SWO OCS Closed through 2012.... what now?

[LET73]

Yes, it's possible to get a waiver for a DUI, so don't give up and assume you're out of luck. There are no guarantees, but you'll never know until you try. (And Beefalo is right; getting a DUI as an officer is pretty much a career-ender.) Also, out of curiosity, why are you so set on SWO? Nothing wrong with that, but it's a little unusual.

 

[Callahan]

First post, here. First I'll echo hogfan's appreciation for the information you guys have here.
Secondly, I'd like to piggyback off this thread because my question is relevant to hogfan's situation.

My first choice in the Navy is Surface Warfare, but I was told by my recruiter this morning that they have closed up shop for a couple years.

I've been dealing with some slightly conflicting information. I, too, was told that certain fields are all filled up for a long time to come. I'm a little confused by what this means in terms of what someone is free to apply for. For example, let's pretend I'd like to do Surface Warfare. Despite the fact that Suface Warfare is booked, could I still theoretically send in a package for it now and potentially get assigned to it, but only with the understanding that I'm not going to see OCS until 2012, 2013, whenever it's next open? Or is it truly, "We're all booked, pick something else"?

I would appreciate any clarification.

 

[Lucy]

Callahan,

They won't take applications that far out, have to be within a year which would be this fall. That said, desginators open and close often, so it might be just a a couple months before it opens again, might not. As far as getting picked now, they are not even looking at SWO applicants in the April board(or any boards until next fall supposedly) so applying with SWO is not really an option. Your OR might have you put it on just in case they change the status between your submission and the board, however, the way it looks right now with such a sudden closure, it is not likely to change to suddenly.

Also it should be noted that SWO is in a different situation than the other desginators that are closed. FY11 is all, if not 100% closed, because you have to go OCS in by July in order to be in FY11. That means most desginators have already been choosing for FY12. SWO has been called to a halt until next September/fall because projected ROTC/ACAD grads will be filling all the SWO spots for FY12. The rest should have at least a few spots open, and all should start selecting for FY13 next fall.

As another side note, NFO "closed" for about 3 months last year and then reopened and had more spots available than many of the others. It all depends on how close the estimates are to the real numbers, of which we have little way to tell.

Sorry if that just makes things more confusing. But essentially, if your OR lets you put down SWO then go ahead but be aware it's not likely at the moment. If he/she doesn't than realize it is likely for a good cause at the moment. Same may or may not hold true for other desginators.

 

[hogfan2007]

One more thing Callahan, I found out that there are SWO "options" available such as SWO-Engineering, SWO-Information Professional, and SWO-intel that are still accepting applications. The difference here is after you get your SWO pin, you switch over to whatever designator you are specializing in. However, I read somewhere that you get the option to stay in SWO if you want. Maybe somebody else can confirm this.

 

[BigRed389]

One more thing Callahan, I found out that there are SWO "options" available such as SWO-Engineering, SWO-Information Professional, and SWO-intel that are still accepting applications. The difference here is after you get your SWO pin, you switch over to whatever designator you are specializing in. However, I read somewhere that you get the option to stay in SWO if you want. Maybe somebody else can confirm this.

Yup, it's true. I've met several people who had those contracts, and one did elect to stay SWO.

 

[Callahan]

Thank you, guys. That answers my question perfectly.

 

[vxc961]

When I went through OCS as a Nuke-wannabe in 97, it seemed (and rumor was) that they were willing to overlook a lot since it was slim pickings for nukes. My own experience was that many, but not all, were at the bottom of the PT ladder, and I know of at least two who dropped on request (DOR) and were "convinced" to class back up. If you're dead-set on getting in, it might be an avenue...