Ask A Spook! Cryptologic Questions

[mb11g]

So I will keep this short and sweet! I am in an intel rate myself. Congrats on getting into the field, I think you may be over thinking it just a little bit lol. But I will only address the duty station and myths that go along with it. There is nothing set in stone about duty stations and being number one in the class. Though, it is very dependent on who is running the school house at the moment. Essentially what chief is in charge and what they want to go by. In IS "A" school I was number #1 in my class and yes... I got to pick between 20 available orders. Did people hate me for a week for picking orders they wanted or were close to home... YES. School gets competitive when it comes to active duty, so to keep it short. Work hard the whole time you are in school and stay out of trouble, even when those in charge are not looking. I finished top of the class and was able to get an overseas billet for my first command. So anything is possible if you work for it. Best of luck, let me know if you have any other questions!

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by CELKali

Long ass post, I apologize, but I figure it'd best to get all questions in one post than twenty.

Howdy, I'm 22 years old, been to college and back, and have decided to join the Navy after having a horrible time trying to find a job in my chosen field (film). I went through MEPS a few weeks ago, came out with a Seaman Pact (long, frustrating story), wherein my former Navy brother told me to get back in there and get a real rate.
A day later, I took my brother and my parents in to my recruiter, ready to fight for the right to get an actual rate on my contract, with a list of rates I qualified for and that I wanted. Things in CT were at the top because I figured I wouldn't get them since they weren't open at MEPS the day previous and they were 'dream jobs'.
Before I could even get a word in, the recruiter says, "I know you want to say some things, but first let me tell you what I found that I think will be the perfect fit for you, it's in CT...." And I was dumbfounded. There was an opening for the CTR path, my #1 choice! He made a bunch of phone calls around the States and found someone who was falling out of the field while in DEPS. It's not all done and signed just yet, but the rate is basically mine. Needless to say, I'm metaphorically in love with my recruiter.

Now, because I wasn't anticipating this, at all, I neglected to put my first two jobs (working at two different McDonald's) on the NASIS, since both recruiters told me they weren't important (one was from almost eight years ago, the other didn't last a year; wasn't fired from either). I read a thread on the CTR subboard about a kid having to repeatedly call home from RTC getting all the info from his jobs and everyday life that he didn't know off hand for the SSBI.

- Am I going to need to know the info (specific start and end dates) of these two jobs for the SSBI? And does the SSBI do a medical history background check, or is it the same 'medical history' as MEPS (were you ever depressed/suicidal/in the ER, etc- no? Good, anyways....)? I'm getting slightly nervous that I might have forgotten something, or skipped over something I didn't think was near important. Speaking of...

- My grandmother is German (married a Marine), am I going to have to know her history (as far as becoming a US citizen), or is it irrelevant since she's not immediate family?

- Also, I'm unmarried, completely single, and not planning on getting in any sort of relationship anytime soon. Would I be able to have my first station somewhere outside the US? My recruiter told me that top of the class gets first pick on where they want to be stationed (as was the genuine case with him 17 years ago), but I've since read that this is kinda sorta bullshit, and much like my former Marine bother (I have two older brothers), they'll put you where they need you (he did end up in Hawaii, but I'm not nearly as interested in a tropical 'paradise', but somewhere by an actual ocean would be nice considering this is the Navy). But if the latter statement is true, are my chances of being stationed abroad still relatively high?

- As for A-School liberty, my sister is getting married in October (2016), and I'd have been out of RTC for three months by then. I'm her Maid of Honor, and was wondering if I'd be able to make the wedding, if only for two days. It's on a weekend. I know you get 2.5 days/m of PTO, but does that start while in A-School, or only when you're out and with the fleet? My backup plan, should I not be able to make it, is record a video of my speech and send it to them, but I'd much rather be there in person.

- One last question, my student debt is currently on forbearance. Not for any legal reasons, but because I don't make enough money/m to pay it. I attempted to pay it for the first few months, but didn't have enough left over to be able to live. I plan on making a one month payment before I go to RTC and then place it on forbearance again. Once I get out of RTC, I plan on taking an allotment of my pay each month and placing into my student debt payments, and hopefully won't even have to do forbearance again. But will that be an issue up front?

I've always had an interest in intelligence, and CTR seems my best fit, especially considering that it's a 'floater' path, as in you're proficient in a number of things and go where you're needed and don't hang around after the job's done, which is me to a T. So I'm very excited about this rate and want everything to go as smoothly as possible. (As a side note, I'm a fan of The Blacklist and am fairly certain Red was a CTR after all the shit I've read on it :P)

Thanks for making this thread, too. I'm having a hard time finding info on the CTR path. There's loads of info on CTTs, CTIs, even CTMs, but it's hard to find much on CTR that isn't the same info over and over again.

Investigations: Yes, get that information if at all possible. An SSBI goes back 10 years, so if it falls in that scope, just go ahead and get it. If they end up not wanting it, then whatever, but it's waaay harder to get it after the fact. So just make it easier on yourself now and get it. As for medical history, no; the SSBI isn't concerned with your medical history outside of things like mental issues that might cause a security concern. IE if you had high blood pressure or something, nobody cares. Things we would care about would be histories of drug abuse, mental issues, suicidal tenancies, that kind of stuff that would make being in this job a no-go. Also of note is that they don't go digging up medical records or anything; this would come into play if someone they were interviewing about you brought it up. Then obviously they would need to follow up. But as a whole they don't go digging for your old doctors visits.

Wedding: During your training at A-school you won't be allowed to miss any training days. If this event falls on a weekend and you can prove that you'll be back on time then they might consider it, but being gone during a work day is going to be a hard no. As it comes up, speak with your chain of command and if there's some wiggle room they might be able to work with you. Staying on the side of caution though, if you're at a training command then just expect to be unavailable for things that don't involve training. It sucks but it's just part of life. If they let you go it'll be an exception and not the norm.

Loans: Debt is the single biggest issue in obtaining a clearance. The vast majority of espionage cases involved debt in money-for-secrets kind of deals. HOWEVER, things like student loans, car loans, etc, are considered normal things and don't raise big red flags if you're staying on top of them. If you've got records for your payments and have a solid payment plan in place then I wouldn't expect any issues from that. Just be mature and responsible with paying them and you'll be just fine. The debt that gets people in trouble is like gambling debt or just a craaaap ton of debt that you reasonably shouldn't have gotten into in the first place. Ya dig?


On mb11g's comment: Being top of your class at Corry Station won't have much if any bearing on your selection of orders. First tour Sailors are typically what we call "needs of the Navy" and are assigned where they are needed. CT's especially because there are so few of us and so many places we're needed, we just don't have the luxury to let the new guys cherry pick what they want. So expect your orders to be assigned to you versus being able to pick. Don't listen to what people in other rates have to say on the subject, as they have nothing to do with what happens in the CT community. (Not knocking you mb11, just speaking in general terms)

/r
CTT1

[CELKali]

Alright, awesome, thanks for the replies. Puts me a bit more at ease now.

[mb11g]

Originally Posted by CTT1(SW)Griffin

Investigations: Yes, get that information if at all possible. An SSBI goes back 10 years, so if it falls in that scope, just go ahead and get it. If they end up not wanting it, then whatever, but it's waaay harder to get it after the fact. So just make it easier on yourself now and get it. As for medical history, no; the SSBI isn't concerned with your medical history outside of things like mental issues that might cause a security concern. IE if you had high blood pressure or something, nobody cares. Things we would care about would be histories of drug abuse, mental issues, suicidal tenancies, that kind of stuff that would make being in this job a no-go. Also of note is that they don't go digging up medical records or anything; this would come into play if someone they were interviewing about you brought it up. Then obviously they would need to follow up. But as a whole they don't go digging for your old doctors visits.

Wedding: During your training at A-school you won't be allowed to miss any training days. If this event falls on a weekend and you can prove that you'll be back on time then they might consider it, but being gone during a work day is going to be a hard no. As it comes up, speak with your chain of command and if there's some wiggle room they might be able to work with you. Staying on the side of caution though, if you're at a training command then just expect to be unavailable for things that don't involve training. It sucks but it's just part of life. If they let you go it'll be an exception and not the norm.

Loans: Debt is the single biggest issue in obtaining a clearance. The vast majority of espionage cases involved debt in money-for-secrets kind of deals. HOWEVER, things like student loans, car loans, etc, are considered normal things and don't raise big red flags if you're staying on top of them. If you've got records for your payments and have a solid payment plan in place then I wouldn't expect any issues from that. Just be mature and responsible with paying them and you'll be just fine. The debt that gets people in trouble is like gambling debt or just a craaaap ton of debt that you reasonably shouldn't have gotten into in the first place. Ya dig?


On mb11g's comment: Being top of your class at Corry Station won't have much if any bearing on your selection of orders. First tour Sailors are typically what we call "needs of the Navy" and are assigned where they are needed. CT's especially because there are so few of us and so many places we're needed, we just don't have the luxury to let the new guys cherry pick what they want. So expect your orders to be assigned to you versus being able to pick. Don't listen to what people in other rates have to say on the subject, as they have nothing to do with what happens in the CT community. (Not knocking you mb11, just speaking in general terms)

/r
CTT1

No worries! It was different for us!

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by mb11g

No worries! It was different for us!

Sorry if that came off blunt lol Wasn't intended. I got nothing but love for my IS brothers and sisters ;)

/r
CTT1

[mb11g]

Originally Posted by CTT1(SW)Griffin

Sorry if that came off blunt lol Wasn't intended. I got nothing but love for my IS brothers and sisters ;)

/r
CTT1

If only I could get a good ELINTER for my 9-5 ;)

[xboardr]

So I've been lurking on these forums for the past month as I prepare to ship out, but now I'd like to get a couple questions off my chest. I'll be fairly detailed in giving some background as to why I'm asking my questions so I'll BOLD AND ITALICS my questions just so they stand out.

I am 26 with about 3 years of college under my belt so I'll be entering boot camp as an E-3. I have signed up for CTI with an ASVAB AFQT of 98 and a DLAB of 140. I have previous foreign language experience: about 4 years of French (middle school through freshman year of high school), 1 year of Latin, 2 years of Chinese in high school, and a semester of Italian in college. I read in one of the posts that signing bonuses are based on what language you get in part, but I already have a contract for a signing bonus signed and filed so I don't think I have to worry about that. I leave for boot camp in 12 days on March 16, 2016. I was originally scheduled to leave on April 13th, but talked to my recruiter and was able to move my ship out date up because apparently another CTI recruit or something got themselves kicked out.

Anyway, I'd really love to learn Arabic. The challenge of the language seems like it'd be super fun to learn. I also really want to learn Russian some day, but being a CAT III language I think I'd be better off choosing a CAT IV language to start with (if I have the opportunity). I did read in an earlier answer that which language you are given is partially dependent upon previous foreign language experience and while I don't have anything against Chinese, I'd really rather study a different language. Will my previous training in Chinese hinder my ability to select a language like Arabic?

I am also concerned with the specific COE's after A School. I know that each of the four NIOC locations in Maryland, Georgia, Texas, and Hawaii all cater to a different set of languages (if my information is correct), but can anyone confirm which language set corresponds to which NIOC? If I'm correct I think I've read that Maryland is Russian and Georgia is for Middle Eastern languages. Of course if this information is supposed to be classified I'll drop the subject.

All in all, I'm a very avid fan of studying language. I would love stay in the Navy for life and I have also heard that CTI's get additional opportunities to continue learning language. Can anyone confirm if, when you re-enlist while CTI, you are given the option to return to the DLI to learn another language? Or are your language learning opportunities limited more to classes that are taught on the side? I think it would be fantastic to retire from the Navy knowing 3+ languages besides English.

My recruiter says I should pretty easily be able to E-5 within 1.5~2 years with my intelligence and test-taking ability. While I'd like to believe him, what are my chances of ranking up to E-4 while at the DLI within 6~9 months of boot camp? And what are my chances that if I DO rank up to E-4 that I am able to then rank up again within 1~1.5 years to E-5? I know I read in an earlier post that hitting E-5 before you hit your first duty station can actually be detrimental because you won't have really any hands-on experience in the Navy and you won't have earned the respect necessarily of your fellow Sailors which is necessary since E-5's command a fair amount of responsibility if I am correct. However, that being said, I think I am ready for that challenge and I definitely want to take every opportunity I can to move up the ladder when the next rung becomes available.

And finally. I know that being male, I have to volunteer for air and sub. I'm not interested in seeking out direct support positions at this time. I am friends with a retired Senior Chief and he suggested that if I am able that I should try to get myself attached to an air squad or to a sub, but I'm not quite sure I like that idea. That being said, if I do not want to become attached and I am fine with the normal CTI CONUS/OCONUS, do I have to go to air and sub school just because I am forced to volunteer? Or do you only go to the schools if you are going to be attached?

I know that was a huge wall of text and information, but thank you to everyone who hung in there. I'm really excited to ship out and even if y'all can't answer my questions, thanks for trying!

[DGladhill]

I'm fairly certain you don't have to volunteer for air or subs. And though I'm not heading in as a CTI, I think I've read that you really get no choice in what language you get.

Enjoy basic though, I leave Monday and it's supposed to be a warmer than average spring up in Great Lakes! #excited

[Navymom2be]

Hey everyone!

My daughter has been in DEP since April of this year and took a CTN position. She let her recruiter know back then that she was hoping to leave soon after high school ended, but her original ship date is Nov 19 of this year. Her recruiter has recently said that because she is listed as a non-reclassification she is tougher to get an early ship date for, but she isn't really interested in losing her rate. Does anyone know how early ship dates work, particularly for the CT rates? I understand that the school only has so many spots at a time so someone else basically has to drop out for her to get in (and the recruiter said it will likely have to be a female as well). Just wondering what her chances are of going early.

[CTI_Francis]

Hello All!

My name is Francis and I ship out 20180522. I enlisted as a CTI after taking the DLAB and scoring a miraculous but still low 114. I just have a few questions that I’m hoping someone might have the answers to. My recruiter says that I’ll be going into bootcamp as an E-3. Is this true?? I know I get automatic E-4 after DLI and upon passing the DLPT, but I haven’t heard of anyone going in as an E-3. I can speak, read and write a decent amount of Japanese and am praying that maybe they will assign it to me. Is it a possibilty or will they give me one of the Big Six/Whatever the Navy needs? Do students get to fly home to spend Christmas with family? (Mine live in SoCal). Is it worth getting a car or should I take a bus/walk everywhere? Is there anyone else shipping out on this day as well? Thank you in advance!