Traffic Signal Maintenance Technician: Fill & Download for Free

Q. How has Vietnam coped with its war debt to the Russians from the war against the Americans and the South Vietnamese? Freighter ships full of weapons and ammo don't come cheap.A. Unlike the material and weapons supplied by China – which demanded deferred payment – most Russian assistance was supplied as aid rather than loans. Over the course of the war the money donated to the Vietnamese cause was equal to $2 million a day.Vietnam War: The critical role of Russian weaponsBy the spring of 1967, a river of aid was flowing from Russia into North Vietnam.By the late 1960s more than three-quarters of the military and technical equipment received by North Vietnam was coming from Moscow. Sergei Blagov writes in Asia Times that Moscow contributed weapons essential to North Vietnamese defence capabilities against the American air war, including radar systems, anti-aircraft artillery, surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). “Without this materiel, Vietnamese air defence would have been hardly feasible,” he says.Russia military supplies completely transformed the nature of the war. Unlike what they show you in Hollywood movies, the Vietnamese did not fight with just cunning and camouflage, they hit the Americans with firepower on a staggering scale. Their arsenal included 2,000 tanks, 7,000 artillery guns, over 5,000 anti-aircraft guns and 158 surface-to-air rocket launchers.The new weapons – although not the latest in Moscow’s arsenal – were more advanced than the American ones, leading to many battlefield routs of US military forces. American aircraft ran into skies streaking with SAMs and thick with ack-ack salvoes.T 34Entire waves of American aircraft were blasted out of the skies because the Vietnamese fired ceaseless barrages of SAMs, knowing more Russian supplies were on their way. “In August 1965, the first SAMs were fired at four F-4 Phantoms over Vietnam, shooting down three. This marked the first time that US planes were attacked by SAMs,” writes Blagov.US strategic bombers tumbled out of the skies after being hit by Russian-supplied SAMs (the granddaddies of today’s S-300 and S-400 missiles). Russian crews fired SAMs at the B-52 bombers, which were the first raiders shot down over Hanoi. A Soviet rocketeer told Russian Radio: “After our arrival in Vietnam, American pilots refused to fly.” (However, after 1966, no Soviet troops directly participated in combat because the Vietnamese forces had been trained to handle the Soviet equipment, the Russian magazine Eko Planety – Echo of the Planet – says.)Jets that survived these brutal knockouts were picked out by Vietnamese Air Force aces flying MiG-17s and MiG-21s; these combat aircraft were vectored towards their targets by Russian-supplied radars.To give you an idea of just what the Vietnamese were up against, in 1965 just 30 MiGs were doing combat against 660 American aircraft. And yet the Americans lost 46 F-4 fighters, of which 13 were downed by MiGs.The odds were evened soon. In 1966 the Vietnamese Air Force started receiving the latest MiG-21 interceptor. On July 7, two MiG-21s shot down an F-105 with a Russian Atoll air-to-air missile, creating panic in the US Air Force.By now the Vietnamese pilots were growing more familiar with their Russian jets. Roger Boniface writes in MIGs Over North Vietnam: “The MiG-17 pilots started to indulge in dogfights with American aircraft; the former were growing in confidence all the time as they could constantly turn inside the faster F-4s and use their cannon to lethal effect from close range. The MiG-21 would use their superior speed and dive on the Americans from higher altitudes. The VPAF would use both the MiG-17 and MiG-21 against the Americans, using their techniques in unison by catching the Americans in what can only be described as a diving and turning “sandwich”.The American pilots became so scared of encountering the Vietnamese air aces that they in several cases they fled the scene of combat at full speed.North Vietnamese MiG-21 ace pilot Nguyen Van Coc, in his flight helmet and combat gear North Vietnam’s Leading Ace ‹ HistoricWings.com.Early warning by Russian military intelligence saved countless Vietnamese lives. Truong Nhu Tang, a senior North Vietnamese official, writes in A Viet Cong Memoir that Russian ships in the South China Sea gave vital early warnings to Vietnamese forces. Russian ships would pick up American B-52 bombers flying from Okinawa and Guam. Their airspeed and direction would be noted and then relayed to Vietnamese political and military headquarters. The Vietnamese would then calculate the bombing target and vector their fighters into attack trajectories. These advance warning gave them time to move out of the way of the bombers and while the bombing runs caused extensive damage, because of the early warnings from 1968-1970 they did not kill a single military or civilian leader in the headquarter complexes.Russia also supplied Vietnam with medical supplies, food, oil, machinery and spare parts. And unlike the material and weapons supplied by China – which demanded deferred payment – most Russian assistance was supplied as aid rather than loans. Over the course of the war the money donated to the Vietnamese cause was equal to $2 million a day.In late March 1965, Leonid Brezhnev announced that his government had been receiving "many applications" from Soviet citizens offering to serve as volunteers in Vietnam. However, Russian freelancers were not really needed. From July 1965 to the end of 1974, around 6,500 officers and generals, as well as more than 4,500 soldiers and sergeants of the Russian armed forces visited the country as ‘advisors’. In addition, Russian military schools and academies trained more than 10,000 Vietnamese military personnel. Just 13 Soviet citizens lost their lives in the entire conflict, says Eko Planety.Soviet 'military experts': The Bigfoot sightings of the Vietnam War | SOFREPThe Rise of North Vietnam’s Air DefensesBY CARL O. SCHUSTERJUNE 2016 • HISTORYNET, VIETNAM, VIETNAM POINT OF VIEWOn Aug. 5, 1964, U.S. Navy aircraft struck four North Vietnamese torpedo boat bases and the fuel depot at Vinh, about 160 miles south of Hanoi. Two of the 64 aircraft were lost to anti-aircraft fire. Launched in retaliation for a torpedo boat attack on a U.S. destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2, Operation Pierce Arrow had the ostensible political purpose of demonstrating America’s strength to the North Vietnamese to deter further aggression and additional support for the insurgency in South Vietnam. But Hanoi’s leaders concluded the relatively small-scale response showed that American intervention would be constrained, not decisive. More important, it energized and unified Hanoi’s political leadership behind new party leader Lê Duẩn, who had taken power in January by marginalizing the Communist Party moderates led by Ho Chi Minh and General Võ Nguyên Giáp at a party meeting in December. Le Duan immediately ordered “resumption of armed struggle in South Vietnam” and requested assistance from North Vietnam’s two major allies, China and the Soviet Union. He put the military on a wartime footing on July 6 and mobilized all components of society for the coming war. That mobilization and support from other Communist countries enabled North Vietnam to build what would become the world’s strongest integrated air defense at the time.Beijing rushed aid to North Vietnam in early 1964. China’s backing came at a time of Sino-Soviet competition for leadership of the global Communist movement, and Moscow felt compelled to provide higher-technology sensors, better weapons and a larger training package than the Chinese were offering. The Soviets also sent more than 8,000 military advisers and technicians, who wore Vietnamese uniforms to hide their nationality. At the same time hundreds of Vietnamese were placed in Soviet military training schools. Additionally, Moscow shipped radars, anti-aircraft artillery and coastal defense equipment to Hanoi. Not to be outdone by its rival, Beijing accelerated the training program for the 30 North Vietnamese pilots who were being trained on Soviet-donated Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17s at China’s Son Dong Airfield since early 1963. China also donated training aircraft to Hanoi and initiated a training program for about another 200 pilots. Those pilots, however, were not expected to be ready for combat operations before late 1964 or early spring 1965.The Chinese and Soviet aid was vital for North Vietnam’s air defense forces. Although Hanoi had been improving its air defenses incrementally since 1957, the system was still grossly inadequate against a modern bombing campaign. To simplify air defense command and control, Hanoi combined the Air Defense Force, which managed ground-based anti-aircraft systems, and the North Vietnamese Air Force into one command on Oct. 23, 1963.Lyndon B. Johnson in March 1964At that time, Hanoi’s air defenses consisted of 22 search radars and a single Wurzburg fire-direction radar that Beijing had supplied in 1954 to control 16 batteries of World War II–era German 88mm anti-aircraft guns, supplied by the Soviets. The country’s 600 light anti-aircraft guns did not have radar fire control. Additionally, the air force had neither fighter interceptors nor qualified jet fighter pilots.The North Vietnamese Air Force, established in March 1956, had been constructed from literally nothing. Not many Vietnamese had even seen an airplane before the pilot training program began that year (indeed less than 10 percent had even seen a car). Hanoi sent 110 flight candidates to the Soviet Union that month and a similar number each year through 1962.The program initially suffered a high accident rate. Fewer than 1 in 5 trainees completed the basic instruction course in the Soviet Union, and only 30 achieved basic pilot qualification by late 1958 after two years of training. Hanoi also began to send small numbers of pilot candidates to China for training. Before 1962, however, most of the Chinese-trained pilots only qualified on transport or utility aircraft.By December 1959 Hanoi had 90 qualified pilots, although only about 40 were capable of flying jets. Hanoi established its first domestic flight training school that month, using Yak-18 aircraft. A year later, Hanoi had more than 140 qualified pilots, and it picked 82 for advanced jet fighter training—52 went to the Soviet Union and 30 to China.North Vietnam also lacked runways and maintenance support for air operations. It had only a handful of airfields, and a 1959 study found that just two could handle jets. In response, party leader Ho Chi Minh ordered an airfield expansion program that would construct 44 airfields by 1965. It was a massive project that employed more than 30,000 people, required over 200,000 cubic meters of concrete and involved moving nearly 1 million tons of earth.Like the pilot training program, the maintenance and logistics organization had to start from scratch. The country had only a dozen aircraft “technicians,” and their experience was limited to piston engines on World War II–era airframes. None qualified on jet engines. The first 200 aviation maintenance technicians were sent to Moscow for training in 1956 and became qualified on cargo and training aircraft by 1959. The best of those received additional training to work on jets.Despite North Vietnam’s commitment to pilot training, Hanoi never graduated more than 40 jet pilots a year, and the pilots didn’t receive their first fighters until February 1964. But those who completed the program were a highly motivated, deeply committed and hard-working group. One of the early fighter pilots, Nguyen Van Be, got the North Vietnamese Air Force’s first aerial kill while flying a former Laotian North American T-28—essentially an armed primary trainer—when he downed a South Vietnamese Fairchild C-123 Provider over Laos on Feb. 16, 1964.The Soviet Union had delivered the first 36 MiG-17 fighters, along with four MiG-15 UTI two-seat trainers, just 13 days earlier. Hanoi assigned them to its first fighter unit, the 921st Sao Dao Fighter Regiment, formed at Phúc Yên Air Base, also called Noi Bai Air Base, near Hanoi. The pilots immediately began familiarization training and the equivalent of Western aerial combat maneuvering exercises. A second fighter regiment, the 923rd, was forming in China and would arrive in September 1965, equipped with Soviet-built MiG-17s the pilots had trained on in China.Air defense command and control remained a problem even after the North Vietnamese Air Force had been incorporated into the combined air defense–air force organization. North Vietnam had no centralized air defense system. It possessed some World War II air-search radars—American-made for the anti-Communist Nationalist Party Chinese and then taken by the Communists after China’s 1949 revolution. But they were unreliable, short-range and almost useless during the frequent heavy rains. The primary air defense detection sensor was a network of 40 visual lookout posts that reported their observations to a “filter center” in Hanoi. The information was then sent to each district headquarters that controlled anti-aircraft weapons. The transmission method was telephone or Morse code.In November 1963 North Vietnam lacked the technological and industrial capacity to withstand a concentrated American bombing campaign. To alter that equation, Le Duan dispatched thousands of North Vietnamese to the Soviet Union to train on Soviet communications, electronics and weapons systems.Meanwhile, the country’s academics were pressed to learn everything they could about America’s culture, media, political system and military. English speakers were conscripted to teach the language to the most promising students. The program’s scale was immense, the instruction intense and demanding. By 1969 the very best were good enough to intrude into American communications and create convincing fake radio calls. Military intelligence pursued every possible source, both open and covert, to research America’s political processes and “way of war,” from military equipment to tactics and operations. Party officials and sympathizers were directed to make contact with Western media outlets and spokesmen.Le Duan also built upon Ho Chi Minh’s extensive effort to develop secure communications systems, ciphers and signals-monitoring equipment. He expanded research and production programs, pursued low-cost solutions to air defense problems and developed deception plans to complicate U.S. force deployment, targeting and battle damage assessment. To minimize the effects of American bombing, thousands of North Vietnamese were mobilized and trained, with Chinese assistance, to rapidly rebuild damaged roads, bridges and infrastructure.Recognizing that political warfare would play a critical role in the coming conflict, Le Duan incorporated it into air defense planning. He developed a strategy to not only reduce a U.S. bombing campaign’s effectiveness but also undermine confidence in that campaign. The ultimate goal was to diminish public support for it—in the international community as well as in the United States.Sino-Soviet aid accelerated after Operation Pierce Arrow. Anti-aircraft guns and ammunition constituted the bulk of the early Chinese and Soviet air defense assistance, a mixture of heavy (85-130mm), medium (57mm) and light (23mm) artillery with associated search and fire-control radars. The heavy artillery would harass the incoming flights, and the medium and light artillery would concentrate on the lead aircraft as the American planes approached their target. Hundreds of men and women, even high school students, entered air defense training in what the Vietnamese and their allies feared was a race against time.VA-146 A-4Cs from USS Constellation a week after Operation Pierce Arrow.But a massive U.S. attack after the Gulf of Tonkin incident wasn’t on the horizon in early 1964. It was an election year, and President Lyndon B. Johnson was worried that a comprehensive bombing campaign would hurt his re-election chances. He was also concerned about the conflict’s effect on his envisioned “Great Society” legislation establishing anti-poverty, civil rights and other domestic programs. Johnson left the planning for the bombing campaign to his key aides. His only guidance: Keep the costs down.President Johnson as he signs the resolution on August 10, 1964As Defense Secretary Robert McNamara interpreted the president’s instructions, the bombing missions should be conducted with the minimum forces required to persuade Hanoi to stop its aggression. McNamara placed little value on the recommendations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, feeling the military didn’t have the imagination to envision anything other than a total war. It did not help that each of the individual service chiefs favored a different tactic. Among the civilian leaders, Secretary of State Dean Rusk shared McNamara’s view and National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy favored an incremental approach, limiting the strikes at first to show Hanoi that the United States “was serious.”The deeply divided group presented Johnson with three choices: Option A, a large-scale campaign that would devastate North Vietnam; Option B, a short but intensive campaign of “swiftly yet deliberately applied” strikes on key targets to deliver a “hard knock” that would demonstrate the United States was serious; and Option C, a start-small, incremental approach. The president chose Option C on Dec. 1, 1964. The plan called for a series of strikes, starting against targets in Laos, then expanding into southern North Vietnam and finally going farther north if Hanoi did not cease its support to the Viet Cong.After the Viet Cong’s Feb. 7, 1965, attack on Pleiku in South Vietnam’s central region, Johnson at first responded with a limited retaliatory attack and then on February 24 approved what would become Operation Rolling Thunder , a three-year bombing campaign against North Vietnam. Fearful of triggering a world war or Chinese intervention, McNamara insisted on limiting where and when U.S. forces could attack various targets in specified geographic areas, and the president insisted that the civilian leadership control the selection of targets. The U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii nominated the targets. Then the Joint Chiefs culled them and selected the list that went to the president’s “Tuesday Cabinet,” a group of Johnson’s most trusted civilian advisers (McNamara, Rusk, Undersecretary of State George Ball, National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy, State Department adviser Walt Rostow and press secretary Bill Moyers). The Joint Chiefs chairman and the CIA director also attended. The target reviews initially took place daily but were changed to weekly by the summer of 1965.The operational planning went smoothly, although the intelligence support faced challenges. With concurrent demands to monitor Communist activities in Cuba and Eastern Europe, the intelligence community had few resources available to collect information about North Vietnam. Unlike Hanoi, Washington made only a small, primarily military-focused effort to learn about the enemy it was planning to engage. Publicly accessible and academic materials were all but ignored.The primary sources for U.S. knowledge of North Vietnam before 1965 were long-haul signals-intelligence monitoring, aerial reconnaissance flights and ship-borne electronics signal collection. The signals-intelligence personnel who deployed to South Vietnam in 1964 were drawn from European posts and augmented with South Vietnamese English speakers, some of whom later proved to be Viet Cong agents.Even with those problems and limited human sources in North Vietnam, all three major American intelligence agencies—the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the State Department’s Intelligence Bureau—issued assessments that bombing would not break Hanoi’s political will. After some weather-caused delays, Rolling Thunder began on March 2, 1965, with a strike on Xom Bang Ammunition Depot just north of the Demilitarized Zone. Five American aircraft were shot down. The number of enemy anti-aircraft weapons and the effectiveness of their fire came as a shock. American aircrews were not aware of North Vietnam’s air defense buildup.North Vietnam had spent the final months of 1964 stepping up its preparations for the American bombers. China delivered four Shenyang F-4s (MiG-15s) built under license from the Soviets) and 36 F-5s (MiG-17s) to Phuc Yen Air Base in late August 1964. China and North Vietnam also established a joint air warning system in September 1964, enabling Hanoi to monitor and identify air traffic over the Gulf of Tonkin and Laos. Hanoi had asked Moscow for surface-to-air missile systems, operators and trainers, and in September 1964 the Soviets agreed to provide the SAMs and personnel. The Soviets again wore Vietnamese uniforms to give Moscow plausible deniability about their presence in North Vietnam. The new arrivals operated the Soviet-supplied systems and trained Vietnamese air defense crews, radar operators, technicians and officers.By December 1964 North Vietnam had discarded all the World War II–era equipment and more than doubled its anti-aircraft batteries and radars. The number of radar and weapons sites was nearly double the amount of radars and weapons available to put in them. That enabled the air defense forces to move units, equipment and “dummy weapons” among the sites to complicate the targeting efforts of U.S. attackers. Gaps in the country’s radar coverage were shrinking rapidly as the number of radars increased and older radars gave way to modern ones.Hanoi completed the integration of its domestic air defense networks in January 1965, establishing their headquarters at Hanoi’s Bach Mai Airfield in a building near the air force headquarters. It originally contained two sections: the Air Situation Center, which received and processed air defense information, and the Air Weapons Control Staff, which resolved tracking ambiguities and coordinated the Air Defense Force’s engagement of enemy aircraft. The senior controller determined which air defense center would engage which targets. The signals-intelligence system fed critical information to the center about enemy aircraft activity and intentions. Fighter pilots were on alert to scramble when approaching enemy aircraft were about 90 miles from Hanoi.Outnumbered by a technologically superior opponent, the North Vietnamese Air Force intended to fight the equivalent of an aerial insurgency. Prolonged dogfights were to be avoided. Instead, pilots would intercept isolated U.S. aircraft when there was an opportunity for successful attack and escape. In the preferred tactic, an “intercept flight” of North Vietnamese planes attacked, while a similar-size “covering flight” protected the interceptors from American fighter escorts. The MiGs were prohibited from flying into designated anti-aircraft or SAM engagement zones, a rule that proved very hard to obey in the fast-moving tactical environment.Hanoi’s allies and intelligence services were structured to give the country’s air defenders the best possible battle space awareness. Covert intelligence agents were to infiltrate American air bases in South Vietnam, while observation and listening posts were positioned near U.S. air bases in Thailand and Laos to report flights crossing into Laos. Beijing and Moscow also agreed to provide intelligence about U.S. carrier aircraft operations in the South China Sea. North Vietnamese signals sites were directed to report key allied aircraft communications via land line to the Air Filtering Center and appropriate ground-control intercept stations. The goal was to ensure North Vietnam’s pilots had all the information they needed to execute their hit-and-run intercept tactics.The North’s intelligence preparations were much better than the support planned for the first American aircrews to fly over North Vietnam. American signals intelligence coverage, particularly electronic intelligence, was limited to a handful of Air Force Douglas EB-66B Destroyer light bombers, the Marines Douglas EF-10 Skynight fighters and the Navy’s Douglas EA-1 Skyraider attack aircraft and EA-3 Skywarrior bomber. The only American radar coverage of North Vietnamese air space for most of Rolling Thunder’s first year came from Monkey Mountain just outside Da Nang, Navy ships and carrier-based Grumman E-1 Tracer airborne early warning planes.Monkey Mountain’s radar and signals-intelligence coverage was limited to about 80 miles north of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. The Navy’s radars, designed for detecting targets over water, were not effective in tracking low-flying targets that were moving over jungle or had mountainous terrain in the background. The radar coverage reliably penetrated only about 35 miles inland. Lacking the sophisticated radars of today, U.S. Navy and Air Force planes operating over North Vietnam had only the eyes of their pilots and crew. They were on their own.The U.S. Air Force had two ground-based signals intelligence intercept sites at Da Nang, South Vietnam -- one at the air base and another, pictured here, on nearby “Monkey Mountain” (Sơn Trà Mountain).Meanwhile, Hanoi’s leaders had mobilized their entire nation for a war effort that incorporated the conflict’s political as well as military dimensions. North Vietnam’s air defense plans, operations and tactics were an integral component of that war effort. Recognizing that it could neither prevent nor defeat an American bombing campaign militarily, Hanoi assigned key objectives to its Air Defense Force in accordance with Lê Duẩn’s strategic vision: thwart U.S. plans for using air power to force Hanoi to abandon its goal of conquering South Vietnam, and disrupt American bomb runs to decrease their accuracy while inflicting losses sufficient enough to undermine America’s political will.As Johnson’s January 1965 inauguration approached, North Vietnamese leaders felt they were a year away from being ready to withstand a major American bombing campaign. Much remained to be done. Pilots and ground-based controllers that guided the fighters to their targets were just beginning to practice their tactics. The support procedures for signals intelligence were only then being worked out. The anti-aircraft gun crews were honing their skills on the newly arriving weapons, and Soviet air defense personnel were starting to arrive in-country. The soon-to-be-famous SA-2 SAM had been selected but were weeks away from delivery and months away from being operationally ready. Air defense equipment and weaponry was arriving daily but the training program was far from complete. North Vietnamese leaders were particularly worried about the potential American deployment of Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers in the campaign because they had no weapons systems that could engage them, though their Soviet allies and media reports indicated that their concern was misplaced.SA-2 SAMNorth Vietnamese leaders entered 1965 confident in their preparations and strategy. Ten years later their military would enter Saigon and take complete control of South Vietnam. The air war strategy was a major contributor to that success. VCarl O. Schuster is a retired Navy captain with 25 years of service. He finished his career as an intelligence officer. Schuster, who lives in Honolulu, is a teacher in Hawaii Pacific University’s Diplomacy and Military Science program.List of aircraft losses of the Vietnam War - Wikipedia

Steve Miller, Copyright (c) 2016I have been a military service advisor/mentor for the past 15 years working with local high school and junior college career counseling offices. I developed a unique way for prospective enlistees & officer candidates to keep the recruiters at arms length until you have a better idea of what your interests are. Let's face it: recruiters are there to "sell" their service branch and certain career options based on the needs of their branch. That's not a bad thing; it is just a better enlistee/candidate experience if you know the right questions to ask before walking into the recruiting office.The basis of my assessment method is determining which branch - Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, Army or Marine Corps - appeals to you at the base level of why they exist and how you fit in. When I say "fit in" I am referring to the fact that each of the five services is responsible for protecting this country, with force-of-arms, if necessary. Most people don't join the service motivated purely on being in lethal combat or a law enforcement action. But, IF it were to come down to that, ask yourself, "If I had to fight or become involved in a deadly law enforcement scenario, which service branch most closely resonates with my preference in doing just that?" Sure, all service branches need supply depot clerks; but, "if I had to take arms one day, do I want to do that as a Coast Guardsman, a sailor, an airman, a soldier or a Marine?" At a base level...at the warrior level, if need be, how do I see myself defending our country?" Remember, the majority of service career choices are common to all branches. Getting the right service branch selection for you, is the first step. Pasted below is some of my introductory information package I give to those inquiring about military service.A word of caution: What I've pasted below normally consumes 56 pages of an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper...there's a LOT of material here! When I first researched and wrote this document, it consumed about 120 manhours. I update the material every couple of years. My disclaimer is: I do not revise this material every time something changes. That being said, the intent of this material is to generally educate young adults about military service (including the Coast Guard) to help them understand their own interests and aspirations without a service branch recruiter (read: Salesman) trying to steer you toward their branch and an occupation they may have manpower shortages in. Lastly, after noting my word of caution and disclaimer about the below information not being part of an official DOD publication, there's no need for someone to contact me in an effort to dispute or provide a content update. This information is solely for the enlightenment of potential military service candidates, and is not for official use.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------U.S. MILITARY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIESCommissioned OfficersAll branches of the military offer opportunities to become a commissioned officer. This includes the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Except in very unusual and rare circumstances, current government policy requires a commissioned officer to have a four-year college degree.The term “commission” is an old-fashioned one from 400+ years ago that came about as countries became civilized, legal entities with armies and navies. Anyone could declare themselves to be a leader of some unofficial band of soldiers, sailors or war fighters. Eventually it became an issue of what leaders or self-declared officers over an unofficial army were acting on behalf of a sovereign country’s political leader (king, queen, prime minister, president, etc) on an authorized basis, or not. To settle whether a military leader actually had the legal right or authority to act on the behalf of a sovereign country, the political leader would issue a written and signed “commission” giving the said person the right and responsibility to legally act as a military leader on that country’s behalf. In the U.S, officers still receive a signed commission letter from the President.Roughly half of all active-duty U.S. military officers are commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps, which is composed of small training programs at several hundred American universities. Many state-owned universities originally came to be when U.S. Gov’t land & money was given to build the university. These schools are unofficially known as “Land Grant Universities,” and the contract deeding the land specified the school must carry at least one ROTC program as long as the school existed as a public institution. Officers may also be commissioned at Officer Candidate Schools run by the service branches after graduating from a university. The various Officer Candidate Schools commission approximately 700 second lieutenants and ensigns each year during peacetime. Graduates from the service academies are commissioned immediately upon graduation; credentialed civilian professionals such as scientists, pharmacists, nurses, doctors, physician assistants, pastors, and lawyers are also directly commissioned upon entry into the military or another federal uniformed service.In all service branches, the incoming professional-level officers normally start out at a higher rank. Doctors and lawyers usually start out as O-3 Lieutenants (Navy or USCG) or Captains (Army, USAF, Marines.) The services have no interest in developing these individual’s military skills or leadership ability. They’re needed for the skills they spent so many years in school learning. The higher rank is given because they generally have more than a four-year college degree, and had they started out in the military as O-1’s after obtaining their four-year degree they’d be an O-3 by this time anyway. If they started as O-1’s in a high demand career field, it would be like the military penalized them for going the extra mile to get the necessary education to do their jobs. The higher rank also pays them more money in recognition that by serving their country, they are foregoing the opportunity to earn BIG money as a civilian professional.When deciding to join the military, and you are considering whether to become a commissioned officer, warrant officer or enlisted non-commissioned officer, the first major hurdle you must deal with is whether you intend to obtain a four-year college education, or not. If not, then regardless any other career aspirations, you should NOT be setting your sights on becoming a commissioned officer. Less than 1% of newly commissioned officers are non-degreed. Generally, for a non-degreed person to receive a commission, it’s totally based on the military’s overriding need for your expertise, regardless how badly you want to be an officer.Branch mission. Before deciding to become a commissioned officer, warrant officer or enlisted non-commissioned officer (NCO), you should decide which service branch has an overall mission philosophy that is compatible with you. In other words, how does that branch contribute to the fight? How do you want to serve your country? The following commentary has more for some branches, less for others. No branch has the best philosophy; they all have good points. But, which is right for you?Marine Corps. Primarily ground combat, trained for deployment via Navy ships, with limited combat aviation – predominantly for commissioned officers. The main philosophy of the Marine Corps is everyone – officers, enlisted, male, female, pilots or infantrymen – is a rifleman; meaning you’re a ground combat fighter, first; and your career occupation is second. This means that in the Marine Corps everyone is required to be trained and certified as an infantryman before they receive any other skills training. The Marine Corps believes that when the going gets tough, and a 100% effort is needed from everyone, whether you are a financial accountant or a fighter pilot, no one is a liability in the fight – everyone has the skill to pick-up a gun and join the battle to swing the outcome to our favor. The Marine Corps has the least and newest special operations forces capability. Although the Marines are probably the best trained “first-in” light infantry in the world, and aside from the “everyone’s a rifleman,” philosophy, the Corps has many similar occupational specialties to the other services. If your desire is not to fly, not be in special operations, or other unique jobs, but you want to focus on being the best, most feared combat warrior, officer or enlisted, and want to challenge yourself to see if you have the physical and mental toughness to be “first-in,” then the Marine Corps is the place to be. This is entirely admirable and fine. If, however, you want other types of work, or want skills that have better translation to a civilian job later on, the other services probably have more opportunities.U.S. Navy. Primarily waterborne, or ocean combat aboard ships, with moderate combat aviation for commissioned officers and enlisted NCOs; except for less than ½ percent of Navy personnel, like the SEALs, there’s no ground combat.Air Force. Primarily combat aviation for commissioned officers and enlisted NCOs; no waterborne combat; except for less than ½ percent of Air Force personnel, like Combat Controllers, Pararescue Jumpers and a few others, no ground combat. USAF is the only service branch which doesn’t use the Warrant Officer rank category at all.U.S. Army. Primarily ground combat, with moderate combat aviation for commissioned officers, warrant officers and enlisted NCOs in helicopters only; except for Coast Guard, all branches have some special operations forces, with Army having the most opportunity for special operations force work, mostly in ground combat situations & some helicopter ops.Coast Guard. Primarily waterborne, or ocean combat aboard ships – usually closer to shore, with a modest amount of aviation (99% of aviation is NOT in a combat environment) for commissioned officers and enlisted NCOs; except for a small percentage of Coast Guard personnel involved in harbor security or boarding hostile vessels, no ground (person-to-person) combat; Coast Guard is predominantly a preventive service branch, or one called on for maritime emergencies. CG probably gets to do more of its regular mission on a daily basis than the other branches. Unless there’s combat (potential combat) or a secret operation occurring somewhere, most military branches are conducting a lot of training missions. A few more philosophies of the USCG that makes them unique: Under Federal law – the Posse Comitatis Act – U.S. armed forces are not permitted to function in a law enforcement capacity on American soil, unless authorized by the President. The USCG is the one exception to the rule: they are a military service, but also have law enforcement authority. USCG officers and enlisted NCOs have far less job specialization that any other military branch. For example, to maintain a helicopter the Navy and Air Force will likely have nine or ten different job specialties to do the work. The CG will have three: an engine mechanic; an electronic technician and a crew chief to do everything else. The CG believes in providing their guardsmen with extensive, multi-system training with a broad level of responsibility. The CG also believes in assigning leadership duties early and often in a guardsman’s career; even NCOs. A good example is commanding an 82 ft USCG cutter patrol boat. In the Navy this vessel would have a commissioned officer billeted as the Commanding Officer, likely a Lt., Junior Grade; with another officer, an Ensign, assigned as 2nd in command (called Executive Officer – XO). In the CG, an 82 ft cutter is commanded by either a Master Chief or Senior Chief Petty Officer (paygrade E-9 and E-8, respectively), both are enlisted NCO grades. Lastly, USCG is a HUGE sponsor for teamwork. On a cutter, for example, if you as the lowest ranking enlisted crewman believes the boat is about to do something unsafe, guardsmen are taught and encouraged to speak-up and voice their opinions.Leadership. If you get a 4-year college degree and desire early leadership opportunities that will continue throughout your career with higher-level opportunities and a desire to make above average income, then you should become a commissioned officer. Although important leadership opportunities will occur as a warrant officer or enlisted NCO, it won’t be early in your career. Serious leadership duties as a warrant or NCO are not likely to occur until five or six years after joining. Another aspect to keep in mind as a commissioned officer is the fact that some career fields may keep you more focused for a longer period in purely the technical aspects of your job (like being an accountant, computer programmer or doctor), but ALL commissioned officers, by the nature of the military, are going to be pushed into unavoidable leadership duties at some point, whether they want it or not.Flying Duty. If you have a desire to fly in the military as a Pilot, and intend to make a career of the military, and want to make above average income, then go for being a commissioned officer. There are commissioned officer Pilot opportunities in all five military branches. Note that the Coast Guard is currently only accepting commissioned officer Pilots that earned their Pilot wings in another military branch first. Keep in mind that flying military aircraft, especially in combat, is a young person’s game. Although you may be able to maintain the extra level of health & fitness to hold the required flying status medical clearance as you get into your 40’s and 50’s, the reality is that after 20 years as a commissioned officer on flying status, your leadership duties will afford you less and less time to fly. Some flying officers eventually find themselves still capable of doing their leadership work, but are unable to obtain a flying medical clearance and are permanently grounded.Two final notes on flying duty. Many commissioned officers desire to be on flying status, hoping to be a Pilot. At the beginning of your flying career, Pilots (except Army helicopters) are required to have near perfect vision. Some branches don’t allow pilots to have anything except uncorrected 20/20 vision and no corrective surgery, like LASIK, is allowed. Some will allow uncorrected vision up to 20/40. Years later, however, a pilot can get a medical waiver if they require glasses, but not an unlimited correction. If you don’t have the necessary vision starting out, you can become a non-pilot officer aviator such as an Air Force Combat Systems Officer (CSO) or Naval Flight Officer (NFO) or other non-pilot flying duties. There’s also the reality that NOT everyone is cut out to be a pilot, and some young officers are unable to make it through pilot training due to lack of skill/aptitude. Generally, pilot school washouts have already had considerable government time & money invested in their schooling and it makes sense to convert them to a non-pilot rating such as a CSO or NFO. If you washout from CSO/NFO school, you’re going to have to take a non-flying job for a few years and hope to re-apply down-the-road.In the Army, there is always a high demand for helicopter pilots. Rather than overloading the Army with thousands of extra commissioned officers to fly helicopters and clog the officer promotion pipeline, the Army predominantly assigns helicopters to be flown by Warrant Officers. This allows the WOs to focus on only flying helicopters for their career; there is only limited need or opportunity to move into leadership duties. Warrant Officer pay is close to the same level as a commissioned officer up to about 15 years or so time-in-service. A WO at 15 years would be topped-out as a W-5 Chief WO. An Army commissioned officer at 15 years would likely be a Lt. Colonel (O-5). In a nutshell, if all you care about really is just being a pilot and making decent money, and don’t desire high-level leadership responsibility in your career, become an Army WO pilot.Commissioned Officers starting pay in 2012 is about $3,100/month. Four-star Generals or Admirals (officer level O-10) with 26 years of service make about $16,000/monthWarrant Officers. (depending on the particular WO program, there may be a need for a minimum two years of college) Although everyone has very different interests in life, some of which could be fulfilled by becoming a Warrant Officer directly from civilian life, most “civvies” will know so little of military career opportunities that there’s not much sense to join a military branch from civilian life to become a WO, unless you want to fly Army helicopters. As a civilian, you would have to be pretty mature, educated and done considerable personal research to determine there was a civilian-direct opportunity to join-up as a WO in some other career field…this is an unlikely scenario.A “Warrant Officer” is a technically focused, single specialty officer – helicopter pilots and computer programmers in the US Army, for example. They are given salutes and they are addressed as Mister, Miss, Misses, Sir, Ma'am, or Chief. There are no Warrant Officers in the U.S. Air Force; but each of the other U.S. Armed Forces have Warrant Officers – though each warrant officer promotion program is unique to the individual service's needs. Warrant Officers are appointed by a written letter (called a “warrant”) issued by the service secretary of their branch of service. Upon being promoted to Chief Warrant Officer, however, Warrant Officers of the US military receive a commission from the President of the United States, and have all the rights and privileges of commissioned officers, although they are paid a little bit less than regular commissioned officers. In the United States military, Warrant and Commissioned Officers are the only officers allowed to command units. The Army, by far, has more Warrant Officer opportunities than any other service branch.Warrant Officers starting pay in 2010 is about $3,000/month. The highest Warrant Officers (level W-5) with 26 years of service make about $8,800/month.ARMY HELICOPTER PILOT WARRANT OFFICER PROGRAM(Note: If you have a college degree and desire to fly Army helicopters, you also have the option to join as a commissioned officer candidate. You should only do this if you desire to assume leadership duties, in addition to flying) Women are encouraged to apply.“High School to Flight School” Program (most WO pilot candidates from the day they enter basic training to the point they graduate flight school as a WO1 with their wings, is one year. Once you have your wings, you are required to remain in the Army for four more years minimum) Also note that should it happen that after joining up to be a WO pilot, you cannot make it through pilot training due to lack of skill/aptitude, most Army WO contracts will specify that the Army can and will re-assign you to a non-flying, enlisted military occupational specialty (MOS). Although the Army always has significant demand for MOS 11B (pronounced “eleven bravo”), Infantryman, and you could end up there, the fact is the Army has already invested upwards of $100,000 in your education as an aviator and does not want to casually throw away all that money. Unless you washed-out of pilot training for breaking the rules or doing something stupid, it’s likely the Army may want to transfer you into a 15-series enlisted aviation MOS, which is a helicopter crew chief. A 15M is a crew chief on the UH-1 Huey; a 15T is a crew chief on the HH-60 Blackhawk and a 15U is crew chief on the HH-47 Chinook. By far, Blackhawks are the most numerous aircraft in the Army. In that job you’d still get to fly as a crewman; but, you’d also be the primary technician responsible for certain, common helicopter maintenance & repairs. As a crew chief, the helicopter you are assigned to essentially becomes “your bird.” Anyplace that chopper goes in the world, no matter who the pilots are, you always go with your bird wherever she goes. Be careful though; as there are two attack helicopters that also have crew chief MOS; but the crew chiefs don’t fly on those birds – it’s two pilots only. (the two choppers that are built with no provision for the crew chief to fly are the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, and the OH-58 Kiowa) You may also be able to convince someone to allow you to become a candidate for Special Forces or Ranger training, if you washout of warrant officer helicopter training. Washing-out of pilot training may seem like the end of the world, but don’t accept being sent over to the least technically-skilled occupation of 11B Infantryman.Minimum requirements for incoming Warrant Officer Helicopter Pilot School:1. Be at least 18 years old, but not more than 33;2. Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery = test score in the General Technical area of 110 or better.3. Score 90 or higher on the Flight Aptitude Selection Test (scores less than 90 can re-test once after 6 month wait) Request Army Pamphlet 611-256-2 to learn more about FASTa. FAST is a timed, 200 question test that rates your special aptitude to become a pilot. There’s no way someone can answer all questions in the allotted time. Answer as many as you can, but don’t guess, as some wrong answers will subtract from your score of correct answers. You will not pass this test unless you have done some studying about helicopters or have worked on them at least to some degree. The point here is: If you’re the average young kid that thinks it would be cool to fly a helicopter, but knows nothing about them and has not made any effort at all to read-up about them, you are not likely going to pass. Recruiters will help you on this; it does not help their recruiting quota at all to give you the FAST, and then you flunk. Study materials are listed below. The test has seven categories, as follows:i. Your personal background, 25 questions, 10 minii. Flight instrument comprehension test, 15 questions, 5 miniii. Complex movements test (test your ability to judge distance and visual motion, 30 questions, 5 miniv. Helicopter knowledge test, 20 questions, 10 minv. Cyclic orientation test (cyclic is the control stick that determines helicopter’s direction of movement), 15 questions, 5 minvi. Mechanical functions test, 20 questions, 10 minvii. Self-description form (things about your likes, dislikes and interests), 75 questions, 25 minb. Suggested reading list to prep for FASTi. Advisory Circular (AC) 61-13B, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Basic Helicopter Handbook. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, DC 20402.ii. Field Manual (FM) 1-51, Department of the Army, Rotary Wing Flight. 8 DA PAM 611–256–2 • 01 March 1987iii. St. John, Clark, Airline Pilot Employment Test Guide. California: Aviation Book Company, 1973. Aviation Book Company, PO Box 4187, Glendale, CA 91202.iv. Saunders, G.H., Dynamics of Helicopter Flight, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1975. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 3rd Avenue, New York, New York 10016.v. Tower, Merrill E., Flight Facts for Private Pilots. Aero Publications, 1971. Aero Publications, 329 W. Aviation Road, Fallbrook, CA 92028.vi. Misenhimer, T. G., Aeroscience, California: Aero Products Research, Inc., 1976. Aero Products Research, 11201 Hendry Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90045.4. Correctable vision no worse than 20/505. Complete 9 weeks enlisted basic training and 6 weeks WO candidate school.6. Interviewed by an Army Aviator in the rank of CW3-5 or Major and above. If the unit commander or above is a field grade aviator, the aviator interview may be part of the commander's endorsement. In this case, the commander's endorsement must contain the same statement required for the aviator interview. Use a memorandum format and start with the statement I have interviewed (your name) and find (he/she) has the needed personal characteristics, motivation, physical stamina, and qualifications to be appointed a U.S. Army Reserve warrant officer and appears acceptable for selection into the WOFT program as a warrant officer candidate. Applicants from other military services may be interviewed by a field grade aviator from their branch of service if an Army aviator is not readily available. Army aviators will conduct the interviews whenever possible.AIR FORCE COMMISSIONED OFFICER OPPORTUNITIESUnless you participated in the ROTC program during your four years of college or went to one of the service academies (USAF, Navy, Army, Coast Guard), you will need to spend three months upon joining at Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Maxwell AFB, AL before you are commissioned as a 2nd Lt. For most high-skill officer job codes (i.e.; pilots, CSOs, etc), from the day you start OCS until all schooling is completed and you report to your first duty assignment, is about two years. Other jobs have excellent schooling – it just takes less time to complete training.Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT)If in ROTC or a service academy, and you plan to become an AF officer, you will have had the AFOQT administered to you sometime during your four years of college. If you’re coming to USAF as a civilian, you will need to take the test. The AFOQT measures aptitudes used to select candidates for officer commissioning programs and specific commissioned officer training programs. The test consists of 16 subtests. Subtest scores are combined to generate one or more of the five composite scores used to help predict success in certain types of Air Force training programs. Each category has a max score of 99. When entering the AF via ROTC or a service academy, your AFOQT can be lower, since the two programs have already had sufficient opportunity to assess your skills & aptitude, and whether you’re a “keeper” or not . A civilian with no military background is an unknown quantity who has never done anything where a training officer has evaluated your skills in various areas. Because of this unknown situation, your AFOQT score requirements are going to be higher than an Air Force Academy or ROTC graduate. Noted below are scores for an incoming civilian. The five score areas are:1. Pilot Score (min 25 or higher to become a pilot)2. Non-Pilot Flyer Score [i.e.; Combat Systems Officer, etc] (min 25 or higher to become a non-pilot flyer)3. Academic Score (min 50)4. Verbal Score (min 40)5. Quantitative Score (min 35)Minimum service commitment: after graduation from all training and you are sent to 1st duty station, USAF requires an 8 year commitment for pilots and a 6 year commitment for all other officers. Simply put, if you want to be a pilot, then from the day you join, go thru two years of schooling, then 8 years of active duty, you will have over 10 years invested. Unless you really dislike the military, getting out after 10 years is kind of foolish. With 20 years of service, you can retire at 50% pay for the rest of your life, and will still be young enough to go do something else as a civilian. At 10 years, you’re half-way there!13DXA – COMBAT RESCUE OR 13DXB – SPECIAL TACTICS OFFICERNote: this officer career field is not to be confused with a new officer career field entitled, “Combat Systems Officer (CSO). The CSO career was announced in 2009, and newly commissioned 2nd LTs began training for this job in 2010. More to be said later in the proper context.(only since about 2005 has USAF had a separate career field for officer leaders in Combat Rescue or Special Tactics. Prior to that time, starting at the lowest USAF unit organization of Operating Location, and then progressively upward to Detachments, Flights, Squadrons and so on, officers leading these units were usually pilots or other flyer (i.e.; Navigator, et al) who went to a few extra schools, but no actual field experience in these occupations. Now there’s dedicated job codes that allow an officer to pursue this as a long-term career choice)Duties and Responsibilities:Plans missions and manages Para-Rescue (PR), SERE, and control of the aerospace interface in objective areas. Supports joint and combined forces engaged in conventional and special operations air, ground, and maritime military operations. Advises on readiness of forces based on force status reports, inspections, training exercise and evaluation results. Coordinates, plans, and conducts PR missions, emergency trauma care, movement and medical evaluation of personnel.Ensures PR activities are organized, and teams and units are trained and equipped to perform the full spectrum of Air Force and joint PR. Inspects and evaluates PR activities, functions, and personnel.Coordinates, plans and conducts reconnaissance, surveillance and terminal control. Conducts reconnaissance, surveillance, survey or assessments of potential objective airfields and assault zones.Provides air traffic control (ATC) services for expeditionary airfields and assault zones. Ensures safe, orderly, and expeditious air traffic flow in and around the terminal area. Provides terminal attack control (TAC) for Air Force, joint and coalition strike and bomber aircraft. Establishes command and control communications. Provides limited weather observations. Gathers and reports intelligence information. Removes obstacles or unexploded ordnance with demolitions, and provides and enables operational interface between aerospace assets and surface forces.Ensures special tactics (ST) teams are organized, trained, and equipped to perform reconnaissance terminal control.Specialty Qualifications:Knowledge. The following knowledge is mandatory for award of the AFSC indicated:13D3X. (THIS KNOWLEDGE REQ’D FOR BOTH JOBS) Maps and charts; command and control principles and procedures; combat search and rescue principles and procedures; flight characteristics of aircraft; communications, signaling devices, and tactical communications procedures; personal protection and sustenance; rough terrain movement and mountain or adverse terrain recoveries and technical rescue, survival techniques; small unit tactics and field leadership; evasion. Employment methods to include fast rope, rope ladder, hoist, and rappelling; overland movement; amphibious operations to include scuba infiltration; and parachuting operations to include static-line and military free-fall parachuting procedures.13D3A. (THIS KNOWLEDGE REQ’D FOR JUST COMBAT RESCUE) Rescue and recovery operations planning; global SERE and PR principles, procedures, and techniques including rescue and emergency parachuting; evasion and assisted evasion; nuclear, chemical, and biological survival; resistance to exploitation; prisoner of war communications; escape from captivity; physiology and psychology of survival; land and water navigation and travel; assisted recovery mechanisms; post egress, recovery, and life support equipment; rough terrain movement and mountain and adverse terrain recoveries and technical rescue; and underwater search and recovery and para-scuba.13D3B. (THIS KNOWLEDGE REQ’D FOR JUST SPECIAL TACTICS) ATC principles, procedures, and regulations; navigational aids and systems; International Civil Aviation Organization and Federal Aviation Administration regulations; meteorology; demolition to clear obstructions and hazards; terminal attack control operations; Foreign Internal Defense operations; counter-terrorism operations; and special reconnaissance missions.Education. For entry into this specialty, undergraduate academic specialization in a technical discipline with courses in administration and management is desirable.Training. Completion of the following training courses is mandatory for award of the AFSC indicated:13D3X (courses common to both suffixes):Combat Diver Qualification.Airborne (Parachutist).Military Freefall Parachutist.Combat Survival Training.Underwater Egress.13D3A: COMBAT RESCUE SCHOOLINGPararescue Indoctrination Course.S-V90-A Water Survival.S-V81-A Survival Familiarization Phase.Evasion Phase.Joint Airborne Command and Control Course.Emergency Medical Technician, Basic.Pararescue Course.13D3B: SPECIAL TACTICS SCHOOLINGCombat Control School.Special Tactics Advance Skills Training Program (includes Combat Diver Qualifications, Military Free-fall Parachutist, and Personnel Recovery 101).Air Traffic Control School.Experience. The following experience, excluding the training identified in paragraph 3, is mandatory for award of the AFSC indicated. (THIS MEANS THAT FOR THE 1ST YEAR AFTER ALL YOUR SCHOOLING IS COMPLETE, YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED TO WORK AS A JUNIOR-LEVEL MAN DOING THE ACTUAL DAY-TO-DAY WORK OF AN ENLISTED PJ OR CCT. SO, IF YOU HAVE A BIG EGO THAT THINKS BECAUSE YOU’RE AN OFFICER AND YOU OUGHT TO BE IN-CHARGE, YOU SHOULD NOT JOIN THIS CAREER FIELD.)13D3A. A minimum of 12 months of experience in rescue or recovery mission assignments.13D3B. A minimum of 12 months of experience in special tactics assignments and certification as a combat controller.11XXX - PILOTS (first two numbers in job code are for the job type, in this case “pilot.” The 3rd placeholder in the job code indicates what kind of a pilot, such as “B” for bomber pilot, of “F” for fighter pilot. The 4th placeholder in the job code denotes the codes listed below. Lastly, since every aircraft is different, a 5th placeholder designates the type of aircraft you are qualified to operate) Women encouraged to apply.AFSC 11X4X, StaffAFSC 11X3X, Aircraft CommanderAFSC 11X2X, Qualified Pilot/CopilotAFSC 11X1X, Entry/StudentDuties and Responsibilities:Plans and prepares for mission. Reviews mission tasking, intelligence, and weather information. Supervises mission planning, preparation, filing a flight plan, and crew briefing. Ensures aircraft is preflighted, inspected, loaded, equipped, and manned for mission.Pilots aircraft and commands crew. Operates aircraft controls and equipment. Performs, supervises, or directs navigation, and primary mission purpose of aircraft.Conducts or supervises training of crewmembers. Ensures operational readiness of crew by conducting or supervising mission specific training.Develops plans and policies, monitors operations, and advises commanders. Assists commanders and performs staff functions related to this specialty.Knowledge. Knowledge is mandatory of theory of flight, air navigation, meteorology, flying directives, aircraft operating procedures, and mission tactics.Education. For entry into this specialty, undergraduate degree specializing in physical sciences, mathematics, administration, or management is desirable.Training. (USAF & Navy/Marine Corps use the same introductory flight training concept. The AF sends pilot-students to Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training with a common syllabus the 1st six months, then split-out to four specialized tracks for final six months. The Navy calls the 1st six month segment “Intermediate Flight Training,” and the 2nd segment is called “Advanced Flight Training.” Keep in mind that you still have another year of flight training before you are fully qualified in your assigned aircraft and arrive at your first duty station to begin your career. It’ll be another six months after that before your squadron certifies you as fully mission capable.• Introductory flight training. The program consists of 25 hours of hands-on flying for ROTC or Officer Training School graduates who don’t already have a civilian pilot’s license. Civilian flight instructors teach the introductory course using a small, single-engine, propeller-driven plane. You must fly solo at least once before you’ve reached the 17th hour of required flying time. You’ll also receive 25 hours of classroom instruction in flight techniques.• Specialized undergraduate pilot training. This year-long program consists of 10-to-12-hour days that include classroom instruction, simulator training and flying. You’ll learn basic flight skills common to all military pilots at one of three places: Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, or Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Next, you’ll follow one of four advanced training tracks based on your class standing and learn how to fly a specific type of aircraft.Graduating pilots from UPT are given an opportunity to select the aircraft they will be assigned to and qualified on based on their class rank at graduation. The pilot graduating as # 1, gets first choice, and so on. One qualifier on this: Choice of aircraft is based on the assignment availability from USAF military personnel center. For example: a graduating class may have 25 students, so the personnel center will send a list to the instructor with 25 assignments. The list may contain two F-15 fighter slots, three F-16 fighter slots, eight C-130 airlift slots, six C-17 jet airlift slots, one B-2 Spirit bomber slot, two HH-60 helicopter slots, one KC-135 tanker slot and two E-3 Sentry command & control slots. You may have had a desire to be a pilot on another plane, but these were the only slots offered to your class, so that’s all you get until 2-3 years later when you can apply to transfer. Also, the lower your class rank, the greater likelihood you may not be able to choose your favorite aircraft because the higher ranking students already took the available slots for that plane.11AX - AIRLIFT PILOTSpecialty Shredouts (5th placeholder):A...C-5 Galaxy (biggest plane in world)B...C-9C...C-12D...C-17 Globemaster III (newest jet transport)E...C-20/C-37F...C-21G...VC-25 “Air Force One”H...C-26J....C-27K...C-130 Hercules (longest continuously produced plane in history – 50+ years)L...C-32/C-135/C-13711BX - BOMBER PILOTA...B-1B LancerB...B-2 SpiritC...B-52H Stratofortress11FX - FIGHTER PILOTB - A-10 Thunderbolt IIF - F-15 EagleG - F-15E Strike EagleH - F-16 Fighting Falcon (most numerous, most versatile, most nimble)J - F-22 RaptorM - F-117 Stealth Fighter11HX - HELICOPTER PILOT (note: USAF/Navy train their helicopter pilots to fly fixed-wing aircraft first. Army helicopter pilots do not receive any fixed-wing training)A...HH-1H HueyB....UH-1H HueyC....UH-1N HueyD...HH-3 Jolly Green GiantE....HH-60 Blackhawk11RX - RECONNAISSANCE/SURVEILLANCE/ELECTRONIC WARFARE PILOTA.....E-3 SentryB.... E-4 NightwatchC....EC-130 Commando SoloD...HC-130H Combat SpearE....WC-130 Hurricane ChaserF....EC-135 Looking GlassG...RC-135 Rivet JointH ...WC/OC-135 Constant Phoenix, JTR-1, (U-2 Dragon Lady)L.... E-8 J-STARS11SX - SPECIAL OPERATIONS PILOT (not available to new pilots)B....MH-60 Pave HawkC....AC-130H SpectreD...AC-130U Spooky IIE....HC-130P Combat ShadowF....MC-130E Combat Talon IG...MC-130H Combat Talon II, CV-22B Osprey11TX - TANKER PILOTA...KC-10 ExtenderB....KC-135 Stratotanker12XXX – COMBAT SYSTEMS OFFICER (CSO) (women encouraged to apply) Note: In 2009 USAF announced the CSO career field would take over and occupy the specialty codes and duties formerly known as “Navigator.” Going back to WW II, the Army Air Force had the Pilot career field, and then any other flying rated officer whom was not a Pilot, was in the “Navigator” career field. Large, Air Force aircraft in WW II such as the B-17, B-24, B-25, B-26 and B-29 bombers carried two Pilots and two Navigator rated officers. At that time, non-Pilot flying officers were classed as Navigators, or they may have received additional training to become a Bombardier. Navigators and/or Bombardiers entered the career field for many decades by three means: 1.) After taking & passing the flight aptitude test, the candidate directly requested Navigator training; 2.) Same as #1, however, the candidate did not have uncorrected 20/20 vision, which is not allowed for Pilot trainees, or; 3.) A pilot candidate washed-out of Pilot training at a later stage where the military had already invested much time and money and the best return-value was to transfer the flight student to Nav/Bomb conversion training. In 1970s additional officer level flying status jobs appeared that were non-pilots, and served aboard large, intelligence gathering aircraft, such as the RC-135 ELINT/COMINT reconnaissance platforms. The Air Force quickly recognized that Nav/Bomb flying officers were primarily trained to support the pilot(s) in flying the aircraft and performing the tasks to “fight-the-aircraft.” It was found that utilizing Nav/Bomb crewmembers for officer duties on large ELINT aircraft and flying command posts, was an overkill in terms of the extensive training involved in flying and fighting the aircraft. Based on these concepts the AF created a 3rd flight status officer career field known as Airborne Battle Manager (ABM). ABMs were then assigned on RC-135, EC-130, E-3 AWACS, etc. ABMs are not trained in any aspect of aircraft systems as it pertains to duties performed to fly and/or fight the aircraft.Over the years the 12XXX Navigator career field has continued to expand into other special-purpose officer flight duties beyond a Navigator or Bombardier. These other duties are noted below. The Navigator career field finally changed its name to Combat Systems Officer (CSO), to more accurately reflect the numerous types of duties beyond purely navigation. The AF will continue with ABMs who do their work aboard various aircraft, and the ABM is not integral to the aircraft’s ability to fly and fight. The Navy, on the other hand, has always had only two officer flying status jobs – a Naval Aviator, otherwise known as a Pilot and a Naval Flight Officer (NFO). The NFO has always had the duty of performing all other flight officer duties, except Pilot.Once the AF consolidated their aircraft systems officers on flying status, but are non-pilots, it was recognized that AF CSOs and Navy NFOs were essentially the same job. To that end, the AF and Navy combined CSO and NFO training into one program known as Joint Undergraduate CSO Training (JUCT). All CSO/NFOs go thru a joint Initial Flight Screening (IFS) program taught at a civilian school in Pueblo, CO. IFS only lasts about two weeks and is designed to weed-out candidates that really don’t have the aptitude for flying. Although knowledge is imparted in the IFS program, it’s designed not so much to teach the student how to fly, as it is used to find students and eliminate those who just don’t have the needed comfort zone of being in an aircraft. After IFS, all students who PASS, are sent to JUCT School managed and taught by the Navy at NAS Pensacola, FL.Specialty Summary. Performs duties of navigator, weapons systems officer (WSO), fire control officer (FCO), or electronic warfare officer (EWO) to accomplish special operations, training, and other assigned missions. Except for single-seat jet fighters, and helicopters, most other aircraft will have a Navigator onboard. On the F-15E strike fighter, a two-seat aircraft, a WSO is in the 2nd seat. Certain larger aircraft (like bombers) will have a Navigator and an EWO aboard. The AC-130 gunships carry a Nav & EWO and, is the only aircraft to carry an FCO to supervise the 4 to 5 aerial gunners aboard. In nearly all cases, newly graduated aviators in the 12XXX career field will have a 1st duty assignment as a regular Nav. WSO, EWO and FCO assignments usually don’t occur until a flyer has worked at least 2 to 3 years as a regular Nav. In cases where an aircraft was not designed to carry a Nav, EWO, WSO or FCO, either the aircraft’s primary mission has no need for the position, or through a combination of advanced computer system integration/automation and the pilot or other crewman handling the duties, the Nav, EWO, WSO or FCO position is eliminated.Duties and Responsibilities:Plans and prepares for mission. Reviews mission tasking, intelligence, and weather information. Participates in mission planning, preparation and filing of flight plan, and crew briefing. Ensures aircraft is preflighted, inspected, loaded, equipped, and manned for mission.Navigates aircraft to accomplish assigned mission. Operates available navigation systems.Conducts or supervises training of crewmembers. Ensures operational readiness of crew by conducting or supervising mission specific training.Develops plans and policies, monitors operations, and advises commanders. Assists commanders and performs staff functions related to this specialty.Specialty Qualifications:Knowledge. Knowledge is mandatory of theory of flight, air navigation, meteorology, flying directives, aircraft operating procedures, and mission tactics.Education. For entry into this specialty, an undergraduate degree specializing in physical sciences, mathematics, administration, or management is desirable.Training. The following training is mandatory as indicated:For entry into this specialty, completion of Air Force/Navy Joint Undergraduate CSO Training.For award of AFSC 12S3X, completion of transition and operational training in the suffix specific aircraft.12AX - AIRLIFT NAVIGATOR (all regular navigator slots only)A...C-5 GalaxyB....VC-25 Air Force OneC....C-130 HerculesD...C-135/C-13712BX - BOMBER NAVIGATORA....................B-1 Defensive Systems Officer (EWO)B....................B-1 Offensive Systems OfficerC....................B-1 WSOD....................B-52 EWOE....................B-52 Bombardier-Navigator/Radar Navigator12FX - FIGHTER NAVIGATORF....... F-15E WSO12RX - RECONNAISSANCE/SURVEILLANCE/ELECTRONIC WARFARE NAVIGATORA..........E-3 Sentry Nav (AWACS – Airborne Warning And Control System)B..........E-4B Nav (Advanced Airborne Command Post)C..........EC-130 EWOD..........EC-130 NavE...........HC-130H NavF...........WC-130 NavG..........EC-135 NavH...........RC-135 EWOJ............RC-135 NavK............WC-135W Nav “Constant Phoenix” (only one plane for monitoring nuclear weapons)L............E-8C Nav (J-STARS – Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System)12SX - SPECIAL OPERATIONS NAVIGATORA..........C-130H EWOB..........AC-130H FCOC.......... AC-130H NavD..........AC-130U EWOE..........AC-130U FCOF..........AC-130U NavG..........HC-130P NavH..........MC-130E EWOJ...........MC-130E NavK..........MC-130H EWOL...........MC-130H Nav13BXX – AIR BATTLE MANAGER (flying status job) [several large planes like the E-3 Airborne Warning And Control System – AWACS – fly long missions in less hostile airspace where their job does not involve firing weapons or reconnaissance, but has the job of being the on-the-scene air boss doing command, control, communication, information handling and such for the delivery of weapons by other aircraft against an enemy). These aircraft have two groups of airmen assigned to the crew: those involved in flying the plane (the cockpit crew – pilots, navigator, flight engineer), and those involved in the work the plane is sent out to perform. An ABM is typically the officer in the back area of the plane who supervises the crewmen doing the controlling, communicating and other tasks involved with the fighter jets, bombers, spy planes, soldiers on the ground, and higher leadership back at the home base. (The ABM manages the back-end aircrew and is the overall boss of the assigned forward air battle space as the eyes and ears of higher command authority.) Women encouraged to apply.Specialty Summary. Performs and manages air battle operations, functions and activities. Effects control of assigned forces. Plans, organizes, and directs operations, including airspace management, directs aircraft conducting air defense and tactical missions, coalition integration, sensor system management, operations management activities, and data link operations. Supervises mission crew activities, and sector and regional operations control centers. Provides staff supervision and technical advice. Supports planning, programming, and budgeting process for command, control & communication (C3) and battle management functions. (Great job for someone who’s a hi-tech “geek,” but wants to fly on planes and is a fast thinker under pressure and doesn’t cave-in when there’s hi stress)Duties and Responsibilities:Directs personnel and manages ABM operations. Selects and employs surveillance, combat, reporting and data link management systems. Interprets directives into specific guidance and procedures for controller actions. Executes operations plans to ensure positive control of assigned forces. Evaluates operational readiness of communications, sensors, and related support equipment. Manages operations personnel performing air weapons control, surveillance, and data link activities. Advises commander on readiness of forces based on force status reports and training exercise and evaluation results.Develops plans, policies, and procedures. Analyzes national defense guidance and objectives to create operational policies. Implements policy through development of plans and procedures to execute assigned weapons and C3 capabilities. Plans, programs, and develops budget inputs to ensure resource availability for operational requirements. Plans and conducts flying and simulated exercises to evaluate and enhance operational readiness. Establishes procedures and monitors implementation of squadron programs, policies, and plans. Develops and implements operational procedures and management agreements with sister services, allied forces, and civil authorities to ensure safe and effective civil and military air operations.Trains, establishes standards, and conducts evaluations. Develops formal schools' curriculums and conducts training for entry level and continuing education courses. Conducts and manages unit training to ensure operations personnel have required job skills. Develops, evaluates, and adjusts training plans and programs to meet mission needs. Establishes performance standards and certifies ABM skills, knowledge, and proficiency. Develops procedures for improving operations. Conducts and participates in training events to ensure inter-operability of battle management assets and unit readiness. Conducts evaluations to ensure personnel and unit meet operational readiness goals, adhere to operational procedures, and use sound management practices. Coordinates with other agencies to ensure support resources are adequate to accomplish missions.Performs technical functions and activities. Develops battle management architecture supporting inter-operability of joint forces within a theater of operations. Participates in research, development, test, and evaluation to determine new battle management systems capabilities and modifications to existing systems. Assists in writing technical requirements and equipment specifications, and develops criteria to evaluate operational effectiveness. Conducts analysis to determine optimum sitting of ground units and positioning of airborne assets. Manages assigned forces and air operations using voice and data communication and radar systems. Develops, reviews, and disseminates data on tactics, techniques, and employment of combat and operations support units. Collects, validates, and inputs force management information and situation events data.Advises on effective use of battle management assets. Provides functional expertise and input for activating, employing, deploying, or deactivating battle management systems. Provides recommendations to create inter-operability among battle management assets and other war fighting capabilities to enhance combat operations and allow commanders increased responsiveness and flexibility. Advises on weapons control capabilities. Advances conceptual thinking and development of tactics to improve battle management and total force capabilities.Knowledge. The following knowledge is mandatory for award of the AFSC indicated:The following common knowledge is mandatory for award of the qualified AFSC with any suffix: organization, mission, and principles of operations deployment; directives, procedures, and techniques to manage and operate airborne and ground C3 systems, theater or scope of operations equipment, and operational policies of weapons and systems employment; strategic, theater, and tactical C3 systems; limitations and capabilities of manual and automated C3 systems; C3 reporting; deliberate and contingency planning; principles of radar and Electronic Attack and Electronic Protection; the air defense organization of North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) and Theater Air Control Systems.Weapons control, airspace and data link management, mission crew commander functions, or C3 operations support of airborne battle management platforms; air threat analysis; allocation, distribution, and positioning of air weapons systems; air control procedures, tactics, and techniques; radar, radio, and data link capabilities; aircraft performance characteristics and armament; radio and telephone procedures and phraseology; meteorology; electronic combat operations and techniques; sensor system management, limitations, and operations; fighter tactics and forces management; operating procedures and relationship among air, ground, and naval forces and effective use of their combined resources; surveillance and data management activities; surveillance situation analysis; detection, tracking, reporting, display, and dissemination of air situation and tactical threat information; and management, inter-operability, and integration of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I).Education. For entry into this specialty, undergraduate academic specialization in a technical discipline with courses in administration and management is desirable.Training. The following training is mandatory as indicated:For award of AFSC 13B1X, completion of Air Force Undergraduate ABM Training (UAT).For award of AFSC 13B3X, completion of transition and operational training in the suffix specific aircraft of system.Experience. The following is mandatory for award of the AFSC indicated:A minimum of 12 months' experience in a weapons assignment or air surveillance position and certification as combat or mission ready, including experience in organizing, directing, and managing operations and related activities of assigned C3 systems.Specialty Shredouts:B ................E-3 AWACSK.................E-8 JSTARSL .................E-4 ABCCCU.S. NAVY COMMISSIONED OFFICERS (same commissioning sources as the USAF; ROTC, OTS or a service academy…4 year degree required, except in rare cases, similar to USAF requirement. Length of service commitment is same as USAF…8 years after school as a pilot, and six years after school for all other jobs. Just like enlisted sailors, new officers after completion of required schooling in their career field, will have sea duty aboard ship for about the first three years. Not to say you will actually be at sea that whole time, but you can expect periods of up to six months at a time away from home. Keep in mind that some jobs are not ship-based, such as the P-3 Orion land-based patrol plane or E-6 Mercury airborne command post plane. Altho’ not aboard ship, you can expect an overseas assignment like to Japan or to a Navy base in the Middle East near Iraq or Afghanistan for up to a year and wife/kids can’t come with you)All candidates for a Navy Officer commission have to take the Officer Aptitude Rating (OAR) exam, which are the three sections in blue below. You must have a minimum OAR score of 40.SCORE RQMTS TO BE A NAVAL AVIATOR (Pilot or non-Pilot): AQR – 3, PFAR/FOFAR – 4AVIATION SELECTION TEST BATTERY (ASTB) if you don’t score well, you have to wait 31 days to re-test, with max two re-tests.Executive Summary for Test-takers:The test consists of 6 sections, administered over 2.5 hours:ASTB Subtest Length Time LimitMath Skills Test (MST) 30 items 25 minutesReading Skills Test (RST) 27 items 25 minutesMechanical Comprehension Test (MCT) 30 items 15 minutesSpatial Apperception Test (SAT) 25 items 10 minutesAviation and Nautical Information Test (ANIT) 30 items 15 minutesAviation Supplemental Test (AST) 34 items 25 minutesScoring:The scores from the six sections are combined in a manner to produce four scores:• AQR: Academic Qualification Rating, scored 1-9• PFAR: Pilot Flight Aptitude Rating, scored 1-9• FOFAR: Flight Officer Flight Aptitude Rating, scored 1-9• OAR: Officer Aptitude Rating, scored 20-80For non-aviation Naval applicants, the only score that matters is the OAR, derived from the first three section of the exam (highlighted in blue). You will only take those three sections and receive your OAR score.Although it’s not part of the ASTB or OAR, there’s a separate test called the PBI (Personal Background Information). It’s also scored 1-9. Although your personal background is, whatever it is, and no one’s personal background is necessarily better or worse than anyone else (provided you’re not a criminal, psychopath or sociopath!), some people have personality traits, hobbies, life experiences, interests, etc. that can indicate a more likely success factor as a flyer than some people who have a completely different background. Having said that, to be a Navy Pilot, you need a minimum score of 4 on the PBI. Non-Pilot aviation officers require PBI = 3.Navy Commissioned Officer Job Designators Description & Qualification FactorsUnless you went thru Navy ROTC in college, or a service academy, you will go to Navy OCS for 13 weeks at Pensacola Naval Air Station, FL.Navy commissioned officer designations can be somewhat confusing. Unlike the other services which divide their officers into basic branches, the Navy divides their commissioned officers into four basic kinds of officers: Unrestricted Line Officers (URL), Restricted Line Officers (RL), Staff Corps (SC), and Limited Duty Officers (LDO). Jobs, assignments, and promotions are based on what kind of an officer you are.Unrestricted Line Officers (URL) are those who are eligible for command of ships, submarines, aircraft squadrons, fleets, and shore bases such as naval bases and naval air stations. These are officers-of-the-line of the Regular Navy and Naval Reserve who are not restricted in the performance of duty. Unrestricted Line Officers are the officers who grow up to become Admirals and command Naval ships and battle groups. Designators (jobs) which fall into the Unrestricted Line Officer category are: Surface Warfare Officers, Pilots, Navy Flight Officers, Aviation Support Officers, Submarine Officers, SEALS, Divers and EOD Officers. These officers are commissioned through the Naval Academy, OCS, and ROTC. (Federal Law says only URLs are permitted to be “in-command.”)Restricted Line Officers are officers of the line of the Regular Navy and Naval Reserve who are restricted in the performance of duty by having been designated for non-flying aviation duty, engineering duty, aerospace engineering duty, or special duty. Examples are: Aviation Maintenance Officers, Specialists in Cryptographic Support, Intelligence, Automatic Data Processing, Public Affairs, and Oceanography. As with Unrestricted Line Officers, these officers are also commissioned through OCS, the Naval Academy, or ROTC.Those of the Staff Corps are specialists in career fields which are professions unto themselves, such as physicians, nurses, chaplains, lawyers, civil engineers, etc. Staff Corps officers wear their specialty insignia on the sleeve of the dress blue uniforms and on their shoulder boards in place of the star worn by Line officers. These officers are often commissioned through a special "mini-OCS" (5 weeks), or through ROTC.Limited Duty Officers are former enlisted sailors or warrant officers who are selected for a commission based on extensive training and experience in their enlisted rating (job), or warrant officer occupational field. As the name implies, they are limited to performing their duties as commissioned officers within the field they are selected in. They are commissioned through the LDO Selection Program.Naval Aviation – Pilot (approximately 1,000 new Navy pilots are trained each year)IMPORTANT NOTE: Even though a pilot candidate has made it through all the preliminary tests, screening, OCS, etc., all services have come to discover that an important first step for a potential pilot is to see if you, when you are finally in a real airplane, have the basic instincts and skill to handle the most basic level of piloting an aircraft? To that end, IFS was launched. (women encouraged to apply)Introductory Flight Screening (IFS)IFS is the first step to becoming a Naval Aviator. All new flight school students first enroll in a civilian flight school in Pueblo, CO for 25 hours of flight training in small general aviation aircraft. The student must solo at least once before the 12th hour in the cockpit. The purpose of IFS is to screen all students to see if they have the aptitude for flight in an actual aircraft, before spending a lot of money, only to washout of flight school. Students who already have a Private Pilot License skip IFS and go straight to Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API).PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:Community Overview. Navy pilots are members of the select, highly skilled Naval Aviation team. The Navy maintains and operates more than 4,000 aircraft including carrier-based jets, land-based patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, transport planes and sea and land-based helicopters. The Navy offers the world's most advanced and extensive training for candidates who qualify as skilled aviation professionals in a high-quality organization. Aviation training is conducted at the Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC) at Pensacola. OCS is challenging, requiring hard work and long days to build confidence and pride. Upon successful completion of preliminary training at OCS, future Navy pilots, NFOs are commissioned as Ensigns. All Ensigns entering aviation programs will then complete a six-week air indoctrination course at NASC, Pensacola.Candidates who do not complete the Navy pilot program will serve four years from the date they are disenrolled from flight status unless released by the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, Personnel and Training).Training Pipeline following commission. As a student pilot, you'll learn basic airmanship skills, instrument and formation flying, and basic acrobatic maneuvers. You'll also master the art of solo flight, earning the qualification to move on to more demanding training in a specific type of aircraft. Your intermediate and advanced pilot training will occur in one of five naval air communities. These five "pipelines" are jet (strike), turboprop (patrol and reconnaissance), multi-engine jet (strategic communications), carrier turboprop (airborne early warning) and helicopter (rotary). The pipeline you are in will determine the specialty flying skills you are taught, such as basic air combat tactics, gunnery, low-level flight and carrier landings. You'll also learn land and water survival techniques - key aspects of the Naval Aviation challenge. You'll earn your much-coveted Wings of Gold when you successfully complete your advanced training. With your Wings, you'll join the ranks of the most respected aviators in the world-Navy pilots. Before being assigned to your first operational squadron, you'll join a Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) for training in the specific type of aircraft you'll fly in the fleet.Carrier Landings. - One of your greatest challenges will come with your first carrier landing. You'll bank your plane into a sharp left turn, lining up with the carrier deck while you drop just the right amount of speed and altitude. It's "hook down, wheels down" as you approach the carrier flight deck at well over 120 miles per hour. As your wheels touch down, you'll throttle forward to full power; your tailhook grabs the arresting cable, slamming you to a complete stop. There's no feeling in the world to match your carrier landing - until you taxi your plane to the catapult for your first carrier launch.Helicopter Flight. As a helicopter pilot, you'll fly a variety of demanding missions from the decks of several different types of Navy ships. Your mission could be anti-submarine warfare or tracking potential enemy ships. Or you could be searching for underwater mines or flying vertical replenishment missions, transferring supplies from one moving ship at sea to another underway. And always present, is the instant, emergency requirement for search and rescue including flying over hostile territory performing Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR).Multi-engine Turboprops/Jet. As a multi-engine turboprop/jet pilot, you'll fly a variety of missions, from strategic communications to tracking and surveillance of submarines to collecting intelligence. Piloting a multiengine E-2 Hawkeye early warning aircraft could find you flying radar surveillance warfare missions from a carrier at sea or from a shore air station. Whatever plane you fly and whatever your mission, as a Navy pilot, you are an integral part of a highly skilled, results-oriented professional team.Locations of initial fleet assignments. Before being assigned to your first operational squadron, you'll join a Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) for training in the specific type of aircraft you'll fly in the fleet. As a Pilot, you may be detailed to various locations on the Pacific Fleet, Atlantic Fleet and overseas.Special pay/bonuses. Naval aviation officers receive aviation career incentive pay in addition to their regular salary. Student aviation officers receive $125 per month flight pay during flight training. The monthly amount of flight pay received depends on time in service and increases by hundreds of dollars within a few years to the current maximum of $840.00 per month. In addition, you may be eligible for a retention bonuses at the end of your initial commitment, currently worth up to $245,000 over a 25-year career.Basic eligibility requirements. Applicants must be citizens of the United States. Applicants must be at least 19 years old and of such age that they will not have passed their 27th birthday on commissioning. Maximum age limit may be adjusted upward to their 31st birthday on a month for month basis for active duty and prior military service applicants. Applicant must have a Bachelor of Science Degree from an accredited College or University; have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Major: No restrictions, but degrees in technical disciplines preferred. The Commander, Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC) will endeavor to select candidates with the highest mental qualifications, accepting minimum scores only when market conditions or exceptional cases warrant. Physical: Must be physically qualified and aeronautically adapted in accordance with the physical standards established by the Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (CHBUMED). Applicants must have 20/40 or better uncorrected vision correctable to 20/20, normal color and depth perception. Active duty military members accepted as candidates must obtain an aviation physical exam from a qualified Flight Surgeon to determine aeronautical adaptability.Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API)All pilot-students start at the "Cradle of Naval Aviation", NAS Pensacola, Florida. There, pilot-students (along with Student Naval Flight Officers) receive classroom instruction in aerodynamics, aircraft engines and systems, meteorology, navigation, and flight rules and regulations. They also receive field instruction in survival tactics, survival swimming, and aviation physiology. API is currently a 6 week long program.Primary Flight TrainingFollowing API completion, pilot-students are assigned to Primary Flight Training at NAS Whiting Field, Florida or NAS Corpus Christi, Texas where they learn to fly the T-34C Turbo Mentor (Transitioning to the T-6). A small percentage of pilot-students attend Primary Flight Training with the United States Air Force flying the T-6A Texan II (JPATS) at Vance AFB, Oklahoma as part of a joint USN-USAF training effort. Primary teaches the SNA the basics of flying, is approximately six months long, and is divided into the following stages:• Ground School (aircraft systems, local course rules, emergency procedures)• Familiarization (take-off/landing, limited maneuvers, spins)• Basic Instruments (common instrument scans, used during maneuvers)• Precision Aerobatics (aileron roll, loop, 1/2 Cuban Eight, barrel roll, wingover, Split S, Immelmann, etc.)• Formation (basic section flight, cruise formation flight)• Radio Instrument Navigation• Night Familiarization• Visual NavigationIntermediate and Advanced Flight TrainingUpon successful completion of Primary Flight Training, Pilot-students are selected for one of four Intermediate Flight Training paths. Selection is based upon the needs of the service (USN, USMC, etc.), the student’s performance, and finally, the student’s preference. The Navy assignment system works just like the USAF system. This point in time in the pilot-student’s military experience thus far, is when a major sorting-out process takes place. Until now, all pilot-students were considered alike; now pilot-students are sorted and put into pilot-type categories that are likely to remain with the student for probably the next 3 to 5 years before they can apply to change the type aircraft they fly. Although the needs of the Navy always take precedence in terms of what sort of aircraft types are in need of pilots, and the personal preference of the student, it’s your class rank starting with # 1 student and on down to the last one in the class that will be the biggest assignment factor. A class of 25 students may have 15 of them who’d like to be fighter pilots; but the Navy personnel center may only send down only ten of 25 assignments for fighters. This is why class rank is so important. Altho’ it’s not likely that the top ten students will all want fighter jet assignments, you can probably bet that if you are ranked 16th and want to fly fighters, there probably won’t be any fighter pilot slots leftover by time it’s your turn to pick.The four intermediate aircraft assignment categories are:• Tailhook aircraft. As the name implies, these are aircraft, mostly strike fighter jets, which use tailhooks and takeoff/land on aircraft carriers. Those selected for Tailhook aircraft report to NAS Kingsville, Texas or NAS Meridian, Mississippi. At the time the assignments detailer brings the available aircraft slots to class for student choice, he/she will note which slots are for advanced strike fighter training and which are for the turbo-prop aircraft, E-2 Hawkeye (airborne command & control platform) or C-2 Greyhound (shore-to-carrier airlift of cargo/personnel; referred to as COD – Carrier-Onboard-Delivery). All tailhook students receive the same initial training, and then are split-out to either the advanced strike fighter or E-2/C-2.• E-6B Mercury (large, multi-engine jet). A small number are selected for further training leading to assignment in the E-6B Mercury. These pilot-students transfer to Vance AFB, Oklahoma for training in the T-1 Jayhawk, or NAS Corpus Christi, TX to fly the T-44C Pegasus.• Multi-engine propeller / maritime aircraft. Those selected for multi-engine propeller/ maritime training are assigned to NAS Corpus Christi, TX for training in the T-44A Pegasus or TC-12 Huron.• Helicopters. Those selected for helicopter training are assigned to NAS Whiting Field, FL. for training in the TH-57B/C Sea Ranger. (note: USAF/Navy train their helicopter pilots to fly fixed-wing aircraft first. Army helicopter pilots do not receive any fixed-wing training)MV-22B Osprey, Tilt-rotor. Beginning in 2008, the USAF and Marine Corps went operational with the new Bell/Boeing Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The AF has already retired their 40 year-old MH-53 Pave Low spec ops helicopters in favor of the Osprey; the Marine Corps is doing the same thing. The MV-22B takes off/lands like a helicopter and flies like a fixed-wing airplane. With turbo-prop engines, the airspeed is comparable to a fixed-wing plane. A small number of pilot-students from the Marine Corps may be selected to fly the MV-22 Osprey. They will first go to NAS Whiting Field for advanced helicopter training. Upon completion, the pilot-students then report to NAS Corpus Christi for multi-engine propeller/maritime training in the T-44A or T-12. Upon graduation and receipt of wings, final type training in the MV-22B is at the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) at New River MCAS.Tailhook syllabus for Intermediate Flight TrainingPilot-students undergoing Intermediate Flight Training incorporates basic instrument flying, formation, night familiarization and airway navigation over approximately 58 graded flights lasting approximately 27 weeks. At the completion of the Tailhook syllabus, approximately 80% of the pilot-students move to Advanced Flight Training in the strike fighter program, leading ultimately to tactical jets like the F/A-18 or AV-8B (Marine Corps only). The remaining 20% move to Advanced Flight Training to either fly the E-2C Hawkeye or C-2 Greyhound. Marine Corps pilot-student’s automatically continue in the strike fighter syllabus and will ultimately fly either the F/A-18, AV-8B, or the EA-6B.Advanced Flight Training – Strike Fighter PipelineStrike fighter pilot-students continue with approximately 67 additional graded flights lasting approximately 23 weeks in the T-45A/C Goshawk. The syllabus covers bombing, Air combat maneuvering (ACM), advanced instruments, low-level navigation, tactical formation flying (TACFORM), and Carrier Qualification (CQ) Graduates of Advanced Strike Fighter Training will fly versions of the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet, EA-6B Prowler (ECM/enemy defense attack plane), EA-18G Growler (replacement for EA-6B) and AV-8B Harrier II (vertical/short takeoff-landings attack jet). In addition to current aircraft, this pipeline will eventually produce pilots for the new joint Navy/USAF stealth fighter, the F-35 Lightning II.Advanced Flight Training – E2/C2 PipelineE2/C2 students go straight to CQ in the T-45 Goshawk with approximately 20 (not 67 like strike fighter pilot-students who have combat trng & E-2/C-2 students don’t) additional graded flights over 8 weeks. Upon successful CQ, E2/C2 students divert to NAS Corpus Christi to go back and also complete intermediate flight training in the multi-engine propeller syllabus (approx. 16 weeks) in the T-44A. Following graduation, they will go on to fly the E-2 Hawkeye or C-2 Greyhound.Advanced Flight Training – Rotary-Wing PipelinePilot-students selected for helicopter intermediate flight training at NAS Whiting Field, FL. In the TH-57 Sea Ranger will stay there and continue into & complete Advanced Flight Training. Pilot-students learn the unique characteristics and tactics of rotary-wing aviation, to include basic instrument flying, night familiarization (including use of night vision goggles or NVGs) and airways navigation. They are also introduced to shipboard landing on the Helo Landing Trainer (HLT), the Navy’s only ship dedicated to teaching helicopter pilots how to land onboard a moving vessel for Deck Landing Qualifications (DLQ).Upon graduation from Advanced Flight Training, Navy helicopter pilots receive their wings and report to their respective FRS for final training and qualification in their assigned aircraft type. FRS’ are assigned as follows: For the SH-60R Strikehawk, the SH-60F/HH-60H Oceanhawk, and the MH-60S Knighthawk, FRS is at NAS North Island, CA., and due to the widespread use of the MH-60S Knighthawk, there’s also an east coast FRS at NAS Norfolk, VA. For the SH-60B Seahawk, FRS is at NAS Mayport, FL. For the MH-53E Sea Dragon, FRS is at NAS Norfolk, VA.Marine Corps helicopter pilots flying CH-53D Sea Stallion or CH-53E Super Stallion report to the FRS at MCAS New River. Pilots assigned to fly the AH-1W Super Cobra, AH-1Z Viper, UH-1N Twin Huey, UH-1Y Venom and CH-46 Sea Knight report to FRS at MCB Camp Pendleton, CA.Land-Based syllabus (including the E-6 Mercury, P-3 Orion, EP-3 Aries II, KC-130, C-130, C-40A Clipper and C-9B Skytrain II)Maritime PipelineMaritime pilot-students upon completion of Intermediate Flight Training will remain at NAS Corpus Christi flying the twin engine T-44A Pegasus or TC-12 Huron and continue on to completion of Advanced Flight Training using the same trainers. Particular emphasis is placed on single-engine flight in varying conditions.Upon graduation from Advanced Flight Training and receipt of their wings, Navy pilots report to the P-3 Orion FRS at NAS Jacksonville, FL. for further training in the P-3 and EP-3.Newly graduated Marine Corps KC-130 pilots (Navy does not have the KC-130 tanker) report to the KC-130 FRS at MCAS New River.E-6 Mercury PipelineUpon completion of Intermediate Flight Training in either the T-1 Jayhawk at the 32nd Flying Training Squadron at Vance AFB, OK or the T-44 Pegasus at NAS Corpus Christi, TX., Navy E-6 Mercury TACAMO pilots will remain in-place at the same location, flying the same aircraft and complete their Advanced Flight Training and receive their wings.Newly minted E-6 Mercury pilots are sent to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron SEVEN (VQ-7), the FRS for the E-6 Mercury TACAMO aircraft stationed at the Naval Air Facility located on Tinker AFB, OK.Fleet assignmentsUpon completion of FRS training, Naval Aviators are assigned to a fleet squadron – either ship or land based – in their type aircraft. In addition to flying, Naval Aviators also hold one or many “collateral” duties of increasing responsibility such as Legal Officer, Maintenance Division Officer, Training Officer, Safety Officer, etc. In peacetime, an aviator will typically fly missions (real or training) 10-12 days a month. Altho’ Aviators may not like it, collateral duties are how the Navy gets all its other leadership work done. (collateral duties for USAF fliers is part of their program, too, but the duties tend not to be too burdensome. In the Navy, an Aviator’s collateral duties are generally meaningful work that will keep pretty busy when you’re not flying or doing something related to flying. Not to worry, though; all officers have a seasoned, enlisted NCO assigned to the duty section you’re given. That senior NCO will supervise all the enlisted sailors in your duty section, making sure all the work gets done, and you stay out of trouble. Senior NCOs in any military branch are the ones that get the daily work done, and can teach a new officer a lot of useful information and skills to do the job properly. Initial fleet assignments typically last approximately three years.Shore rotationAfter completing a successful tour in the Fleet, Naval Aviators complete a “shore-duty” tour typically as a flight instructor, adversary pilot, or staff officer. Some complete further military schooling or are assigned specialized flight duty (e.g. foreign exchange pilot, test pilot, Blue Angels – acrobatic flight demo team, presidential support). Typical Navy shore rotations are approximately two and a half years long, after which time personnel return to the fleet for another fleet rotation. At around the time of the second sea tour, Naval Aviators are typically eligible to separate from active service (and/or elect to join the Naval Reserve) or re-obligate for additional service. Re-obligating is often accompanied with an incentive monetary bonus. In 2010, considering various jobs and other factors, an officer in a shorthanded career field could end up with as much as $245,000 in bonuses during a 20-year career.Reserve Naval AviatorsNaval Reserve Aviators all come from the active ranks. They fly fleet type aircraft (such as the F/A-18 Hornet and P-3 Orion) as well as aircraft exclusive to the reserve force. These include the F-5 Tiger II primarily used for adversary support, and the larger cargo or transport aircraft such as the C-9 Skytrain, C-20D Gulfstream III, C-20G Gulfstream IV, C-35 Citation, C-40 Clipper, and C-130 Hercules. These aircraft are used to transport cargo and personnel, including dignitaries and senior leaders. Unless you are put back on active duty by your own request, or the Navy has a critical need in your career field and involuntarily re-activates you, then you will be a Navy Reservist who puts in two days of work per month doing your normal Navy job (i.e.; pilot, doctor, SEAL team leader, etc) You are also required to put in two full weeks of duty during the summer. For the time requirement noted, the Navy pays for the time spent on duty (known as “drill pay.”) All military branches have a Reserve program. During the Vietnam War when extra people were needed. Rather than re-activate Reservists or people from their State’s National Guard, they turned-on the “draft” system where male civilians 19 or older where mandatorily brought into the service (usually as an Army infantryman) for two years. For the Iraq/Afghanistan wars where additional manpower was needed, the military re-activated Reservists & National Guardsmen, and did not use the draft system. Many Reservists & National Guardsmen were re-activated for two or more years. Then the public got angry about that, saying the recalls were disrupting too many livesNAVAL FLIGHT OFFICER (non-pilot; similar to USAF CSO) (women encouraged to apply)PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:Community Overview. Naval Flight Officers (NFOs) are members of the select, highly skilled Naval Aviation team. NFOs may be radar intercept officers, tactical coordinators or airborne electronic warfare specialists. The Navy maintains and operates more than 4,000 aircraft including carrier-based jets, land-based patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, transport planes and sea and land-based helicopters. The Navy offers the world's most advanced and extensive training for candidates who qualify as skilled aviation professionals in a high-quality organization. Civilians transition to aviation officers during 13 weeks of intensive academic and military training at Officer Candidate School (OCS), Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Fla. NAS Pensacola is famed as the birthplace of Naval Aviation. Established in 1914, it is often called the "Annapolis of the Air." Aviation training is conducted at the Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC) at Pensacola. OCS is challenging, requiring hard work and long days to build confidence and pride. Upon successful completion of preliminary training at OCS, future Navy pilots, NFOs and AMDOs are commissioned as Ensigns. All Ensigns entering aviation programs will then complete a six-week air indoctrination course at NASC, Pensacola.Specific job elements for first tour. Naval Aviation is renowned for the demands it places upon its flyers. The skills and concentration required to land a high-performance jet onboard an aircraft carrier deck pitching in the black of night, or to track a submarine while flying at only a few hundred feet above stormy seas, are not just linked to a solid academic background and top physical conditioning. There is more to it than that; it requires a combination of talents and dedication that many people possess, but few are challenged to use to full measure.Active duty obligation. Candidates will serve a minimum of six years on active duty from the date of designation as a Naval Flight Officer. Candidates who do not complete the Naval Flight Officer program will serve four years from the date they are disenrolled from flight status unless released by the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, personnel and training).Training Pipeline following commission as a Naval Flight Officer. As a student Naval Flight Officer, you'll get specialty training on the most advanced tactical systems and complex communications systems found in all Navy aircraft. You'll study aerodynamics, aircraft engine systems, meteorology, navigation, flight planning and aircraft safety. Next, you'll train in a specialized area of naval aviation for a specific aircraft.You are the key to successful mission accomplishment. You'll immediately analyze all the information collected and direct the action against enemy submarines, surface ships or aircraft. You'll receive your "Wings of Gold" when you complete your specialized training, earning your designation as Naval Flight Officer. You'll report to a Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) for training in your specific aircraft and then report to your first operational squadron. In your squadron, you'll join new and experienced Naval Flight Officers and pilots. You'll work together to hone your skills, becoming part of the highly trained, professional team that is our nation's first line of defense.Locations of initial fleet assignments. Initial experience assignments are normally to aircraft including carrier-based jets and multi-engine turbo-props, land-based patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as strategic and transport planes.Special pay/bonuses. Naval aviation officers receive aviation career incentive pay in addition to their regular salary. Student aviation officers receive $125 per month flight pay during flight training. The monthly amount of flight pay received depends on time in service and increases by hundreds of dollars within a few years to the current maximum of $840.00 per month. In addition, you may be eligible for retention bonuses at the end of your initial commitment, currently worth up to $195,000 over a 25-year career.Basic eligibility requirements. Basically same requirements as a Pilot, except the Personal Background Information (PBI) testing score requires a “3,” on a scale of 1 to 9, whereas a pilot needs 4 points. Additionally, there’s no vision restriction; you can wear glasses anytime, so long as they correct your eyesight to 20/20.A Naval Flight Officer (NFO) is an officer that specializes in airborne weapons and sensor systems. NFOs are not pilots (Naval Aviators), per se, but they may perform many "co-pilot" functions, depending on the type of aircraft. Until 1966, their duties were performed by officer and enlisted Naval Aviation Observers (NAO). At that time, the NFO designation was established and the insignia was introduced. NFOs are line officers, eligible for command in the naval aviation communities. (women encouraged to apply)The counterparts to the NFO in the United States Air Force are the CSOs, holding job assignments as a: Navigator, Fire Control Officer, Weapons Systems Officer, and Electronic Warfare Officer. Although NFOs in the Navy's E-2 Hawkeye aircraft perform functions similar to the USAF Air Battle Manager, their NFO training track is more in line with that of USAF CSO.IndoctrinationNFOs attend the same classes with naval aviators during Initial Flight Screening (IFS), a civilian school in Pueblo, CO using a join Navy/USAF syllabus. Afterwards, they enter a dedicated NFO "pipeline" (curriculum) at Training Air Wing SIX (TRAWING 6) at NAS Pensacola/Sherman Field. Here they are first assigned to Training Squadron TEN (VT-10 Wildcats) or Training Squadron FOUR (VT-4) and are taught basic aviation fundamentals in the T-6A Texan II, including aerobatics and instrument navigation during the Primary phase. Based upon performance, preference, and needs of the Navy or Marine Corps, the student NFO training track splits into various "pipelines" for further training.TrainingTraining for an NFO is in a tiered system. After primary training is completed, students are selected for either carrier aviation or "maritime" aviation (i.e., land-based, larger aircraft). Selection is based on a combination of student preference and the rank of the student in his class. The top graduate is typically offered his choice of duty. The rest of the graduates are placed in billets according to "the needs of the Navy" or Marine Corps.For carrier aviation student NFOs, training progresses an additional fourteen weeks in the primary training squadron before they are assigned to VT-86 for jet training. VT-86 prepares student NFOs for eventual assignment to F/A-18F Super Hornets (USN), F/A-18D Hornets (USMC), EA-18G Growler (USN), or EA-6B Prowlers (USN and USMC), flying the T-39 Sabreliner and T-45 Goshawk. Training in specific Fleet aircraft occurs after graduation from Advanced NFO training (i.e., "winging") and is conducted at the respective Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) for the particular type/model/series aircraft. This process also holds true for newly-winged NFOs slated for land-based naval aircraft.An exception to this process is for those Student NFOs assigned to the E-2 Hawkeye community, who, following completion of T-1A Intermediate NFO training at VT-4, are transferred to NAS Norfolk, Virginia for advanced training at VAW-120, the E-2 Hawkeye FRS. VAW-120 awards these NFOs their wings during their training syllabus at the FRS.Intermediate training for land-based aircraft typically sends student NFOs to San Antonio, TX for joint USAF training with the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph AFB before being sent to Patrol Squadron THIRTY (VP-30) at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, the Fleet Replacement Squadron for the P-3 Orion and the EP-3E Aries, or the Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron SEVEN (VQ-7), the FRS for the E-6 Mercury TACAMO aircraft at Naval Air Facility Tinker / Tinker AFB, Oklahoma.With the impending divestiture of Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training (SUNT) from the Air Force's 12th Flying Training Wing and merger into a new Undergraduate Military Flight Officer (UMFO) program for all services at NAS Pensacola, a select number of Student NFOs slated for the P-3, EP-3, and eventually the P-8 Poseidon are being sent directly to VP-30, the FRS for P-3s and EP-3s, as part of a prototype advanced training program similar to that historically utilized by the E-2 community (i.e., NFO "winging" at the FRS), before beginning the normal FRS syllabus. A similar program for Student NFOs slated for the E-6 Mercury is done at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma.NFO training is currently under extensive overhaul under a program known as Undergraduate Military Flight Officer (UMFO). The UMFO program will continue to use the T-6A Texan II aircraft, but will replace the T-39G/N with the T-45C Goshawk once further navigational training system upgrades are made to NFO-specific T-45C aircraft (including a synthetic radar with both stored air-to-ground and datalink-based air-to-air modes).Naval Aviator vs Naval Flight OfficerNaval Flight Officers (NFOs) are the men and women who operate some of the advanced systems on board some multi-crew naval aircraft, and some may also act as the overall tactical mission commanders of single or multiple air assets during a given mission. NFOs are not formally trained to pilot the aircraft, although they do train in dual-control aircraft and are given the opportunity to practice basic airmanship techniques. Some current and recently retired naval aircraft with side-by-side seating are also authorized to operate under dual-piloted weather minimums. However, in the unlikely event that the pilot of a single pilot naval aircraft becomes incapacitated, the crew would likely eject, if possible, as NFOs are not actually qualified to fly or land the aircraft.NFOs serve as Weapon Systems Officers (WSOs), Electronic Warfare Officers, Tactical Coordinators, Bombardiers, and Navigators. They can serve as aircraft mission commanders, although the pilot in command, regardless of rank, is always responsible for the safe piloting of the aircraft. Many NFOs achieve flight lead and mission lead qualification, even when the pilot of the aircraft does not have that designation. Often, a senior NFO is paired with a junior pilot (and vice versa). NFO.Like their Naval Aviator counterparts, NFOs in both the Navy and Marine Corps and have commanded squadrons, carrier air wings, shore-based functional air wings and groups, Marine Aircraft Groups, air facilities, air stations, aircraft carriers, carrier strike groups, Marine Aircraft Wings and numbered Fleets.The FleetIn the Fleet, NFOs are assigned to Navy and Marine squadrons flying the EA-18G Growler, F/A-18F Super Hornet, F/A-18D Hornet (USMC Only), EA-6B Prowler, E-6 Mercury, E-2C/D Hawkeye, EP-3 Aries, and P-3C Orion. When it becomes operational, they will also eventually fly the P-8A Poseidon.In the P-3C (and eventually the P-8A), the NFO is initially designated as a navigator/communicator (NAV/COM) and eventually upgrades to TACCO and then TACCO/Mission Commander (TACCO/MC).In the EA-6B and EA-18G, they are designated as Electronic Countermeasures Officers (ECMOs) and may also be Mission Commanders.In the F/A-18F and F/A-18D, the NFO position is known as the Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) and may also be Mission Commander qualified.In the E-2C Hawkeye and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, they are initially as designated Radar Officers (RO), then upgrade to Air Control Officers (ACO) and finally to Combat Information Center Officers (CICO) and CICO/Mission Commanders (CICO/MC).In all, the specific roles filled by an NFO can vary greatly depending on the type of aircraft to which an NFO is assigned.NAVY SEAL OFFICERSDuties performed by SEALs include:• Conducting insertions/extractions from the Sea, Air or Land (hence SEAL) to accomplish covert, special operations missions in any environment throughout the world.• Capturing high-value enemy personnel and terrorists around the world.• Collecting information and intelligence through special reconnaissance missions – reconnoitering both enemy installations and enemy movement.• Carrying out small-unit, direct-action missions against military targets.• Conducting underwater reconnaissance and the demolition of natural or man-made obstacles prior to amphibious landings.SEAL teams perform their work in a somewhat different manner than Army Special Forces Green Berets. SEAL ops by sea and high-value prisoner snatch are two major functions they have that no one else has. Beyond this, SEAL ops are a bit more narrowly defined than Army Green Berets. For instance, Green Berets have a mission called Foreign Internal Defense (FID). FID is a major function in non-conflict countries. FID is where one or more Special Forces ODAs (A-teams) are invited into a friendly country to provide military skills training to indigenous soldiers. The intent of FID is to prepare countries friendly to the U.S., to be able to provide for their own internal defense.Working EnvironmentSEALs perform Special Operations missions from fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, ships and submarines. They may be exposed to arctic, desert or jungle environments including survival in enemy controlled areas and all water conditions. SEAL teams do NOT possess their own organic air assets. They either task the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment for helicopter support if doing a joint op with Green Berets, or SEAL stand-alone airborne ops are strictly provided by Air Force Special Operations Command.SEAL officers have had a career promotion path for over 30 years within the SEAL community. This allows them the huge benefit to enter the career field as an O-1 Ensign with their very first assignment after all schooling is complete, at a SEAL Team. If the SEAL career field is what a young Ensign hoped for, he has the ability to be promoted up-the-ladder as high as a two-star Rear Admiral before he might have move out of the Navy Spec Ops community to become a three-star Vice Admiral or four-star Admiral.Occasionally a young O-1 Ensign may be given the chance to be a Platoon AOIC, but that’s not typical. Most of the time new SEAL Ensigns are assigned to the headquarters (HQ) element of a SEAL Team, and is assigned to be one of the Team Commander’s staff officer billets. These staff billets are designed to be the Commander’s expert or “go-to” person for a certain operations category, as follows: SEAL Team Staff Officer Sections include N1 – Administrative support; N2 – Intelligence; N3 – Operations; N4 – Logistics; N5 – Plans and Targeting; N6 – Communications; N7 – Training; and N8 – Air/MedicalOrganizationThe SEAL community is organized top-to-bottom as follows:• There are five Naval Special Warfare Groups, each led by an O-6, Navy Captain• Each Group has from one to four SEAL Teams, depending on the Group’s mission, and Teams are led by an O-5, Navy Commander• Each SEAL Team has three, 40-man Troops; Troops are led by an O-4, Navy Lt. Commander• Each SEAL Troop has two SEAL Platoons. The Platoon is the basic operational unit of the SEALs. Mission assignments are given to Platoons.o Unlike Army Green Beret ODAs (A-teams) that have a rigid structure of 12 men, SEAL Platoons have a basic level of 14 men, but could grow to 20 based on mission requirements.o SEAL Platoon leadership is as follows: Platoon Officer-in-Charge (OIC) is an O-3, Navy Lt. Platoon Asst. OIC is an O-2, Navy Lt., J.G. Platoon Chief is an enlisted E-7, Chief Petty Officer (CPO) Platoon Leading Petty Officer (LPO) is an enlisted E-6, Petty Officer 1st Classo The balance of the Platoon is a mix of enlisted SEALs, E-5 – Petty Officer 2nd Class or E-6 – Petty Officer 1st Class At least one of the assigned SEALs other than the CPO or LPO must be a rated SEAL Medic For routine missions, the balance of nine E-5 or E-6 SEALs may have one add’l SEAL Medic, with the other eight assigned primary duties of: Point-man/Navigator, Communicator, Sniper, Machine Gunner, Engineer/Demolition, two Riflemen, and Platoon SecurityTraining:- OCS (12 wks)- BUD/S (6 mos)Vision/Med:- Correctable to 20/20 (waivers considered).- Color vision required.- PRK and LASIK only eye surgeries waiverable.Special Info:- BUD/S-Phase I-Physical Conditioning (8wks)- Phase II-Diving (7wks)- Phase III-Demolition (8 wks)- SEAL Qualification Training (12 wks)- Parachute Training (3 wks)- Earn "Trident" uniform insignia- Must be eligible for Secret clearance.PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:Community overview. The word SEAL is an acronym that stands for the environments in which Naval Special Warfare (NSW) units operate; the Sea, the air and the land. NSW personnel are organized, trained, and equipped to conduct maritime special operations across the spectrum of conflict. These highly trained specialists are deployed worldwide in support of joint and fleet operations. The unique training regimen in place to produce the basic SEAL operator is based on the four Special Operations Forces (SOF) Truths: Humans are more important than hardware; Quality is better than quantity; SOF cannot be mass produced; and, Competent SOF cannot be created after emergencies occur.Course Description. BUD/S consists of three phases. (Note: During BUD/S training officers and enlisted men are mixed together without respect to rank. SEAL Officer candidates must complete the exact same training requirements as the enlisted sailor candidates. Everyone is just a SEAL candidate, not an officer or enlisted man. This is an important training tool for officers, as they learn to never ask/order one of their SEALs to do anything they could not/would not do themselves. Teaches humility. First Phase is known as the physical conditioning phase, with strong emphasis placed on running, swimming, obstacle course, physical training and basic water and lifesaving skills. Second Phase, the diving phase of BUD/S, emphasizes the skills required to be a Naval Special Warfare combat swimmer. Finally, Third Phase, the land warfare phase, operates under the principal of turning "Sailors into Soldiers." Emphasis in Third Phase is on small unit tactics, patrolling, weapons training and demolition. All phases share common evaluations, including running, swimming and obstacle course. Indoctrination (INDOC) prepares students for the rigors of First Phase, and culminates with a class-up test that students must pass before beginning First phase. The test consists of an Obstacle course run in 19 minutes, a two-mile beach run in 16 minutes, a 1000-meter pool swim with fins in 22 minutes 15 seconds, and finally a rope climb.I. First Phase (Physical Conditioning)First Phase is eight weeks in length. Continued physical conditioning in the areas of running swimming, and calisthenics grow harder as the weeks progress. Students will participate in weekly four mile timed runs in boots, timed obstacle courses, swim distances up to two miles wearing fins in the ocean, and learn small boat seamanship. Week three is Hell Week, featuring 120 hours of continuous training on less than four hours of sleep. This week is designed as the ultimate test of one's physical and mental motivation while in First Phase. The remaining five weeks are devoted to basic SEAL skills, which include hydrographic reconnaissance, patrolling, weapons handling and load-bearing exercises. Additionally, Close Quarter Defense (CQD) training is now taught in First Phase, along with a three-day maritime operations course of instruction. Each student will have the opportunity to operate a SEAL Combat Rubber Raiding Craft through the surf zone, and participate in a helicopter cast and recovery exercise from a CH-46. Perhaps most cherished by the students is the over-the-beach insertion from the MK V high speed Special Operations Craft.II. Second Phase (Diving)After you have completed First Phase, you have proven to the instructor staff that you are motivated to continue more in-depth training. The diving Phase is seven weeks in length, during which physical training continues, but the times are lowered for the four-mile runs, two-mile swims, and obstacle course. Second Phase concentrates on combat SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). Students are taught two types of SCUBA: open circuit (Compressed Air) and closed circuit (100% oxygen). Emphasis is placed on long distance underwater dives with the goal of training students to become basic combat divers, using swimming and diving techniques as a means of transportation from their launch point to their objective. This is a skill that separates SEALS from all other Special Operations forces.III. Third Phase (Demolition)This phase emphasizes more than ever the basic SEAL combat skills that will be required of effective SEAL platoon operators. Students spend increased training hours on special reconnaissance, a key SEAL mission area, and also receive a second, more advanced CQD course, emphasizing offensive mindset skills and prisoner handling techniques. Core SEAL mission profiles are now emphasized, including increased rehearsals with Immediate Action Drills (IADs), Over-The-Beach (OTB) scenarios and ambush techniques. Lastly, but definitely not least, is a new live-fire field training exercise, providing the most realistic scenario possible short of entering a combat situation. Physical training continues to become more strenuous as the run distances increase and the minimum passing times are lowered for the runs, swims, and obstacle course. The final five weeks of Third Phase are spent on San Clemente Island, where students apply techniques acquired throughout training in a practical environment.IV. Post-BUD/S Schools.Prior to reporting to their first NSW command, BUD/S graduates receive 12 weeks of SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) at the same location, and three weeks basic parachute training at the Army Airborne School, Fort Benning, Georgia. The Naval Special Warfare Insignia is awarded at the conclusion of STT, and prior to reporting to either an SDV or SEAL Team. SEAL corpsmen (HM) also attend an intense course of instruction in diving medicine and medical skills called 18-D (Special Operations Medical Sergeant Course) at Ft Bragg, NC. It is a 30-week course where students receive training in burns, gunshot wounds, and trauma.Active duty obligation.A SEAL officer must agree to serve on active duty for a period of 3 years or until completion of previously acquired minimum service obligated service, whichever is longer, subsequent to successful completion of training. No additional service obligation is incurred if involuntary disenrolled because of disqualification. Member would then serve on active duty until completion of prior minimum service obligation.Locations of initial fleet assignments. A first tour SEAL officer can expect to be assigned as a SEAL Team HQ “N” Staff Officer, or a Platoon OIC. His team/platoon will conduct deployment cycles that include an intense pre-deployment work-up, and a 6-month deployment to a forward deployed Naval Special Warfare Unit, or with an Amphibious Ready Group.Special pay/bonuses. In addition to normal pay allowances, Naval Special Warfare Officers are authorized to receive Dive Pay and up to two Hazardous Duty Incentive Pays (HDIPs). Special Warfare Officer Continuation Pay (SPECWAROCP) is also paid to eligible SEAL officers between 6 and 14 years of commissioned service.Basic eligibility requirements. SEAL applicants must be eligible for a SECRET clearance and should be 28 years of age or less as of application receipt date in DCNO N131H (except officer candidates with prior enlisted experience). Meet medical standards as specified in the NAVMED P-117, Manual of Medical Department, Article 15-66, and satisfactorily complete physical screening test outlined in MILPERSMAN 1220-190.NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE OFFICER (women encouraged to apply)Training:- OCS (12 wks)- Division Officer School (6 months)- Surface Warfare Officer School (4-6 wks)- Complete Division Officer tour- Specialty School (3-7 wks)Vision/Med:- Correctable to 20/20 (waivers considered).- Color vision required.- PRK and LASIK only eye surgeries can be waivedService Obligation:- 4 years Active from date of commission.- Total of 8 years Active & Inactive.Special Info:- $150/month sea pay starts on initial sea duty assignment.- $50,000 incentive pay to stay past initial obligation.PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:Community Overview. Surface Warfare Officers are Navy officers whose training and primary duties focus on the operation of Navy ships at sea and the management of various shipboard systems. Their ultimate goal is to command a Navy surface ship. Navy systems such as the vertical launch system that fires surface-to-air and cruise missiles require the skills and expertise of people trained in high-tech fields. The Navy provides this training. Like all Navy officers, surface warfare officers are graduates of civilian or military colleges.Specific job elements for first tour. The primary goals of the Division Officer Sequencing Plan are to provide optimal readiness to the fleet and maximum development opportunities to the individuals. To this end, Division Officer tours are 42 month split tours designed to provide individuals diversity in their background and experiences. The first tour will be 24 months with the most important milestones of the initial sea tour being achievement of the Officer of the Deck (Fleet) and Surface Warfare Officer qualifications. These qualifications are designed to be completed within the first 12 to 18 months. During the initial sea tour, officers may be assigned to multiple departments to provide a diversified background and facilitate Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) and Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW) qualification. Development of seamanship, war fighting skills, and dynamic leadership are key elements in the initial sea tour. The second Division Officer tour lasts 18 months and will always be in a department different from the initial tour. During the second tour, Division Officers are expected to complete Engineering Officer of the Watch qualification and many will make progress towards qualifying as Tactical Action Officer. The second sea tour billets are designed to fill specific needs of the Navy commensurate with an officer's background. Additionally, follow-on sea tours provide professional benefits to the officer including additional qualifications and a more diversified background.Training Pipeline following commission. Upon commissioning, officers who select Surface Warfare undergo 17 weeks of intensive instruction at the Surface Warfare Officers School Division Officer Course (SWOSDOC) in Newport, Rhode Island. The first 11 weeks of SWOSDOC are common for all Surface Warfare candidates and emphasizes the basics in shipboard management, combat systems, ship control, and surface ship fundamentals. The final 6 weeks of SWOSDOC are ship class specific and center of the engineering systems on that class. SWOSDOC is designed to provide the tools needed for a successful first sea assignment. After completing the SWOSDOC Core, you will be sent to a specialty school for instruction focused on the requirements of your first job. Specialty schools include Anti-submarine Warfare Officer, Engineering Division Officer, Damage Control Assistant, and Communications Officer. Most of these schools are in Newport and are from 3 to 7 weeks long. Total time in Newport is 23 to 26 weeks.Locations of fleet assignments. The initial fleet assignments may take you to Norfolk, VA, San Diego, CA, Bremerton, WA, Pearl Harbor, HI, Yokosuka, Japan, or Mayport, Florida. The largest concentration of Navy shore billets is on the East Coast, mainly in Washington, DC, Newport, RI, and Norfolk, VA. Opportunities for shore duty include Naval Post Graduate School (NPGS), JCS/OSD Intern Program, and various instructor assignments. The Naval Post Graduate Schools offers technical and non-technical curricula and provides junior officers an excellent early opportunity to obtain advanced degrees. Individuals not assigned to NPGS are encourage to work on advanced degrees during the "off-duty" time. First shore tours are designed to further broaden a junior officer's background and expand their opportunities.Special pay/bonuses. SWO's earn sea duty pay while on sea duty from their 1st day of duty at sea. SWO's also earn hazardous duty pay and tax-free base pay while deployed to certain hot spots. In general, after an SWO completes his/her first sea duty tour as a Division Officer, they are at the end of their required 4-year active duty service obligation. Most SWOs have just been promoted to O-3, Lt. Before any further training or assignments, you may choose to resign your active duty commission and go into the inactive reserves for four years. This essentially means that unless there’s a critical need for your skills (like there’s a war), you’ll wait-out your 4 years of inactive reserve pursuing your civilian life with no further requirement from the Navy.If you choose to sign-up to extend your active duty assignment for three more years, you’ll be assigned your next billet above Division Officer, which is Department Head. Upon selection to Department Head and completion of any specialty schooling, SWO's can earn a $50,000 bonus for signing on to complete a 36 month (typical) afloat department head sequence. After completion of your Dept Head tour, it becomes another moment of truth, not just for you, but for the Navy. You’ve now been on active duty for about 8 years. You’ve either been given early promotion to O-4 Lt. Commander, or have been notified you are an O-4 selectee. If you’ve been passed-over for promotion once, you’ll likely be given at most another year by the Navy to pass tests & oral boards for O-4 promotion. If you get passed over again, your Navy career is over. If you’re fortunate to make O-4 and decide to sign-on for four more years, you’ll only have one more go-around with the moment of truth at approximately the 12-13 year mark. Just as the scenario described above regarding O-4, the same will occur for promotion to O-5, Commander. If you can avoid being passed over twice for O-5 promotion, then if you do your job properly, you can ride-out your career to 20 years as an O-5 without any further promotion or being discharged, and retire at 20 years with 50% of your pay every month for the rest of your life.Academic/professional expertise. Candidates must be a graduate from Officer Candidate School (OCS), the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) or a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program at a participating college and receive commissions as Navy officers; successfully complete the Surface Warfare Officers School (SWOS) Division Officer Course; complete the SWO Personnel qualification Standard (PQS). That's the hands-on training and qualification program aboard ship during the first sea tour.Basic eligibility requirements. A Surface Warfare Officer candidate must:- Be a U.S. citizen- Be at least 19 and under 29 when commissioned (maximum age limit may be adjusted up to two years for prior active service)- Have a B.S. or B.A. degree from an accredited college or university- Have a qualifying score on the Officer Aptitude Rating Exam- Be physically qualified by Navy standardsAdditional comments. As a SWO you may be responsible for more than 300 people and millions of dollars of complex equipment during your initial tour. Many of the skills and much of the knowledge you acquired in college are put to immediate use. Once you're commissioned a Navy officer, educational opportunities from technical training to postgraduate school are available to further your professional growth. The pay is good. Promotions are regular and based upon performance. And as a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) you'll face challenges that can lead you around the world and back again.NAVAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS OFFICER (EOD, SALVAGE)Training:- OCS (12 wks)- Division Officer School (6 months)- Surface Warfare Officer School (4-6 wks)- Complete Division Officer tour- ND/STC(18 wks)- EOD School (51wks)Vision/Med:- Correctable to 20/20 (waivers considered).- Color vision required.- PRK and LASIK only eye surgeries waiverable.Service Obligation:- 2 years Active after EOD School grad. or until completion of previously acquired min. obligated svc., whichever is longer.- Total of 8 years Active & Inactive.Special Info:- Must be eligible for Secret clearance.- Applications will only be considered if available for OCS within 24 months.Four areas:- Explosive Ordnance Disposal- Underwater Mine Counter-Measures- Operational Diving and Salvage- Expendable Ordnance Management- SPECOPS officers who are qualified divers are eligible to receive dive pay of $550/month.PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:Community Overview. Looking for something different and challenging? The 1140 Navy Special Operations (SPECOPS) community comprises the war fighting communities of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Under-Water Mine Countermeasures (UMCM) with expertise in Operational Diving and Salvage (ODS) and Explosive Ordnance Management (EOM). The Community offers a unique opportunity to motivated men and women who seek early leadership responsibilities and tough challenges. Assignments are based on performance, qualification, and personal desires, mirroring the Un-Restricted Line officer warfare community. All aspects from initial training to command are included in the organization of the SPECOPS community. Junior officers are immediately trained as Navy Diving Officers and serve aboard Mine Countermeasures (MCM) and salvage ships to earn their qualification as Surface Warriors. After training in EOD, officers are immediately assigned as the Officer in Charge of EOD detachments, operating throughout the world. Throughout the Special Operations career, the tasks are varied and require personnel that enjoy responsibility, hard work, autonomy and an exciting atmosphere…Are you that person? As an officer progresses through a career in Navy Special Operations (SPECOPS), the following are four areas in which to serve:Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Under Water Mine Countermeasures (UMCM) make up over 80% of the community billets (job slots) with ODS and EOM combining for approximately 20% of the jobs. Navy SPECOPS Officers lead the U.S. Navy's highly trained men and women who render safe unexploded ordnance that impedes military operations or endangers the public. Each SPECOPS Officer is trained as an EOD technician at DoD Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Eglin AFB, Florida. Trained alongside the enlisted EOD technicians. SPECOPS Officers provide field leadership to EOD forces from the LT Officer in Charge (OIC) at sea to the CAPT who commands each Fleet's EOD Group, providing leadership and planning for large-scale operations, force integration and modernization. Navy EOD was born during World War II. Numerous recent operations include clearing unexploded bombs from ships during the Arabian Gulf "Tanker War" of the 1980s, rendering safe an unexploded Iraqi missile lodged in USS STARK in 1987, destroying mines in the Arabian Gulf in the 1990s, disarming terrorist device in Kosovo, to name a few. From the arctic to the desert, to the depths of the world's oceans, Navy EOD teams - Those Who Dare! - are trained and ready to clear the way! The detachment is the basic operational element of the EOD forces. Led by a LT or CWO, EOD detachments can vary in size from 1 officer/5 enlisted to 2 officers/16 enlisted. EOD detachments deploy with Carrier Battle Groups, Amphibious Ready Groups, and Mine Countermeasures Groups in addition to responding to contingency operations throughout the world. Ashore, EOD detachments are located at many naval installations for response to ordnance incidents, to provide diving services, and in support of research and development projects. There is an increasing demand for EOD personnel to assist the United States Secret Service to protect dignitaries, Department of Justice for Force Protection and Department of State for ordnance classification. EOD operates the Navy's Marine Mammal Systems that employ Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions in mine countermeasures operations, swimmer detection missions and for underwater object recovery.Under-water Mine Counter-Measures (UMCM). Navy Special Operations officers provide unique Under-water Mine Countermeasures expertise to our Navy with initial Division Officer tours on an MCM and MHC ships. SPECOPS also lead EOD UMCM Detachments that are a crucial part of the Navy's MCM force. In addition, SPECOPS Officers serve and lead the Under-Water Mine Countermeasures Unit. Very Shallow Water (VSW) Mine Countermeasures Detachment comprised this unit which is composed of EOD, SEAL and USMC personnel. This Unit uses special tactics and equipment to penetrate the 0-40 foot depth zone of the near shore area adjacent to potential landing beaches and port restoration.Diving and Salvage. "We dive the world over" has been the motto of U.S. Navy divers for many years. Each SPECOPS Officer starts his career by qualifying as a Navy Diving Officer at NAVDIVSALVTRACEN, Panama City, Florida. Limited numbers of SPECOPS officers will complete their initial sea tour on salvage ships, qualifying as a ship handler and refining their ability to conduct extended heavy work underwater, salvaging submerged aircraft and historic ships, refloating grounded ships, or conducting battle damage repair. Future of Salvage is Expeditionary and consist of rapidly deployable expeditionary in nature dive units as seen on the rapid response to salvage and restore the USS Cole.Expendable Ordnance Management (EOM). SPECOPS Officers provide line officer leadership and ordnance expertise in critical ordnance management positions that utilize expertise in ordnance safety and both conventional and nuclear weapons movement and storage. Though few billets exist for the SPECOPS Officer, most of these more senior positions require Captains and Commanders who receive specialized logistics training before filling the limited shore-based EOM positions.Specific job elements for first tour. Upon completion of initial sea tour as a Division Officer and Graduating from EOD School, the Officer will be stationed at an EOD Mobile Unit. This tour is considered sea duty for rotational purposes. A Mobile Unit SPECOPS officer is part of a 5 to a 16-man detachment, consisting of an EOD officer in charge, one chief and three to nine enlisted personnel. An EOD detachment could be deployed to fill shipboard requirements on aircraft carriers, amphibious and mine warfare ships. While deployed, each team fills a variety of responsibilities throughout the Carrier Battle Groups and Amphibious Ready Groups. These can include flight deck operations, amphibious operations and training throughout the Battle Group. Additionally, personnel can be assigned to a Mine Counter Measures Detachment, or a Marine Mammal Systems Department. Detachments are also involved in Secret Service Support, Justice Department support and Force Protection.Active duty obligation. After graduating from EOD School Officers must agree to serve on active duty for a period of 2 years or until completion of previously acquired minimum obligated service, whichever is longer, subsequent to completion of training.Training Pipeline following commission. Upon commissioning and after completing SWOS, Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC) Panama City, Florida, and initial sea tour, SPECOPS candidates will receive Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders to Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD), Naval Ordnance Station, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. A total of 51 weeks of rigorous training begins with 12 weeks of dive training at NDSTC. Students receive training in diving physics, medicine, SCUBA, MK16 mixed gas diving system, hyperbaric chamber operations, familiarization of the MK21 Superlite surface supplied hard hat diving system, rubber raiding craft small boat operation and small team diving integration. At EOD School, Eglin AFB, the curriculum consists of core classes, demolition of explosives, EOD tools and methods, chemical munitions and EOD publications. The final phase is broken down into specific types of ordnance. Each division teaches an in depth course on both foreign and domestic weapons. These divisions are broken down into the following:- Ground Ordnance. Land-mines, grenades, booby traps, and projected munitions (projectiles, mortars, and rockets).- Air Ordnance. Bombs, missiles, egress systems, gun systems, and aircraft explosive hazards.- Improvised Explosive Devices. Homemade bombs, terrorist devices, and their render safe procedures. Core effort of Force Protection is conducted in this phase.- Underwater Ordnance. Torpedoes, mines, underwater explosive devices, search techniques, and foreign ordnance exploitation.- Nuclear Weapons. Basic nuclear physics and radiation monitoring, decontamination procedures, and nuclear weapon render safe procedures.- Advance Mobility. Mobility skills and Advanced Force Protection concepts and procedures are conducted in this phase.Special pay/bonuses. SPECOPS officers who are qualified divers, demolition experts and parachutists and assigned to SPECOPS are eligible to receive dive pay in amounts of approx. $550.00.Locations of initial fleet assignments. The location of EOD Groups/Units and Mobile Diving Salvage Units are:WEST COAST :San Diego, CA; Guam; Oak Harbor, WAEAST COASTLittle Creek, VA; Charleston, SC; Sicily, IT; Fort Story, VAARMY OFFICER – SPECIAL FORCES (GREEN BERETS)Not to disappoint anyone, but getting the chance to be a Special Forces Officer is a much different process that becoming an enlisted Special Forces soldier, or an officer or enlisted Navy SEAL. Those three programs have a means to give you a guaranteed shot at becoming one of those three special operators directly from the street as a civilian. Keep in mind, though, all Special Forces operator schools have VERY high failure rates…especially civilians with no military experience. It’s not because you need to have a lot of previous soldiering skills – you’ll be taught what you need to know, if you apply yourself – the problem civilians have coming off the street to join any special forces schooling is they often are not prepared for extreme physical and mental stress & strain you’ll be under for days & days and weeks & weeks at a time. In short, civvies often have not had themselves “tested” to see if they’ve got the guts to suck it up and keep pushing when they’ve got nothing left. Navy and Army recruiters figure there’s no harm in giving a “greenie” civilian a shot at being a SEAL or an enlisted Army Special Forces. The civvie might just be that one in 10,000 guy who’s got enough guts to make it. If the civvie can’t hack it, the Army or Navy has another plain ol’ recruit they can just throw into the run-of-the-mill enlisted pipeline.So, the bottom-line here is if you want to try for a SEAL or enlisted Green Beret, the Army/Navy has nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you fail, you’re the one that comes up a loser.Having said all this, here’s the deal with Army Special Forces Officers. The Navy has had a structured career progression ladder for 30 years for SEAL officers. They can start out as a SEAL officer and stay with it all the way to retirement, and can rise up to a two-star Rear Admiral in Navy Special Warfare, before they would have to leave the SEAL community for their third-star Vice Admiral or fourth-star Admiral rank. The Nav Spec War community has a complete organizational structure for a new O-1 Ensign to start out and go up. Army Special Forces is just beginning to look at creating a complete career ladder for their Green Beret officers. There’s a few upper officer rank possibilities in Army Special Forces, nothing at the officer entry level.One of the issues for the Army is the difference in special operator team leadership vs. the Navy. Navy SEAL platoons use two commissioned officers as leaders; an OIC ranked as an O-3 Lieutenant and an AOIC ranked as an O-1 Ensign or O-2 Lt., Junior Grade (J.G.). The Navy believes their senior enlisted SEALs, the Platoon Chief Petty Officer, and the Leading Petty Officer 1st Class, have between 25 and 30 combined years of special operations experience. With that amount of real-world competency to go with an OIC Lt. that has eight years of spec ops leadership experience, they can afford to have an AOIC that is largely in a learning mode. If the Platoon has to be split into two teams, as often happens, the OIC takes the LPO to be his # 2 on one team, and the AOIC has the advantage of having the CPO along as his # 2 man. This formula has worked for the SEALs for close to 50 years.Army Special Forces does not have the lower ranking O-1 or O-2 officer slots available for nurturing like the SEALs. An Army ODA has an O-3, Captain for OIC. But, the AOIC is not a commissioned officer; he’s a Chief Warrant Officer who is a former enlisted Green Beret with more than 15 years exp in spec ops. The Army uses this system because, like where all this is leading, a newly minted O-1, 2nd Lt coming off the street needs combat seasoning and has no short-term opportunity in the Green Berets to do that. Army Officer career fields come about in three ways:1. You can come in with a direct commission off-the-street if you are a degreed & experienced professional, such as a doctor, lawyer or chaplain, and you want to work in the Army in the same profession.2. You are already in the Army as an enlisted NCO or Warrant Officer in one of the Combat career branches and you have a college degree; you now desire to become an officer. If you were in MOS 18 branch, which is Special Forces, you’ll keep that branch, but you won’t come directly to Green Berets; you’ll likely go to a regular infantry unit or Airborne Rangers for a few years, then you’ll have to apply to come back as a Green Beret officer. If you are not a MOS 18, but another combat MOS, you’ll go back to being a new O-1 2nd Lt in that existing branch you are trained in, and then in a few years you can apply to become trained as a Green Beret. Sadly, even if you were an enlisted Green Beret and you want to become an officer Green Beret, they’re going to make you go through the whole Green Beret selection and qualification course all over again. Even worse, if you were an enlisted SOF, then became a WO SOF, you had to do training all over again to be a WO Green Beret. Then if you want to become an officer Green Beret, you will go thru the training all over again for the third time!3. This is the civilian from the street scenario. If you go thru OCS to become an O-1 2nd Lt after graduating college as a civilian, the Army won’t guarantee you come directly into Green Beret training after OCS like the Navy SEALs. All newly entering civvies are required on form DA-61 to select six officer branch preferences in the order you want. The three main categories of branches are: Combat, Combat Support and Combat Service Support. Green Berets are in Combat. You have to choose two branches from each category, but you can rank them in any order you please. But, it’s only a dream sheet – your preferences may not matter at all. The branch assignments are made using the class rank system like the AF for aircraft assignments. The officer detailers will look at the Army’s needs for 2nd Lt’s, what sort of college you have, what did you put on the dream sheet. They’ll do all the same evaluation for everyone in your OCS class. Then they’ll put together a list of 2nd LT branch assignments for your class. The # 1 student gets first pick of the bucket of assignments. If there’s 40 new 2nd Lt’s in your class, and there are only four Special Forces branch assignments, and you’re # 20 in your class, you’ll likely not get the chance to choose Special Forces because the four slots will be taken already. You’ll have to take another branch and hope to try for Special Forces after a few years of working elsewhere.After reviewing the whole situation and you really feel you ultimately want to become a Special Forces officer after college, the best choice is to join-up in the enlisted 18X Special Forces Program. The advantage to doing it this way is the 18X program is designed to take-in civvies off the street. If you’ve got the intestinal fortitude and mental & physical strength to make it thru training, this path will get you into actual Green Beret work in the shortest amount of time. As an enlisted man you’ll also get to choose a specialty skill such as Weapons, Communications, Engineering or Trauma Medicine. After you complete all your training, get assigned to an A-team, complete all your quals and make a mission deployment or two, you’ll have been in the Army close to four years. At this point-in-time, you’ll know whether you want a shot at becoming a Green Beret officer or not. A couple of thoughts for you…If you want to become a Green Beret officer, make the decision to apply and get it done as soon after becoming an enlisted Green Beret as possible. If you become an officer, you want that officer career to start quickly so you can get promoted up the ladder as far as you can before it’s time to retire.Consider this: what’s more important to you of the following four things?1. Have the longest possible career as a Green Beret, not being concerned about rank? (Enlist as an 18X SOF soldier, and don’t bother with being either a commissioned or warrant officer.)2. Have the longest possible career as a Green Beret, with above average income and the opportunity to be a spec ops leader? (Enlist as an 18X SOF soldier, and then at the earliest possible opportunity apply to become a Green Beret WO)3. Be a Green Beret officer and be able to lead the best spec ops warriors in the world, and make above average income? (Enlist as an 18X SOF soldier, and then at the earliest possible opportunity apply to become a Green Beret Commissioned Officer)4. Become an officer with the goal of becoming a four-star General, and make a really great income? (After college, apply directly for OCS, work hard to always get high scores so you can get the best assignments and fastest officer promotions. If you still want to try being a Green Beret Officer, wait the right amount of time, usually about a year after becoming a 1st Lt., apply for it and work hard to get it. But, keeping in mind your goal is to achieve the highest rank and the most money, keep in mind Special Forces can provide internal promotional growth like this): ODA (A-team) OIC – Captain (378) ODB (B-team) Commander – Major (70) ODC (C-Team, a battalion) – Lt. Colonel (21) Numbered Special Forces Group (1st, 3rd, etc) – Colonel (7) U.S.Army Special Forces Command – Brigadier General (1) U.S. Joint Special Operations Command – Major General (1) U.S.Special Operations Command – Lt. General (1)In # 4 above, the numbers in parenthesis indicate at any one moment in time, how many of the job slots are available worldwide. The point here is in # 4, if your goal is truly to rise up as high as you can, as quick as you can, then you may find a situation where you’ve chosen to become the Captain of an ODA Special Forces Team, but the next move up to Major is a slot with only 20% of the Captain slots. If you truly plan to move up in rank as high as you can, as quickly as you can, you might find that after your three year tour as a Captain OIC of an A-team, that you need to move back out of Special Forces in order to get a promotion to Major sooner rather than later.Finally, make note in scenario # 3 above that by starting your career as an 18X enlisted Special Forces recruit, it will be about three to four years before you’ll graduate from OCS as a 2nd Lt. By time you work in another branch for a few years, maybe as an Airborne Ranger, and then apply to come back to Special Forces as a Captain OIC over an A-Team, you’ll have about eight years in the Army, or about double the number of years time-in-service of scenario # 4, yet both are Captains. Believe it or not, having four more of service will give you less time on the back-end to accomplish enough promotions before retirement. It could be very likely at 20 years when you first become eligible for retirement, in scenario # 3 you may likely be a Lt. Colonel, maybe a Colonel if you did everything right at each promotion step. Whereas, in scenario # 4 at 20 years of service, you’ll likely be a Colonel, possibly a Brigadier General. Let’s face, who knows how you’ll feel at 20 of service? You may only be a Lt. Colonel and would like to stay another four years, but Army rules will force you out at 20 years if you are Lt. Colonel. By the same token, you may have had grand plans to be a four-star general with over 30 to 35 of service, and you pursued option # 4. At 20 years you are Colonel, and you are told if you sign-up four more years, you can sew on your Brigadier General star right away. But, you find yourself at 20 of service totally burned-out and you want to retire now as a Colonel, regardless the extra promises. Also note that besides more income and more than 50% retirement, there’s also other special retirement benefits only available to general officers. But, you want to get out.After all is said and done, what is it that really want most for your career, family and life? All four answers above are right, depending on what you want.BranchCombat arms branchesInfantry*ArmorField ArtilleryAir Defense ArtilleryAviationSpecial Forces*Corps of EngineersCombat support branchesSignal CorpsMilitary Police CorpsMilitary Intelligence CorpsCivil AffairsChemical CorpsCombat service support branchesAdjutant General CorpsFinance CorpsTransportation CorpsOrdnance CorpsQuartermaster Corps*Note: Closed to women—see AR 611-1, paragraph 4-7.)Army Officer Candidate School (OCS) is a 14-week program which graduates commissioned officers in the United States Army.Army OCS was established in 1941 to provide Infantry officers for World War II. Through all of the years OCS has remained an important commissioning source for the Army. Officer Candidate School (OCS) is located at Fort Benning, GA and is the Army's only active duty Officer Candidate School, commissioning over 800 lieutenants annually. An additional 650 National Guard candidates train there each summer.Basically, there are three categories of OCS candidates: College Graduates (civilians), current military (enlisted) and direct commission (doctors, lawyers, chaplains, etc.) All OCS graduates must serve a minimum of three years on active duty following graduation from OCS.The OCS selection process is very selective. Only about 60 percent of all those who apply are accepted for attendance at OCS. It should be noted that College Graduate (Civilians) and Current Military (enlisted) do not compete with each other for available OCS slots, and current enlisted troops have a somewhat higher acceptance rate of 70%. College Graduate (civilian) applicants are selected by a selection board convened by the Army Recruiting Command, and Current Military (enlisted) are selected by a board convened by the Army Personnel Command (PERSCOM). Once selected, the graduation rate for OCS is over 90 percent.College Graduates (Civilian Applicants)Eligibility• At least 19 and no older than 29 at time of enlistment (applicants ages 30-34 may request a waiver)• United States citizen• At least a 4-year college degree prior to entering the Army• Earn a minimum 110 GT score on the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)• Be able to meet the normal requirements of enlistment (Note: Criminal History requirements for commission are more strict than the requirements listed in the "requirements of enlistment" article. In general, an applicant for commission must have no convictions by civil or military courts. (This does not apply to minor traffic violations with a fine or forfeiture of $250.00 or less). An applicant must not have been judged to be a juvenile offender. This applies even if the court sentence, or any part of it, was suspended or withheld, or such conviction was in any way removed from court records by satisfactory completion of a period of probation. This also applies to adverse juvenile adjudication. (Note: Some convictions can be waived).Application ProcessThe application process begins by talking to an Army Recruiter. In the Army, OCS candidates must enlist for the purpose of attending Army Basic Training. Individuals who enlist in the Army for the purpose of attending OCS, enlist under enlistment program 9D of Army Regulation 601-210. Below is a brief description of the process:The application process begins by completing a DA Form 61, Application for Appointment (Note: This, and other official forms can be downloaded as PDF form from the Army website. You will also complete an SF Form 86 (Security Questionnaire), and DD Form 1966 (Record of Processing for the Armed Forces).The Recruiter will schedule you for a medical examination, and to take the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). There is no longer any special "officer test" for Army OCS. Candidates complete the ASVAB, and must score a minimum of 110 in the "GT" area to qualify. You must meet the medical standards of Army Regulation 40-501, chapter 2, and the vision requirements listed in 40-501 for Combat Arms, or Combat Support.Once you pass the above criteria, and it has been reviewed for correctness by the Recruiting Battalion, you will be scheduled to appear before the Recruiting Battalion OCS Board. The board is composed of at least three commissioned officers. The board will question you on personal history, training, and experience. It will decide whether or not you appear to possess the desire, determination, and motivation necessary to complete training and to develop into a satisfactory commissioned officer. On this basis, each board member will make an independent appraisal of your overall qualification for a commission. For an example of what the board may ask you, see DA Form 6285, Structured Interview, Army Pre-commissioning Selection.If the board recommends rejection, you will be so informed. The processing ends at that point. If the board recommends acceptance, the results are sent to the Army Recruiting Command OCS Review Board, who does the final approval, and determines OCS class date. Once the review board approves the application, you will be enlisted in the Delayed Enlistment Program (DEP), and given a basic training class date (Note: Prior Service Army personnel who have been out of the Army for less than five years usually do not have to re-attend Army Basic Training).It should be noted here, that unlike enlisted (current military) applicants, you will not know what officer branch you will be selected for at the time of approval. However, you will normally be informed of your branch selection prior to attendance at OCS (not necessarily prior to attending basic training, however). The preferences you make on the DA Form 61 are just that -- preferences. There is no guarantee that you will go into the officer branch of your choice.The DA Form 61, along with supporting documentation (college transcripts, waiver requests, letters of recommendation) is sent to the unit commander who reviews and approves the application. The unit commander then passes the application package through the intermediate commander (for review/approval) to the Installation Commander. The Installation Commander convenes an "OCS Structured Interview:"(1) The structured interview identifies the degree to which the applicant has developed attributes that show potential for a successful career as a professional Army commissioned officer. The applicant’s past behavior in a variety of situations is evaluated to predict future performance.(2) A panel of three interviewers will conduct the interview. All panel members must be commissioned officers; the panel president must hold the grade of major or above, and the other two panel members must hold the grade of captain or above.(3) Immediately before the structured interview, the panel members will require the applicant to submit a handwritten narrative on standard 8 1/2 by 11–inch paper stating “Why I Want to be an Army Officer.” This narrative gives interviewers a chance to evaluate the applicant’s writing and ability to express a desire to serve as a commissioned officer.(a) The applicant will be allowed a maximum of 1 hour to complete the narrative.(b) The narrative will not exceed two pages.(c) No assistance except use of a dictionary and an explanation of the question will be permitted.The Installation Commander reviews the board recommendation and approves/disapproves the package. If approved, the Installation Commander passes the application through the MACOM commander (who can also approve/disapprove), who forwards the package to Army PERSCOM (Personnel Command), where the package is reviewed by an OCS selection board, who makes the final selections. The PERSCOM board selects the branch at the same time the OCS package is approved.Basic Officer Leader Course IIBOLC II OverviewThe intent and purpose of this course is to help newly commissioned 2nd Lt’s exiting OCS to be better equipped in exercising sound leadership judgment in their platoons. It was found that many new 2nd Lt’s had never held any meaningful leadership positions prior to joining the Army. This course will assist in bridging the leadership experience gap. BOLC curriculum has been modified several times since its first introduction in 2006. This version is a concise and quick three week program, as opposed to previous iterations that were six or seven weeks long. BOLC II is taught at Fort Sill, OK or Fort Benning, GA.Course Features• Inprocessing• Combatives, Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) Classroom Training• BRM Range Week/Qualification• Advanced Rifle Marksmanship, Intro to U.S. Weapons, Urban Operations• Maneuver Live Fire• Platoon Operations• Outprocessing, graduationThroughout the course, students will serve in leadership positions, and organize and lead certain training events (to include daily Physical Training). Graduation requirements include successful completion of several events listed below:• Pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) with a minimum score of 60 points per event.• Pass Basic Land Navigation Course. Achieve no less than five points of a possible eight during day/night combination.• Qualify with M4 rifle w/CCO attached and Individual Body Armor (IBA).• Rate “Satisfactory” in a minimum of two (2) leadership positions.• Complete the ten mile foot march as part of platoon formation• Complete a four mile platoon run at a 9 minute pace (36 minutes).• Complete all field training exercises.• Demonstrate Army Values at all times.Special Forces Officer MOS “18A” – Information pertaining to the branch purely from an officer’s perspectiveBranch description. The Special Forces Branch ensures com¬petent and confident leaders to exploit the Army’s Airland Battle doctrine across the entire spectrum of conflict at all levels of war-fare in joint and combined campaigns as part of the Army’s bal¬anced forces. Special Forces includes positions concerned with the employment of highly specialized Army units and elements to ac¬complish specific missions throughout the levels of warfare (Strate¬gic, Operational and Tactical). Special Forces units are designed to operate with Airland Battle in the Deep, Close, or Rear areas of the battlefield to conduct unilateral operations or support the commander in his operational planning. Level of employment for Special Forces goes from Low to High Intensity conflict, focusing efforts to accomplish uniquely specific missions as the situation dictates in both developed and underdeveloped theatres of operation. Special Forces units are comprised of highly trained volunteers, each with extensive training in his specialty. Many Special Forces missions are highly sensitive and secret operations.Description of duties. Commands or serves on the staff of Special Forces units. Serves in positions requiring general Special Forces experience or training. Serves as a Commander, Staff Officer, Advisor, Exchange Officer, Plans and Operations Officer, and service school instructor in positions requiring Special Forces experience or training. Conducts area studies of potential operational areas, acquiring detailed knowledge of their geography, economy, political structure, armed forces, and history. Develops and maintains foreign language capability. Plans, controls and executes for¬eign internal defense, strike operations, strategic reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and other related special operations. Develops interpersonal and communicative skills to facilitate interaction with foreign officers, soldiers, and civilians.Special qualifications if entering the branch for the first time as a prior civilian.(a) Be a CPT or 1LT promotable who has completed an officer basic and advance course.(b) Have a Defense language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) score of 85 or above or a demonstrated language proficiency of 1/1 or above.(c) Meet physical standards in AR 40-501.(d) Be eligible for TOP SECRET clearance under AR 380-67.(e) Be airborne qualified.(f) Have no record of punishment under Article 15, UCMJ.Special grading of positions. For positions coded CPT and above.Position coding. None.Unique duty positions. Special Forces instructor in all service schoolsArmy Special ForcesIt's quite common for the layman (and the media) to refer to all Special Operations Forces as "Special Forces." However, there is only one real "Special Forces," and that's the United States Army Special Forces, sometimes referred to as the "Green Berets." The other "elite" military groups are more properly referred to as "Special Operations Forces," or "Special Ops." It may interest you to know that many Special Forces soldiers don't like the nickname "Green Beret." As more than one has told me, "A Green Beret is a hat. I'm not a hat. I'm a highly trained, professional Army Special Forces Soldier." The first Special Forces unit in the Army was formed on 11 June 1952, when the 10th Special Forces Group was activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.It may also interest you to know that the primary mission of the Army Special Forces is to teach. Yep. That's right -- they're all a bunch of teachers. So, why are they "special?" Because they do their teaching right in the middle of combat missions. They go right into combat situations with military members of friendly developing nations and teach them technical fighting and military skills, as well as helping them resolve human rights issues during combat operations.However, like all Special Operations Groups, that's not all they do. That's just what they do best. When not teaching foreign military groups how to sneak up on the enemy and kill them without dying themselves, Army Special Forces have four other missions that they do very well: Unconventional Warfare, Special Reconnaissance, Direct Action and Counter-Terrorism.Unconventional warfare means they are capable of conducting military and paramilitary actions behind enemy lines. Such actions could include sabotage or helping convince rebel leaders to fight on our side.Because all Special Forces Soldiers are qualified in a foreign language, they are tops in many aspects of Reconnaissance. They can intermingle with the local population and discover information that would be impossible with other types of "recon."Army Rangers(should it occur that you decide to become an Army officer and successfully graduate from OCS, but are unable to move directly into the Special Forces branch, then the next best thing to get yourself prepared for the day you are able to join Special Forces, is to go through Ranger training)The 75th Ranger Regiment is a flexible, highly-trained, and rapidly-deployable light infantry force with specialized skills that enables it to be employed against a variety of conventional and special operations targets. Rangers specialize in dropping in uninvited to spoil your entire day. They generally practice to parachute into the middle of the action, to perform strikes and ambushes and to capture enemy airfields.With America's entry into the Second World War, Rangers came forth to add to the pages of history. Major General Lucian K. Truscott, U. S. Army Liaison with the British General Staff, submitted proposals to General George Marshal that "we undertake immediately an American unit along the lines of the British Commandos" on May 26, 1942. A cable from the War Department quickly followed to Truscott and Major General Russell P. Hartle, commanding all Army Forces in Northern Ireland, authorizing the activation of the First U. S. Army Ranger Battalion. The name RANGER was selected by General Truscott "because the name Commandos rightfully belonged to the British, and we sought a name more typically American. It was therefore fit that the organization that was destined to be the first of the American Ground Forces to battle Germans on the European continent should be called Rangers in compliment to those in American history who exemplified the high standards of courage, initiative, determination and ruggedness, fighting ability and achievement."The members of the 1st Ranger Battalion were all hand-picked volunteers; 50 participated in the gallant Dieppe Raid on the northern coast of France with British and Canadian commandos. The 1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions participated with distinction in the North African, Sicilian and Italian campaigns. Darby’s Ranger Battalions spearheaded the Seventh Army landing at Gela and Licata during the Sicilian invasion and played a key role in the subsequent campaign which culminated in the capture of Messina. They infiltrated German lines and mounted an attack against Cisterna, where they virtually annihilated an entire German parachute regiment during close in, night, bayonet and hand-to-hand fighting.Most people have heard of "Ranger School." It's a very tough, 61 day course. Many times, the other services even send their Special Ops people through this course. What you may not know is that not all combat soldiers assigned to a Ranger Battalion has gone through this course. "Rager School" is designed to train NCOs (Noncommissioned Officers) and Commissioned Officers to LEAD Ranger and Army Infantry Platoons.New soldiers (mostly in the rank of E-1 to E-4) assigned to a Ranger Battalion must first be airborne qualified (go through jump school). They then attend the three-week Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP). To successfully complete RIP, the candidate must achieve a minimum 60% score on the Army Physical Fitness Test (in the 17 to 21 age group), must complete a five-mile run at no slower than 8 minutes per mile, must complete the Army Combat Water Survival Test, CWST (15 meters in battle-dress-uniform [BDUs], combat boots, and combat gear), must complete two out of three road marches (one of which must be the 10-mile march), and must receive a minimum score of 70% on all written examinations.Those who pass the RIP are assigned to one of the three Army Ranger Battalions. At a later time in their career (usually once they make NCO status), they may be selected to attend the actual "Ranger Course." To qualify for the Ranger Course, NCOs and officers must first complete the Ranger Orientation Program (ROP). Minimum qualification standards are:• 80% on APFT by age group for all officers and combat arms NCO's• 70% on APFT by age group for all non-combat arms NCOs• 6 chin-ups• 12-mile road march with 45-pound rucksack within 3 hours, for all officers and combat arms NCOs• 10-mile road march with 45-pound rucksack within 2.5 hours for all non-combat arms NCOs• Successful completion of CWST (Combat Water Survival Training)• 70% on Ranger History examination• 5-mile run in less than 40 minutes• 70% on self-paced Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) examination• Psychological assessment by a U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) psychologist• Successful recommendation from RASP board interviewThe Ranger Course was conceived during the Korean War and was known as the Ranger Training Command. On 10 October 1951, the Ranger Training Command was inactivated and became the Ranger Department, a branch of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Its purpose was, and still is, to develop combat skills of selected officers and enlisted men by requiring them to perform effectively as small unit leaders in a realistic tactical environment, under mental and physical stress approaching that found in actual combat. Emphasis is placed on the development of individual combat skills and abilities through the application of the principles of leadership while further developing military skills in the planning and conduct of dismounted infantry, airborne, airmobile, and amphibious independent squad and platoon-size operations. Graduates return to their units to pass on these skills.From 1954 to the early 1970’s, the Army’s goal, though seldom achieved, was to have one Ranger qualified NCO per infantry platoon and one officer per company. In an effort to better achieve this goal, in 1954 the Army required all combat arms officers to become Ranger/ Airborne qualified.The Ranger course has changed little since its inception. Until recently, it was an eight-week course divided into three phases. The course is now 61 days in duration and divided into three phases as follows:BENNING PHASE (4th Ranger Training Battalion) – Designed to develop the military skills, physical and mental endurance, stamina, and confidence a small-unit combat leader must have to successfully accomplish a mission. It also teaches the Ranger student to properly maintain himself, his subordinates, and his equipment under difficult field conditions.MOUNTAIN PHASE (5th Ranger Training Battalion) – The Ranger student gains proficiency in the fundamentals, principles and techniques of employing small combat units in a mountainous environment. He develops his ability to lead squad-sized units and to exercise control through planning, preparation, and execution phases of all types of combat operations, including ambushes and raids, plus environmental and survival techniques.FLORIDA PHASE (6th Ranger Training Battalion) – Emphasis during this phase is to continue the development of combat leaders, capable of operating effectively under conditions of extreme mental and physical stress. The training further develops the student’s ability to plan and lead small units on independent and coordinated airborne, air assault, amphibious, small boat, and dismounted combat operations in a mid-intensity combat environment against a well-trained, sophisticated enemy.The Rangers used to be known by their distinctive black berets. However, a couple of years ago, the Army Chief of Staff made the decision to issue black berets to all Army soldiers, so the Ranger beret color was changed to tan.There are three Ranger Battalions. which all fall under the command of the 75th Ranger Regiment, headquartered at Fort Benning, GA: The 1st Ranger Battalion at Hunter Army Air Field, GA, the 2nd Ranger Battalion at Fort Lewis, WA, and the 3rd Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning, GA.DeltaEverybody's heard of "Delta Force." However, most of what you've heard is probably wrong. Almost every aspect of Delta is highly classified, including their training program and organizational structure.Back in 1977, when hi-jacking aircraft and taking hostages seemed to be the "in thing," an Army Special Forces officer, Colonel Charles Beckwith, returned from a special assignment with the British Special Air Service (SAS), with a unique idea. He sold the idea of a highly-trained military hostage-rescue force, patterned after the SAS, to the head-honchos at the Pentagon, and they approved.The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment, Delta was created. Most military "experts" believe that Delta is organized into three operating squadrons, with several specialized groups (called "troops) assigned to each squadron. Each "troop" is reported to specialize in a main aspect of special operations, such as HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) parachute operations, or scuba operations.Delta is the most covert of the U.S. Military Special Operations Forces. Delta is sent when there is a tough objective, and we don't want anyone to know that there was U.S. Military involvement. Delta is rumored to have their own fleet of helicopters which are painted in civilian colors and have fake registration numbers. Their special training facility is reported to be the best special operations training facility in the World, including "close-quarters-battle" indoor facility nicknamed the "House of Horrors."Delta recruits from U.S. Army units World-wide, twice per year. After a very extensive screening process, applicants reportedly attend a two or three week special assessment and selection course. Those who make it through the course, enter the Delta Special Operators Training Course, which is estimated to be about six weeks in duration. Delta Force is primarily comprised of hand-picked volunteers from the 82nd Airborne, Army Special Forces and Army Rangers. Delta is said to be the best in the World at close-quarters combat.The highly-classified Delta operations facility is reported to be in a remote location on Fort Bragg, NC.Steve Miller, Copyright (c) 2016

Around 3.2 billion people have access to the Internet. That’s amazing, but it’s fewer than half of the 7 billion or so people on earth. And while Internet access was once a luxury, it is quickly becoming essential as the world’s commerce, educational resources, and entertainment move online.Even as billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg plot to wire the unwired, people in these countries, with a little help from outside companies and investors, are quickly and quietly building their own Internet infrastructure. And they’re doing it using fairly rudimentary methods: by trenching pipes and building cell towers. They have a long way to go, but they’re already proving remarkably successful.A major problem in emerging countries is that when Internet access is available, it’s often expensive. That’s due in part to a lack of competition among providers.Building this new infrastructure is not cheap. Seacom cost $650 million to build, and MainOne cost $240 million. And that does not include the cost of building pipes into the center of the country. That makes the idea of using satellites to blanket the planet with Internet access sound particularly appealing. The question, though, is whether anyone can make satellites cost-effective.Satellite Internet has been around for years, but newer companies like OneWeb—backed by Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson—and Elon Musk’s SpaceX are taking a different approach. By placing satellites in low-earth orbit—roughly 100 to 1,250 miles overhead—these companies say they can provide access that is far faster than traditional satellite Internet, and with less latency (the time between sending a request and getting a response). The catch is that these lower orbit satellites can’t cover as much area as a traditional geosynchronous orbit satellites at an altitude of about 22,000 miles. That means these companies will have to launch hundreds of satellites in order to cover the planet with their wireless signals. And that’s going to be expensive.The capitals and larger towns of the African continent are experiencing improvements in telecommunication service, particularly in countries where monopoly "public telecommunication operators" (PTOs) are beginning to liberalize and open up to private sector participation and competition in telecommunication service provision - such as Ghana and Tanzania. The environment for rural areas of the African continent is, in many ways, similar to the situation that still exists for many rural areas in North America, Australia and Europe: rural areas are the last to get connected, and when connected, tend to have the oldest and most unreliable telecommunication systems. The difference in Africa is that 70 to 80 percent of the population live in economically marginal rural areas; and thus their lack of telecommunication infrastructure is a far more serious problem. Without a concerted effort to recognize and act on the problem, rural people in Africa will be among the last to access the benefits of advances in telecommunication technology and telecommunication investments. They will remain "information have-nots" in the global context.While most developing countries are experiencing fairly rapid extension and modernization of their telecommunication networks, Sub-Saharan Africa's teledensity has continued to remain at about one per 200 inhabitants. Most of the telecommunication network is analogue and many sections are highly unreliable, especially during the rainy season. Teledensity rates for rural areas are typically less than one telephone line for every 1 000 inhabitants. It is not uncommon for people to have to walk or bicycle for several hours to access a telephone.But new technological developments in the use of radio frequencies for wireless communications has advanced rapidly over the past few years resulting in an explosion of possibilities for improving communications infrastructures world-wide. In Africa in particular, wireless technologies are seen as one of the most important ways of addressing the needs of a continent with the least developed telecommunication systems in the world. Radio frequency based transmission systems solutions are now being considered as the among the best options for many initiatives to improve basic telecommunication infrastructure, particularly in rural areas of Africa. Wireless systems also have a special role to play in meeting data communication needs, and the spread of the Internet has placed further demands for widely accessible and reliable high-bandwidth circuits on a generally overburdened and unstable infrastructure.Despite the poor telecommunication infrastructure, most African countries have developed some form of low cost local dial-up store and forward e-mail service with a gateway to the Internet - at least 44 of the 54 nations on the continent. If this pattern continues, there will be few African capitals without live Internet by the end of the 1998. However, local Internet access, which is largely dependent upon local telephone service, will still be very rare for rural areas. There are some instances where Internet access is available throughout the country at the cost of a local call, such as in Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe and Senegal, local calls in many countries cost over US$10 per hour .There are high expectations that new satellite-based communication systems being launched to cover the globe within the decade (such as Iridium and Teledesic), and new projects such as Helium supported stratospheric telecommunications platforms, will radically improve access from the most remote areas of the continent. Realistically, the costs for actually using these systems are unlikely to be within the reach of the average rural African citizen until the first decade of the next century, if not longer. We need to look to for more creative and cost effective solutions to achieve telecommunication connectivity and services at the "first mile" in rural and remote areas.Despite the pathetically low teledensity rates in most rural and remote areas of Africa, investments in rural telecommunication remain extremely small. For example, an examination of general Internet infrastructure development reveals that less than 5 percent of activity is oriented to rural Internet connectivity and services, with urban Internet infrastructure, and institutional (e.g., government, academic/research and education) applications gaining the lion's share of investment.Given the low level of urbanization in Africa, the minimal number of international donor agency telecommunication projects aimed at rural communities is a distinct deficit. This has recently been identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). With the importance of agricultural commerce and trade for African nations, it is surprising that there are so few projects in this sector.In addition to increased investment in the "first mile," there is also an imperative in the short term to gather further information to properly fulfil a telecommunication development support role and to guide strategy in the development of new assistance programmes. The information sources currently available on telecommunication services for rural Africa (and rural areas elsewhere) are few. There is a special need to gather further information on telecommunication applications that might be relevant to specific aspects of rural development such as health, environment, education, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and agriculture.Information on technical options and processes for establishing rural telecommunication infrastructure is also needed. Much of the existing information on technical options for rural connectivity comes directly from vendors of telecommunication hardware. While this information can be of significant value, it must be evaluated against objective evidence of technical and organizational sustainability and cost-benefit analyses. There are many different technical solutions to providing basic rural telephone services, however the specific infrastructure, demographic conditions, organizational capacities, and policy contexts complicate technical choices. Rural telephone service, in an age of privatization and liberalization, must also enable operators to gain a fair return on investment in exchange for the capital costs they incur.The combined effects of plummeting equipment costs, the internationalization of communications, liberalization of the telecommunications sectors in many countries and the expanding array of technologies able to exploit new areas of the radio frequency spectrum have produced a dynamic, but relatively immature field, where clear answers are often not yet available. The rapidity of developments has resulted in many differing schools of thought, who have not yet reached agreement on the most appropriate way to make use of these new communications systems.The information available on technical options for establishing rural telecommunication services in Africa, and elsewhere, points to the efficacy of wireless connectivity solutions. Plain old telephone services, or POTS, consisting of land-based copper cables, telephone poles and switches, are costly to install, particularly in expansive rural regions. Copper cables and telephone poles are also subject to becoming "appropriate technology" for rural residents who are more interested in these commodities for cooking fuel, house construction and resale on the copper market. POTS are also costly to maintain in the face of the environmental destruction of severe storms and lightening strikes.Given available information on technical options, it is possible to envision a "wireless weave" to lessen the gaps in rural telecommunication coverage in Africa. This wireless weave might make use of a combination of land-based infrastructure (copper and fibre optic cables), particularly at the community level, between regions, and in some cases for international traffic, together with technologies such as "very small aperture terminals" (VSAT) satellite systems, digital cellular phone systems (fixed cellular lines are currently more cost effective than mobile lines), and cheap point-to-multipoint rural radio systems that make use of advances in cellular phone standards.But wireless systems are not a panacea. Although they can offer far more rapid roll out times, greater reliability, lower maintenance costs and better security, wireless systems are generally more expensive than cable based systems in more densely populated areas. Aside from the additional equipment which can make wireless systems more costly, a widespread network requires very careful and detailed planning to optimize the use of the available frequencies and skilled technicians are needed to install then. Also they are generally unable to provide the same bandwidth as cable-based systems. Some wavebands are particularly susceptible to weather conditions (rain, temperature, solar interference etc.) and they also generally require a much greater level of coordination to avoid interfering with the activities of others.While commercial manufacturing of some wireless systems is, however, rapidly reducing costs and increasing viability, most wireless solutions rely on proprietary hardware and software platforms developed by a particular company - the development of open standards is still at an early stage and so in most cases it is mandatory to use the same company's products at each end of a link. With this sort of limitation in the competitive environment between suppliers and, the great variety in types of connections, equipment and protocols, choosing a system can be difficult, especially as there are few ongoing avenues to improve information exchange.Wireless systems based on cellular technologies are already the most popular method of addressing the needs of mobile users, and even fixed users, where the local telecommunication infrastructure is poor. As a result, over 35 countries in Africa have a cellular telephone service. South Africa was at one stage the fastest growing cellular market in the world, and now has about 1 000 000 users. The development of low cost "fixed wireless loops" based on mobile cellular technology is already enabling people in rural Kenya to have access to fully digital telephone service. Fixed wireless loop technology is reducing installed line costs to as little as US$500 per line for a small rural exchange with 100 to 200 users. Even rural payphones at US$3 000 each are attractive to PTOs that can achieve revenues of as little as US$800 per year in order to establish a four year return-on-investment for their capital costs. Multilateral financial institutions such as the World Bank are able to make such investments attractive to PTOs through the provision of favourable capital cost financing support.While the United States and Canada were, until very recently "stuck" paying the mortgages on their early entry and high cost analogue cellular systems, Africa, and indeed most developing countries in South-east Asia, have been able to avoid this problem and have generally adopted the European developed "time division multiple access" (TDMA) based digital cellular standard known as GSM. Cellular services in Africa are generally concentrated in the major cities, but due to their installation along major transport trunk routes, rural areas along the way are also benefiting from the service.A new communication standard based on "code division multiple access" (CDMA) techniques may provide even more promise for increasing the bandwidth and lowering the cost of mobile and fixed local loop communications. Equipment can be more densely packed around a single repeater station and bandwidth is even more efficiently used. Large scale implementations of CDMA have yet to occur, largely because of the tremendous investment made in GSM systems which have driven down its costs considerably.TDMA based point-to-multipoint digital cellular/radio systems are beginning to find applications in rural areas of Africa where they are used to provide small numbers of digital telephone lines to individual communities and villages. Already these systems are in use in South Africa, Ghana, and Egypt, with a cost per line as low as US$300. Companies such as Granger Telecommunications in the UK, and SR Telecom and Nortel in Canada have reached significant levels of commercial production for these systems, and are able to provide them at very competitive prices to PTOs and private sector telecommunication operators. SR Telecom's point-to- multipoint systems are in wide use as rural telecommunication systems in countries such as Ghana, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand and Chile, China and India, where they are proving to be reliable and affordable for rural people (Srtelecom.com).Point-to-multipoint digital cellular/radio systems are typically installed in groups of towers in "line of sight" to each other, with typical distances of 10 to 30 kilometres between towers. A receiving tower can provide a community with anywhere from 1 to 120 traditional telephone lines, or it can supply a local wireless cellular service with users having base-station receivers or portable phones. In most cases of rural service, communities have either a simple village payphone or a rural "telecentre" that provides pay phone service and sometimes fax and Internet service. Telecentres can be operated by the PTO, or the major private sector service provider, or, depending on national regulatory structures, they can be operated by local entrepreneurs, municipal governments, cooperatives or non-governmental organizations. Often, a telecentre accessible to all in a community is combined with traditional telephone lines connected to local government offices, organizations and some businesses.It is possible to combine TDMA point-to-multipoint systems with other technologies to expand rural connectivity. In the Philippines for example, prototype rural PBX systems will soon be ready for commercial production, and will enable rural communities to multiply the benefits of point-to-multipoint digital cellular/radio systems by establishing local calling services with over 100 lines linked to a handful of external lines coming in from a point-to-multipoint system. Like the PBX systems used in many hotels and businesses around the world, these little technical gadgets make use of the principle that many people can be connected to one another locally and to an outside line to the rest of the world, but that only a few will want to access the outside line at any one time.Point-to-multipoint systems and fixed wireless loops are fast becoming the technology of choice for rural connectivity, but there are other technical solutions that can be combined with point-to-multipoint systems, or stand alone as technical options for special cases. For example, most of Africa is now covered by a high-powered KU-band satellite footprint, enabling the use of Very Small Aperture Terminal (small satellite dishes ranging from pizza size to kitchen table size) systems. The cost of VSAT equipment for establishing groundstations has dropped to US$10 000 or less for full two-way transmission capabilities. As a connectivity solution for the average rural African, this is clearly out of the question, but when combined with point-to-multipoint systems, this marriage of technology can reach even the most remote rural regions and provide village level phone service at costs that make a positive business case for establishing rural telecommunication systems.VSAT offers reasonably high bandwidth (64K-2Mbps) and substantially lower costs than most PTO supplied international leased circuits. However regulatory barriers have stymied most attempts to use this technology so far, except in Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia, where the telecommunications market has been substantially relaxed. As a result there are three VSAT-based Internet service providers in Kampala (InfoMail and Starcom), two in Ghana (NCS and Africa Online), two in Tanzania (Wilken and Datel) and one each in Zambia (ZamNet) and Mozambique (CIUEM). The UNDP's SDNP project will commission its VSAT based Internet hub in Beira, Mozambique in mid 1998.The relatively quick spread of VSAT in liberalized telecommunication markets, compared to the slow spread of VSAT in the rest of Africa points clearly to the effect that liberalized telecommunication markets can have on improving the spread of services and reducing their costs, key factors in the establishment of rural telecommunication services. These same countries (Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia) are currently on the "hot" market lists for vendors of TDMA point-to-multipoint and fixed wireless loop rural telecommunication equipment vendors.Another interesting technology for rural telecommunication service are Wideband/Spread Spectrum Packet Radio and Wireless Local Area Networks (LANS). Wi-LAN of Canada has developed a range of high speed wireless bridges and modems aimed at Internet Service Providers and expects to provide such a system for greater Kinshasa. The Wi-LAN "Hopper Plus" ethernet bridge approaches 1.5Mbps speeds at up to 3km in urban areas and 10km with line of sight antennas and rural conditions. New versions are reaching speeds of 20Mbps. The Hopper wireless modems transmit up 38.8 Kbits/sec with similar lengths of transmission. While these systems are primarily designed as Internet and digital data exchange tools, their digital design can enable voice communication as well. The South African Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) has developed a package using the WaveLan product, which provides a cellular metropolitan area managed data network. A four station hub router and equipment for four sub-stations running at 2Mbps costs about US$20 000. Regulations have prevented its use within South Africa, but it is currently installed at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and at the Centre Informatica, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (CIUEM) in Mozambique.In some countries where PTOs provide poor service to urban areas, and where regulatory systems have not caught up with new technologies, Wireless Local Area Networks combined with VSAT systems provide coalitions of businesses with a means for bypassing antique phone systems for both data and voice communication. In Haiti, for example, the main Internet service provider in Port au Prince uses a wireless LAN to create what amounts to a telecommunication system that bypasses the poorer service offered by Teleco Haiti. While expensive and directed primarily to businesses, this service is gaining popularity with individual household customers. As this technology spreads, costs are decreasing, and it may not be long before we see viable pricing for rural service.In African countries, as has happened in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia, advances in Internet use in urban areas are drawing increased attention to low teledensity rates and poor infrastructure in rural areas. Cross-sectoral and continent-wide working groups have been established to enhance both Internet access and improve overall telecommunication performance in Africa, and many of these working groups are focusing new attention on rural telecommunication problems.Of the more important recent events which have helped to accelerate connectivity in Africa was the Addis Symposium on telematics for development in April 1995. Africa's largest-ever gathering of computer and telecom experts, it brought together over 250 people comprising representatives from 38 African countries, 31 different African PTOs, or Telecom ministries, and almost all of the major forces in International computer networking development projects. The recommendations it produced stimulated the subsequent Conference of African Ministers responsible for planning to instruct the UN Economic Commission for Africa to set up a "high-level working group" to chart Africa's path onto the information highway. Hosted by the Egyptian Cabinet Information and Decision Support Centre in Cairo and supported by UNESCO, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the expert group developed a framework document entitled the "African Information Society Initiative" (AISI), which was adopted at the following meeting of the Conference of African Ministers.The subsequent Information Society and Development Conference (ISAD) held in Johannesburg in May 1996 heightened awareness of the issues, and also strengthened the developing countries' role in the development of the Global Information Society. However, the conference also served to point out how far behind the countries of the South were in being able to exploit the potential benefits of improved use of ICTs, stimulating many to call for drastic measures.In November 1995 a collaboration between BellaNet, UNESCO, IDRC, UNECA and ITU called the African Network Initiative (ANI) conducted a study on future information infrastructure building activities in Africa. It identified a substantial number of ICT related development projects being planned or in process in Africa. Of these, the potentially most influential activities with regard to rural telecommunication services are:the UN Secretary General's System-Wide Initiative on Africa, which includes ICTs as one of the major components in a US$11.5 million programme called "Harnessing Information for Development" (HID/SiA) supported by the various UN partners;the US$15 million USAID Leland Initiative aiming to provide about US$5 million per country to assist with developing Internet connectivity in 20 African countries in return for agreements to liberalise the market to third party Internet service providers. Assistance is in the form of equipment, expertise, training and free circuits for the first year;the International Telecommunication Union's programme for Africa which includes support for various rural, community telecentre, health and satellite projects emanating from the Buenos Aires Action Plan being conducted in cooperation with UNESCO, IDRC, WHO and others;the commerce-oriented TradePoint initiatives of UNCTAD which has made Africa the priority region for the next two years. UNCTAD has obtained a commitment from the European Union for ECU 30 million for the regional development of local trade efficiency networks in Africa. If focused on agricultural trade, agricultural marketing and market information systems, these initiatives could help enhance rural connectivity;the multidonor InfoDev fund established by the World Bank has approved the US$500 000 South African Telematics for African Development Consortium and the US$1 million African Virtual University Project;UNECA/PADIS are continuing with the IDRC initiated Capacity Building for Electronic Communications in Africa (CABECA) project in 21 African countries;WHO has assisted in a number of telemedicine and health information policy projects in Africa, including support for HealthNet which continues to be one of the most valuable rural telecommunication services on the continent;IDRC's Acacia Program which focuses on Internet, telecentres and telecommunications from a community perspective is already channelling funds in support of rural connectivity and rural telecentres in Mozambique and other parts of Southern Africa.It will be many years before rural people throughout Africa have a reasonable level of access to basic telephone services. Advances in wireless technologies, and related reductions in infrastructure costs, point to a future rural Africa with a weave of various wireless telecommunication services. In the short term, we will see specific countries and specific regions, especially where telecommunication markets are liberalizing, establishing wireless systems that can help close the gap between rural and urban service levels. Hopefully, these examples and the lessons learned in establishing local rural telecentres will be shared among PTOs, international donor agencies and all who have a stake in rural telecommunication service. The need to draw attention to the pathetically low teledensity levels in rural Africa is paramount, and the concurrent needs for information gathering and information sharing are far from being met. For now, the "information have-nots" in most of rural Africa are destined to remain outsiders in the "Global Information Infrastructure."