as a LTJG I was a full department head (just a smaller department) and then an XO (just a smaller ship) but still had to fulfill all of the tasks and duties expected of each. When I worked on a fleet staff as a LT, I had the opportunity to make plans and decisions that would affect the movement of entire strike groups. Both tours have given me a perspective that I would not have had if I had followed the traditional advice of doing two Norfolk DDG/CG sea tours and then going somewhere easier for my shore tour. It's all about what you want to get out of your career.

But the first thing you need to do is get qualified.
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Fair. We're all colored by our experiences. I did a non-concentration area for first tour (and hated it), and FDNF-J for my second (and loved it), but there are definitely other valid paths.

One thing worth noting, especially if you're a guy, is that the opportunity for that smaller command / more responsibility / non-concentration area is 100% there on your second tour. There were a mountain of sweep / PC jobs on my 2nd tour slate (almost 50% of it), while the shooter slots were comparatively few and far between.
 
parkers18 said:
If you're single, do they really take away your BAH and make you live in the barracks ?
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Single JOs don't live on base in Japan. You'll get OHA; major difference between OHA and BAH is you can't "bank" OHA. They pay you the exact amount of your rent. You get a monthly allowance for utilities which you can "bank."
 
parkers18 said:
If you're single, do they really take away your BAH and make you live in the barracks ?
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Azguy is right on the money here. You live out in town. Unlike CONUS you don't get your BAH / don't get to bank what you don't spend.

The upside though is your OHA is pretty generous, and you will live somewhere that is likely to be way nicer than you would in the states. My Japan apartment was like 2500 square feet, had two patio / balconies, hardwood floors, etc. In contrast, my CONUS apartment (which I 'banked' like $400 a month on under BAH) was like 700 square feet.
 
Aluroon said:
Azguy is right on the money here. You live out in town. Unlike CONUS you don't get your BAH / don't get to bank what you don't spend.

The upside though is your OHA is pretty generous, and you will live somewhere that is likely to be way nicer than you would in the states. My Japan apartment was like 2500 square feet, had two patio / balconies, hardwood floors, etc. In contrast, my CONUS apartment (which I 'banked' like $400 a month on under BAH) was like 700 square feet.
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You'll still make $ off of COLA, being underway a ton, and not having an American car.
 
Pags said:
You'll still make $ off of COLA, being underway a ton, and not having an American car.
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Threadjack... but to get a bit further in the weeds, COLA plummeted a few years ago. It's better now but not where it was in the Golden Days.

Being "U/W a ton" ... there is some divergence between the aviator and SWO FDNF experience. A SWO in the MX Phase these days can easily spend 12-18++ months with zero days U/W. Guys on operational ships are doing 300-320 days/yr U/W easily. Over a 4-5 yr enlisted tour it all comes out in the wash but for SWOs it's feast or famine. Only mention this as a warning to the young guys on here picking ships... If you spend 2 years in drydock, partying in Tokyo every weekend, Japan is NOT a place to save money ;)
 
azguy said:
Being "U/W a ton" ... there is some divergence between the aviator and SWO FDNF experience. A SWO in the MX Phase these days can easily spend 12-18++ months with zero days U/W. Guys on operational ships are doing 300-320 days/yr U/W easily. Over a 4-5 yr enlisted tour it all comes out in the wash but for SWOs it's feast or famine. Only mention this as a warning to the young guys on here picking ships... If you spend 2 years in drydock, partying in Tokyo every weekend, Japan is NOT a place to save money ;)
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My FDNF-J experience was as Ship's Company onboard the LHD. While I was there we weren't in MX phase so it was all U/W all the time. Oh, and we had an INSURV too. I think I was U/W 12/15mo. No shortage of u/w evolutions; I think I got a signed OOD letter something like 5-6mo after reporting aboard.
 
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