New Intel O-1: Carrier "ships company" VS. "squadron"

[Logico]

Wow! I did not expect such great feedback! Thank you everyone!

It sounds like a pretty good "weeding out" process as far as career intel goes. Those that make it through the first tour and don't leave the Navy are probably more likely to have developed a sense of humor, a realistic view of how they can (and can't) help the customers of intel, a sense of respect for experience over 'theory', etc. than they would have otherwise.

What about deployments? In a typical first sea-duty tour how many months will a squadron Intel O be deployed and how many for ships company?

 

[Brett327]

Wow! I did not expect such great feedback! Thank you everyone!

It sounds like a pretty good "weeding out" process as far as career intel goes. Those that make it through the first tour and don't leave the Navy are probably more likely to have developed a sense of humor, a realistic view of how they can (and can't) help the customers of intel, a sense of respect for experience over 'theory', etc. than they would have otherwise.

What about deployments? In a typical first sea-duty tour how many months will a squadron Intel O be deployed and how many for ships company?

Squadrons are going to vary, but I seem to recall being on the road in some sense (deployments and various dets) for ~250 days out of the year for an expeditionary Prowler squadron.

Brett

 

[bennett4362]

Squadrons are going to vary, but I seem to recall being on the road in some sense (deployments and various dets) for ~250 days out of the year for an expeditionary Prowler squadron.

was that for every year or just for deployment years?

 

[Brett327]

was that for every year or just for deployment years?

I'm not sure what you mean by deployment years, sea tour perhaps? Anyhow, yes I would say that would be the average for all three years of your husband's sea tour. Now, OPTEMPO and schedules can make that vary, but I presume that they did at least a couple 2 week dets in order to get all their readiness requirements met, and I assume that they're doing another 6 months over there, so that's already 210+ days. When they get back, they have to maintain that level of readiness for another 90 days which may mean another couple weeks on the road. Take a couple months to catch your breath, then lather, rinse, repeat. Welcome to the Navy!

Brett

 

[bennett4362]

I'm not sure what you mean by deployment years, sea tour perhaps? Anyhow, yes I would say that would be the average for all three years of your husband's sea tour. Now, OPTEMPO and schedules can make that vary, but I presume that they did at least a couple 2 week dets in order to get all their readiness requirements met, and I assume that they're doing another 6 months over there, so that's already 210+ days. When they get back, they have to maintain that level of readiness for another 90 days which may mean another couple weeks on the road. Take a couple months to catch your breath, then lather, rinse, repeat. Welcome to the Navy!

Brett

ouch-that's a lot of time away from home! i guess you just deal with it one day/week/month/year at a time.

 

[Gatordev]

But no where near as bad for the poor bastards who are "over there" for a year at a time, w/out the break in workups.

 

[bennett4362]

But no where near as bad for the poor bastards who are "over there" for a year at a time, w/out the break in workups.

so true!!

 

[Logico]

I'm not sure what you mean by deployment years, sea tour perhaps? Anyhow, yes I would say that would be the average for all three years of your husband's sea tour. Now, OPTEMPO and schedules can make that vary, but I presume that they did at least a couple 2 week dets in order to get all their readiness requirements met, and I assume that they're doing another 6 months over there, so that's already 210+ days. When they get back, they have to maintain that level of readiness for another 90 days which may mean another couple weeks on the road. Take a couple months to catch your breath, then lather, rinse, repeat. Welcome to the Navy!

Brett

Is that for pilots or intel guys? When I called the intel officer community manager he said that a carrier goes out for 6 months every year and a half or so....so in a 3 year assignment you will always go out at least once and, if you are unlucky, twice. Plus workups, and the possible war deployment.

Does what he said conflict with what you are saying?

Thanks

 

[Brett327]

Is that for pilots or intel guys? When I called the intel officer community manager he said that a carrier goes out for 6 months every year and a half or so....so in a 3 year assignment you will always go out at least once and, if you are unlucky, twice. Plus workups, and the possible war deployment.

Does what he said conflict with what you are saying?

Thanks

When you're in a squadron, you go where the squadron goes. That means deployment, workups and all the other associated dets like airwing Fallon, etc. Workups take a long time and result in lots of time spent at the boat broken up in several 2-4 week chunks. The info I posted was for an expeditionary squadron which does not deploy to the boat, but services the land based requirements. They are typically (but not always) gone more then the boat squadrons. Like I said, squadrons vary, so try not too get bogged down in the details at this point.

Brett

 

[JackFrost]

The intel officer community manager told me that 75% of newbie intel O's go to a squadron while the other 25% go to a carrier as ships company. Does anyone know the main reasons why somebody might prefer one to another?

(of course there are other things that new intel O's do, like D.C. duty, SEAL teams, etc., but he said that this is the primary areas that they work in)

What needs to occur in order for a new Intel O to make the SEAL teams?

 

[Brett327]

What needs to occur in order for a new Intel O to make the SEAL teams?

Divine intervention?

Brett

 

[eddie]

Divine intervention?

LEEEEEEEROOOOOYYYY!!!!!

 

[Logico]

From reading the wonderfully informative comments above (thanks guys) I gather that a very common problem facing a new intel 0-1 is his relative inability to provide the information that his "customers" really need. Several factors have been mentioned that create this problem including: lack of experience, inability to collect the info, a lack of understanding of the intel process on the part of the customers, etc.

How much of most O-1's inability to provide trully meaningful intel to the customers has to do with a gap between what the intel guy has been trained to do (or just thinks he needs to do) and what the customers REALLY need? How much of this gap could be eliminated simply by regularly going to the customers (pilots, command structure O's, etc.) and asking them what they find useful and what they don't...what they need to know and what they don't....etc.?

Please don't respond by mentioning that this gap is only ONE AMONG MANY factors. I know that from reading above. I want to focus on this aspect alone since it is something that I will be able to control (even if it only constitutes 10% of the overall problem).

Is it common practice to go to ones customers on a regular basis and scrap what isn't helping? Or does the avg. boot ensign not usually establish that kind of ongoing relationship?

Thanks for your VERY helpful responses!

 

[Brett327]

How much of this gap could be eliminated simply by regularly going to the customers (pilots, command structure O's, etc.) and asking them what they find useful and what they don't...what they need to know and what they don't....etc.?

That's exactly what a breakout Intel guy does. Just keep that mindset once you're in the fleet and you'll go far. Within the given limitations inherent in your position, you should always be probing and striving to make your product as good and as useful as possible to the end user.

Brett

 

[Gatordev]

What needs to occur in order for a new Intel O to make the SEAL teams?

It happens, they need support too. In the days of pre-9/11, was a guy I went to school w/ who went straight to the teams out of intel school. That was back in '97 or so, though, so some details may have changed. Still, they need the info like everyone else. But just to be clear, he wasn't an operator. They were more than happy to PT w/ him and train to a point with him, but he was still an intel guy and they were the field operator guys.