Congrats! It's an awesome rate with tons of opportunities to do cool sh!t!


Something that specific is really needs of the Navy at the time you're up for orders. But there are more small boys than big decks, so if that's what you're looking for then it shouldn't be that hard.

CT's only go on subs as part of DIRSUP (direct support). They're their own community in their own right and not being part of that won't affect you negatively at all. DIRSUP shops are part of NIOC's, so you would be there and deploy out as needed to do your mission work.

Aircrew is totally open if there's spots available and you can hack it.

Highly. Think less "competitive" though and more "selective". To be eligible for TIO you need to have at least 1 tour as a CT before hand, so this is closed to first tour Sailors. Once you're eligible, you would submit a package and a TIO recruiter would be in contact with you. You would need to meet SpecWar physical standards and they also comb through your entire life (it gets down pretty personal). Even if you meet all that criteria, you have to be someone they want in the teams. If they don't feel like you're the kind of guy they want with them while they're getting shot at, then you aren't gonna get in no matter how qualified you are.

DIRSUP shops work out of NIOC's, so you would be killing 2 birds with one stone. At a NIOC you'll also be working closely with three letter agencies, so you'll have plenty of time to network and get a feel for everything. If you have some longevity in your Navy career as a CT, you're definitely going to end up at a NIOC at some point.

In regards to orders; when your first contract is up, that's when you contact the detailer (guy who sends you orders) and you negotiate with him based on what's available, what you're qualified to do, and what you wanna do career wise.

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CTT1

CT's as a whole are the technical side of intelligence (hence the SIGINT aspect). Where IS's think about the big picture, we're down in the weeds looking at actual signals, 1's and 0's, you name it. So just in general, focus on your technical skills first before going off and doing high-speed stuff like TIO, Aircrew, and DIRSUP. If you're weak as a CT in tech skills then you aren't worth much lol

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Mileage may vary here. Where I work, the DIRSUP guys are a completely separate facility and don't interact with the rest of us very often. I doubt most of them have been able to network much.

Thanks for your reply. I won't wrap my head around it too much, since it won't be up to me but it sounds like an NIOC gives a wider range of job knowledge? Being a good sailor is definitely higher on my priority list than traveling.

Being at sea (or in the air) is the best way to learn. The more time you spend ashore the more your skills will languish. Unless youre one of those weird linguist folks ;)

Yep, the reverse is true for us. Dirsuppers on long deployments have a much harder time maintaining their languages since many of our resources are only available on shore. I will find a way to deploy at some point though. It's going to happen.

Reserve CTN?
 

I signed a few weeks ago for CTN in the reserve. Would anyone happen to have some insight into what the job entails for reservists? I understand that most of what you do as a reservist is really just training, but are there ever any opportunities to support active duty CT's, federal agencies, etc. on drill weekends? Also, are there ever any opportunities for reserve CTN's to volunteer for deployments or is that mostly handled entirely by the active CT community? I've heard of some Army cyber guys doing this so I'm just wondering for the future.

Okay, one more question (maybe :eyes:); What kind of benefit does the reserve have on civilian job marketability? I'm about 3/4 through my comsci degree and I'm hoping to combine that with my reserve experience to eventually land some sort of federal cybersecurity position. Not to say that this is the only reason I'm joining the reserve, I'm just thinking long term.

If any of this has already been answered, just tell me because I'm sure I could have missed it. Thanks everyone!

Got this question in my inbox:

=============================================
Travel: I went to 30 countries on 3 continents onboard my first ship. Now that can vary; I was on a small boy that could get into more ports and was also an independent deployer, whereas a Carrier couldn't do that much. But it all depends on the ship and deployment schedule. In a nutshell though, we have the capability to travel a ton.

School: A-school for us is at Corry Station in Pensacola, FL...THE BEST DAMN A-SCHOOL LOCATION IN THE NAVY. You'll start with Entry Level ELINT (known simply as ELE). The hardest part about the class for most people is memorizing things, but practice makes perfect and rarely does someone fail enough to drop. C-school if you're a tech consists of a few more months learning to fix the gear. If you're going to a ship, you'll also go through Shipboard Operations (Shipboard Ops) to learn to operate the AN/SLQ-32 (pronounced Slick-32). Overall, if you qualified for the job then mentally you should be fine.

Maintenance: There is a specific NEC for the school to repair the gear (If your contract is for 6 years, this is you). But what separates us from other rates is that we also operate our equipment. 4 year guys are strictly operators, but you're gonna be helping with the maintenance anyway so don't stress. Your watch station will be in the Combat Information Center (CIC, aka "Combat") manning the SLQ-32. CTT's are responsible for all Electronic Warfare duties onboard as well as Anti-Ship Missile Defense (ASMD). If the ship gets shot at with a missile, it's our job to stop that sh!t; and you have seconds to respond so you better know your sh!t or people die. That dovetails nicely with doing maintenance on the gear as well as operating it, because you get a chance to become a technical expert with your equipment.

Duty Stations: This totally depends on what's going on for the detailer at the specific time you're up for orders. As a first tour Sailor, you really don't get much say in where you go. When it comes time to re-enlist, that's when you get options. As a whole though, CTT's can go basically anywhere in the world. I landed in Florida, but 2 guys went to Japan, 1 to Washington state, 3 to Cali, and a couple to Norfolk. Just depends on the needs of the Navy when you're applying for orders.

Rate size: We're larger than some of the other CT rates, but compared to the rest of the Navy it's a small community. Stay in long enough and you'll start knowing people all over the place. I love our rate and I love the people in it. We all see pretty like minded and like what we do.

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CTT1

If you have further questions or need clarification, keep them coming!

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CTT1

Thank you! I also was wondering how they did your security clearance? Like what does it consist of? Who interviewed you?

Your process will go something like this:

Fill out an SF-86 (typically your recruiter gives you this; you've probably already done it.)

That will head off and get assigned to an investigator who will start doing background checks with law enforcement, credit checks, ect, ect.

Once that's done, they'll start interviewing the folks you listed as contacts (people who know you well) They'll also ask them for contacts and will talk to those people, so you never really know who they're going to meet with when it's all said and done.

At A-school you'll do another interview with some security folks to go over everything.

If you're bound for certain shore duty stations, you'll need to complete a polygraph as well. Don't sweat this one at all, it's EASY. Pretty much "hey....you a spy?". Don't believe all the stupid stories people make up about the FBI or CIA or who ever doing theirs (it's BS).

If you're not heading to one of those sites, you won't need one (this is the most likely case).

Just jump through the hoops and you'll be fine. Doesn't really take much work on your part.

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Bumping for a new user

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CTT1

Just some background info:
Finishing a B.S. in Economics this December at TAMU (gig 'em ags!) and looking at going in as a CTN (I've looked at the other CT rates as well as IT and I've pretty much decided that it's CTN or bust for me).

Recruiter told me he couldn't really give me a good number regarding demand until after the new FY in October, so I understand if you can't really give a precise answer. I figured maybe being inside the community you might have a little more knowledge. Anyway, questions:

1. What's the demand look like for CTNs?

2. What are the most likely duty stations for CTNs to go to right now for first
tour (INCONUS)? (I understand if you can't really answer this one as well due to the whole not knowing demand issue)

3. How quickly (keep in mind I'm going in as an E3) does one usually get put into a leadership position within the community?

4. What opportunities for personal growth (certs, training, etc.) could I expect to be available outside required job training?

5. What is the job market like for CTNs post-Navy? (i.e. Are DoD contractors fighting over them because of the clearance and/or skills? Is there a specific position you see a larger number former CTNs going into?)

6. Typical day in the life of a CTN? (I understand that there isn't a lot that can be said with this one, but I figure there's no harm in asking)

These are the main ones I can think of right now. I'm sure that I'll have more once I learn more.

Thanks for any and all help.

Every month, each rates Community Manager (a Master Chief in charge of manning levels within their rate) puts out a Community Overview slide showing the manning levels at every pay grade and year group. Here is the slide for CTNs

http://www.npc.navy.mil/bupers-npc/e...Pages/CTN.aspx

As a whole for E3 and E4 area, it looks pretty wide open. So it'll come down to A) if you qualify and B) is there a quota the month you're going to go down there and pick a rate. With the way it looks though, if you qualify then you shouldn't have too much trouble getting it. You're recruiter is being lazy for not looking that up (it's possible he doesn't know about it, but that's a weak excuse for a Petty Officer). October has nothing to do with it as this gets updated monthly. He's just thinking for when the budget starts over (Oct is the start of the fiscal calendar) and they can start paying for orders and billets to get you guys shipped out.

You'll be going to a NIOC for your first tour, almost without a doubt. So NIOC Texas, Georgia, Washington (Ft Meade), Hawaii, or in rare cases, Pensacola. If you don't end up at one of these as your first tour, you're the exception lol

It will depend on how you are as an individual, what quals you've gotten, and what the makeup is of your shop rank wise. If there's a ton of PO2's, then I'm not gonna put a Seaman or PO3 in charge. You'll make PO2 fairly quick though compared to other rates. Also, you'll be working in a joint environment; so you'll also be in competition with them in some cases.

At a minimum we'll send you to get your CCNA, maybe your CEH, etc. It'll depend what shop you end up in but you'll definitely get some certs out of your time
You're not gonna have a hard time finding work outside of the Navy. I wouldn't say contractors are fighting over them, but if you wanna come back there's usually at least the opportunity. I can't comment on specific positions we're taking though for OPSEC purposes. But suffice to say you'll be able to find work either as a contractor or with a civilian company.

0700: Get to work
0730: Quarters with your division
0800-1130: REDACTED
1130-1230: Lunch
1230-1600: REDACTED
1600+: Go home

Obviously I can't discuss what you'll be doing at work. Even if I could, it varies wildly depending on what shop you work in. But suffice to say you'll have plenty of cool shit to work on. And when you're not busy, you're working on quals or learning new shit.

Yep! I'll throw in some bonus material here though.
I'm the LPO of a cyber division right now, so here are some of the basic things I have new guys coming into my shop explain to me so I can gauge their level of knowledge:
=============================================
I expect you to be able to subnet without a subnetting calculator and be able to explain to me the basics of networking (routers, switches, hubs, ect). This is basic knowledge.

Explain how PKI works (public keys, private keys, etc.)

Explain how DNS works.

What's a traceroute?

Explain what a Hash is. If you get that, what's salting?
And if you get that, what's more secure: hashing or encrypting? Why?

What's the difference between a threat and a vulnerability?


Anyway, that's just a few. But those are all pretty basic questions so if you're struggling with those start doing your homework.

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CTT1

Thank you for that information regarding the current manning as well as the technical insight, CTT1.
Another question I had regarding my recruiter & MEPS: When I was talking to my recruiter and told him that the only job I'm honestly willing to sign for was CTN, he told me that he wouldn't send me to MEPS and that I need to give him several of my other choices before he'd send me down. Is this a normal occurrence within recruiting or do I just need to seek out a different recruiter?

That's pretty normal since it costs money to send you down and it's not like they can guarantee if CTN will be available or not, or if you even qualify yet. So why would the Navy spend money on your hotel, food, and medical exam if you limit them on your options for joining? It's the military, not Burger King haha (ie you can't always have it your way)

Nobody says you have to sign for something else, but with them you need to have options, because if CTN isn't available then you just wasted their time and money.

Also, CTN isn't the only rate that does Cyber. CTR's are there, I'm down there, and there's CTI's that help out. Honestly I would look into CTR, as they can do Cyber as well (and they do), as well as a huge spectrum of other cool shit. They also can go to sea, on airplanes, Special Warfare, and submarines, whereas CTNs are going to be stuck shore based in an office their whole careers. Just something to think about.

Just say you're interested in the other CT rates as well, maybe IT. Nobody says you have to sign for those anyway, it makes them feel more cozy, and you get your MEPS processing done. It's a win-win.

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CTT1

Found this and trying to understand everything on this slide. Anyone mind "translating" what I'm seeing on here?
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...99804247,d.aWw

That's April's slide, so don't use it. You can download the newest one here:

http://www.npc.navy.mil/bupers-npc/e...Pages/CTN.aspx

It basically shows you the manning levels at each paygrade, sea/shore, Zone A/B/C/D/E (groups of how long you've been in. You're group A), advancement opportunities, and overall manning levels as a percent of what it should be.

For each rate there is a Community Manager in Millington, TN (typically a Master Chief) who creates these slides to show where their rate is at manning wise and to announce any specifics (like Hey! We need more of NEC XXXX or something). These Master Chiefs are essentially the head of their respective rates for most things. Don't confuse this with a Detailer though; the Community Managers just do manning levels. They have zero say in where you get assigned.

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CTT1

Friendly disclaimer: The community managers ARE NOT a point of contact for a Depper. Don't contact them asking what's gonna be available when, MEPS questions, anything. They're not gonna be able to do anything for you and it's not a good idea to piss off the head of your prospective rate haha

My recruiter is pretty useless about everything CT related, so he gave me absolutely no indication of what my scores mean. My ASVAB is pretty self-explanatory (97%ile) but I'm super confused as to what my DLAB score of 141 means for my hopeful future as a CTI.

141 is a good score for the DLAB, it shows you have a high chance of being able to pick up other languages quickly. They'll probably give you a CAT IV with that score, but it'll depend on what's available when you go to bootcamp.

Just curious, what do ( does? ) CTM / CTT / CTR translate to career wise in the civilian world?

Overall, signals intelligence is a primarily military/government job. You'll be in a good position with industry experience and your clearance to work at a wide range of federal agencies (pretty much any 3-letter: NSA, CIA, DIA, ect, etc)

They also translate well to anything in the technology field. So if you wanna go on to do say, system administration or security or something, you've already got a background doing technical work. CTM and the 6yr (AEF) CTT track will give you a ton of hands-on electronics training as well.

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CTT1

Appreciate the response CTT1.

Bumping for new user

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CTT1

MEPS on Wednesday
 

I'm going to MEPS in 2 days for my physical and to pick my job. I was thinking about CTR, CTN, CTT, or IT. If none of these are available what jobs should I ask for? I already have some coding experience and I would prefer to stay within the technology field. Thanks ;)

If none of those are available your best bet would be ET or FC (you would contract as AECF and then go either of those routes later one). Both get to work on and do cool shit and both are heavily technology based.

A 6 year STG gets knee deep into the sonar gear, which can be fun, and they are also kind of similar to CTs in some aspects.

Anything on submarines too is going to be techy; especially FC/ET or STS (STG for subs).

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CTT1

Thank you I'm gonna write all of these on a scrap corner of paper to take with me to the hotel tomorrow. ;-)

I'm going to MEPS in on Monday and I am supposed to pick my rate. But, my recruiter and I haven't talked at all about what rate would be the best for me. Is that normal? Or is that something that we should be talking about?'

Ive been looking at CTT, or something in the Crypto field.

Also, If I do get this rate, would 6 years or 4 years be better? I plan on being in for the long haul. But I have heard some controversy over how many years to sign for initially.

Thank you in advance!

Your recruiter and you should absolutely be talking about jobs. That's the entire reason you're there.

(Speaking about CTTs here) As far as 6y vs 4y, the 6y guys are technicians that get extra electronics training in Pensacola. Typically they will be on ships for most of their career. 4y folks have more lateral ability to go between communities (ship, sub, air, etc). If you want more on the technical side than operations, the 6y contract would be better. If you enjoy the operational side more then the 4y route would be better.

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CTT1

How seriously does the Navy take foreign contacts in regards to a TS clearance? I had a prior relationship with a Chinese national and (foolishly I guess) tried to update my foreign contact information. They had me cut contact (something I was opposed to) and write a statement. The nature of the relationship was close friendship/language exchange. Will it disqualify me? I'm afraid of shipping only to find out I'm ineligible for TS and have to do some undesirable job.

Also, what is CTN A-school like? Should I bother getting IT certifications like A+ or Network+? Thank you.

Foreign Contacts are a BIG deal. It's not an outright disqualifier though, unless you try to hide it and it gets discovered (they will find it eventually, trust me). If you're planning on going into the Intel/Crypto world, continuing contact with someone in China is going to be an issue. Get everything well documented and let DONCAF make the call.

As far as CTN school, don't bother going to get those certs yourself. All those CompTIA certs are incredibly low level and not worth your time. If you want to learn the material, go for it, but if it were me I would recommend studying for the CCNA over any of the CompTIA certs.

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CTT1

Thank you very much for the information. I haven't heard anything in regards to my clearance situation, my recruiters said no news is good news and that I would most likely be alright.

Another question, what are the possibilities for travel as a CTN? I'm aware that most CTNs work at shoreside station, so I presume the travel isn't great. I've read about DIRSUP, how difficult would it be to get as a CTN and what would it entail?

EDIT: Another question. For foreign contacts, does it matter by country or should it be avoided entirely? Prior to enlisting I had a lot of penpals. Would a friend from Taiwan be acceptable as opposed to a friend from China?

You haven't heard anything because they haven't even started your ts, and they won't until after you ship out.

Travel opportunities for Ns are very limited. They don't do DIRSUP.

China is a bigger deal than Taiwan, but any foreign contacts you maintain will at the very least delay your clearance because they have to be investigated, if not outright disqualify you. Everyone I knew who had foreign contacts spent months, sometimes years waiting on their clearances while the rest of us were working.

Thank you very much for the information!

Really anyone that isn't from a Five Eyes country (US, UK, AUS, CAN, NZ) is going to be heavily scrutinized. Be upfront with all of your contacts and don't hide anything; failure to report something like that is grounds to lose your clearance for good.

CTNs don't travel really. DIRSUP is not something an N-brancher would be eligible for. In rare cases, there are a few N's that go aboard ships while they're in port to help do some network stuff, but they won't be getting underway with them. The overwhelming majority of N's are at shore sites.

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CTT1

Hey, thanks for posting all the great info. . My son is CTR in boot camp as I type this he is more than half done. We are trying to get an idea of when and how visit(s) to see him in A school work as far as liberty, goes etc.

Anything you can think of that would be helpful and or meaningful for a graduation/Christmas present for a new CTR . We are thinking he probably needs a g-shock watch or something similar and possible a laptop or tablet. . Something that will help him ?

:Ship::Ship:

Hey there and welcome to the site!

As far as liberty goes once he get's down to Corry Station:
When he arrives he'll get placed on Phase 1 liberty. He most likely won't be authorized to go off base, he'll have several musters throughout the day, and won't be authorized to wear civilian clothes.

After a few weeks he'll be granted Phase 2 in which he can have some off base time and can wear civis again. Phase 3 will be at the discretion of his leadership but shouldn't be more than a few weeks after that.

If you're planning a visit, wait until he get's to Phase 3 since he'll have the most freedom then. He'll be at Corry for several months either waiting for class or being in class, so you guys will have plenty of time.

**OPSEC NOTE** Remember that he'll be doing classified work, so please don't dig into what he's doing in class. Also, don't take photos of any of the school buildings while on base at Corry Station (that's a quick way to lose your camera in some cases.)


For a gift, personally I would probably say laptop or tablet since that's something he can take around and use. Although a watch is always great since I'm constantly harping on junior sailors to be on time haha I'm sure he'll appreciate anything.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

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CTT1

Thanks for the valuable advice! I assume by dig into what school is about you mean asking him questions. I get that after basic, we are not going to hear more than how food is, that class is going well etc. I have been trying to read up a bit so I understand what he is doing but I get and fully support that his rate and what he does must be protected and classified. Thanks again for the great info, I am certain more questions will come up. Oh as far as PIR, think the Navy Lodge is best or is he going to want to get off base?

I'm sure you guys will be fine haha

And on base lodging is usually pretty decent but obviously it can fill up quickly. There are plenty of options as well all within 30m of the base.

Looking forward to welcoming you all into the Navy family!

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CTT1

IS CT(R) a desk rider/desk jockey rate? Do you get to go to sea?