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Should I stay or should I go? Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love HSC.
- Thread starter Wareal
- Start date
bluemarlin04
Well-Known Member
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.
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^ great insight @bluemarlin04 and thanks.
Back to the HSC community, I guess it means that HSC JO aviators have to step up (if the AI is too busy), and share awareness of how their platform’s organic sensors can be leveraged to collect ISR. Obviously not HSC’s primary mission, but if you are bringing capability/capacity to the fleet, let’s use it (and get HSC the credit for it).
I was told the IWC tried to repurpose/move those squadron AI billets long ago, but naval aviation insisted on keeping them and is willing to pay the bill to keep them.
Back to the HSC community, I guess it means that HSC JO aviators have to step up (if the AI is too busy), and share awareness of how their platform’s organic sensors can be leveraged to collect ISR. Obviously not HSC’s primary mission, but if you are bringing capability/capacity to the fleet, let’s use it (and get HSC the credit for it).
For any aspiring intel o's out there.....this is NOT the case in other communities.
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It's pronounced "sensor." Not "sensors."
<ducks>
It's not even what I've seen in the helo community, at least on the CVW side.
I thought he meant their Mk-1 Mod 0 eyeballs (plural).
bluemarlin04
Well-Known Member
This was a jet squadron and almost a decade ago. I’d hope things improved since than. I was the second intel officer to come through and I had no IS assigned either.
But I don’t think squadrons ever did get JWICs. There was talk and it never happened cause was too difficult to get.
The infighting in CVIC will almost certainly always be there though. The one dude who was solid was the targeteer cause he was doing strike packages all day and didn’t need to be involved in anything but making sure the pilots got their packages and were correct.
That's the first time in my career I've ever heard anyone say something positive about a targeteer.
In all seriousness, I acknowledge your experience, but I'd be careful about drawing broad conclusions based on it. I've seen the kind of CVIC/N2/AQ dysfunction you describe, but I've also seen those guys run like a well-oiled machine. Just depends on who you have in those jobs and the other dynamics among the various staffs.
bluemarlin04
Well-Known Member
Understood. I think this was a bad time for Navy Intel as a whole. It was strange.
I think and sincerely hope it was a one off and bad situation (I didnt stick around the Navy to find out). I understand that is not how it should be.
I think there’s a joke in there about jet guys getting the correct package...it’s just really hard to see...
Speaking of HSC
HSC-25 Aids Cruise Ship Passenger
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (March 4, 2019) – Sailors from the Guam-based “Island Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 provided emergency assistance to a cruise passenger in distress
www.c7f.navy.mil
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Persistence/endurance.