Navy will require Associates Degree for promotion to Senior Chief (E-8)

Here's one for the Air Force folks among us: Why does the Air Force allow fighter pilots to fly high-end F-15s and F-117s with degrees in History or English, yet enlist folks are expected to get the CCAF degree that "corresponds" with their Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC)?

 

I'm an Army alum, a former warrant office. Even not being AF I'll take a stab at tackling the AF pilot question:

The BA in English + AFROTC only gets one into flight school. One can still fail here. Moreover, a pilot's flight curriculum requires at least as much work as an associate's degree. Perhaps most importantly, a AF pilot is an officer first, expected to perform other occiferly duties as he/she advances in their career. Advance far enough and you will be in leadership positions that DEMAND you not fly much.

By contrast, one can become an Army pilot without a degree by applying to the warrant officer flight program. Army warrant officers are not expected, for the most part, to assume the whole range of duties that commissioned officers are. An Army WO pilot will fly till retirement.

The Army views aviation as a technical skill just like any other. Moreover, aviation is a supporting discipline - it is used to support muddy-boots combat soldiers. The Air Force views aviation as the core reason for its being. Accordingly, it requires higher levels of education for its aviators, which form the core of its combatants. They are its heart and soul.

The Air Force did away with warrant officer ranks almost twenty years ago, as I recall (I seem to also recall the last AF warrant retired only within the last ten years).

 

Daniel,

Well written.

I completed a 26 year Naval Career as a Lieutenant Commander in the Limited Duty Officer (LDO) field of Administration (Military Human Resources).

The Navy and the Marine Corps are the only two services that have this program. It allows for enlisted personnel in paygrade E-6 through E-8 to apply for a commission without a college degree (BS). Competition is keen with about 10 percent of the people that apply getting selected. Once selected to LDO status, he or she will serve as a technical manager and can advance up to the rank of Captain (0-6). At the lower grades, O-1 through 0-3, he or she will support the line community in a variety of technical assignments. However, as a person advances to higher paygrades, the duties and responsiblites began to mirror the line community.

I believe that it is a better program that the Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) program in the Navy because it allows for more upward mobility as well as broader fields of authority and responsibility. While neither the LDO or CWO programs in the Navy requires a degree to apply, it helps to have formal education, the more the better. However, the LDO/CWO community managers are telling all current and future LDO/CWOs that a BS will probably be required to advance pass O-3 in the future. So, education is becoming more important than in the past.

Fred

While neither the LDO or

 

One thing tht I've wondered constantly is why the AF is the only service that actually offers a regionally accredited AAS through CCAF (which more members, frankly, need to take advantage of), and the other services get the short end of the stick?

As an AF MSgt, I've been very fortunate to be able to take advantage of this "stepping stone" to a B.S. and eventually an M.S. (hell, they're paying the training and testing fees for a PMP as well), while my brethren in the other services weren't afforded this opportunity or had it expanded to them. If any one deserves it these days, it's the "guys on the ground".

Food for thought to throw at your education services officers, folks. Regional accreditation is hard to achieve, but it's already been done once in the DOD "family" - seems that they could share the wealth!

Dave

 

Dave, the duties of Army soldiers are, by and large, less technically-oriented than those of airmen (there are exceptions). Accordingly, the Army has found it more advantageous (read: less expensive) to provide community college education to soldiers by partnering with Central Texas College and/or community colleges local to particular installations. For example, Pierce College maintains a satellite office at Fort Lewis, WA (and the adjacent McChord AFB, if I recall correctly).

The community colleges are happy to have the business and the service is relieved of having to maintain its own educational infrastructure. Seems like a win-win to me.

But on your larger point, the Army has the goal of senior NCOs completing baccalaureates around their 18th year of service. Accordingly, I would like to see the Army make greater effort to aligning MOS curricula with associate's degree requirements, and putting more emphasis on completion of MOS-related associate's degrees.

 

When I was in the Navy, Central Texas College would send a professor out on the ship that I was stationed on to teach classes to sailors/marines while we were afloat. I was able to knock out history I & II and algebra in this way.

 

Dave,

The Navy offers the Program Afloat College Eduation (PACE) onboard ships, and its target audience are enlisted that have little or no college. You can get an Associates Degree but its difficult because of the demanding nature of sea duty. Also, the Navy has agreements with colleges and universities similar to the other services at overseas activities such as University of Maryland University College, University of Phoenix, Troy State, City College of Chicago, and Oklahoma State University to name a few.

Fred

 

My wife retired in 2000 as a HMC (SW) after twenty years of active duty. She earned her BSc on active duty from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale through a combination of distance learning and face to face classes at various military bases. After retirement, she earned her MHA from Chapman University in Orange County.

 

Steve,

I am not aware of any online programs at the Naval Academy. Higher education for Navy enlisted people has largely been an off-duty pursuit. The Navy has started to change the way it looks at education and training.

http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyres/1162092F-B0DF-4F2C-AA69-5DB4D5F3DC94/0/nav04263.txt

In a previous thread I noted that Senior enlisted Sailors are now attending the Naval War College. Senior enlisted personnel are now eligible for the distance programs as well as the resident programs. The Advanced Education Voucher is another opportunity for senior Navy Enlisted people.

http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyres/80BC4875-B3BD-4817-A7E7-EB63B76E82B4/0/NAV06019.txt

Additionally, the Navy College Program continues to provide many opportunities for off-duty education. Nearly all Navy schools are evaluated by ACE. There are many on-base and distance education opportunities for Sailors.

Eligible enlisted personnel are also encouraged to compete for the Naval Academy and NROTC.

Bottom line: Education and training opportunities have never been better in the Navy.