How much operational time do you have as a SEAL officer. I have done some research but am just looking for more info. How long will i be allowed to be in the field. I dont want to be a paper pusher but i need and want a college degree and want to be a SEAL. Any help is great. Thanks
Operational Time as an Officer
- Thread starter jakeUSNA9
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Pima
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You need to view "paper pushing" differently than you are currently looking at it. To be promoted in the military you will "step out" of your field. Successful officers are well rounded, and that includes "paper pushing". I can not speak for the SEALS, however, I can say that we have known many officers who never stepped out of their field. The one thing all have/had in common...they were passed over for promotion. If you are passed over as an O-4, you also get the BUH BYE letter.
Typically, you will spend the first few yrs operationally, because they want you to learn how to teach the next generation of officers....and RECOUP the cost of training. Somewhere when you are a senior capt, young major is the time most officers will take a paper pushing tour. They will do it for multiple reasons, one of the main ones is they know for their next promotion PME and a Masters is going to be a big factor, and this is the time they can crank it out. It is hard to do PME even in correspondence if you are on an operational tour, add in getting your Masters and you will be fighting your own personal battle along simultaneously with the military battle you are assigned.
People are so scared of the "desk" assignment, but if you choose wisely, it can be a great opportunity for your career. For example, Bullet took his chair assignment at the Pentagon working on Joint Weapons Requirements for Fighters (airplanes). This job made him the go to guy for weapons when he returned to the flying world. It also kept one foot in the world he loved. There were others who said, "Oh well, I have to take a desk, so where do I want to live?" They did not see it as career progression, but a time to live somewhere they wanted. BAD IDEA.
Typically, you will spend the first few yrs operationally, because they want you to learn how to teach the next generation of officers....and RECOUP the cost of training. Somewhere when you are a senior capt, young major is the time most officers will take a paper pushing tour. They will do it for multiple reasons, one of the main ones is they know for their next promotion PME and a Masters is going to be a big factor, and this is the time they can crank it out. It is hard to do PME even in correspondence if you are on an operational tour, add in getting your Masters and you will be fighting your own personal battle along simultaneously with the military battle you are assigned.
People are so scared of the "desk" assignment, but if you choose wisely, it can be a great opportunity for your career. For example, Bullet took his chair assignment at the Pentagon working on Joint Weapons Requirements for Fighters (airplanes). This job made him the go to guy for weapons when he returned to the flying world. It also kept one foot in the world he loved. There were others who said, "Oh well, I have to take a desk, so where do I want to live?" They did not see it as career progression, but a time to live somewhere they wanted. BAD IDEA.