My Future in the Navy

[rocketscientist]

Hello Gentlemen (and women, for the potentiality that females are browsing this thread),

I'm new to the Nukeworker so please bear with my "newbness";

I'm a 4th year aerospace engineering student at UC San Diego. I have a 3.6 GPA and am graduating in June. I am very heavily considering applying to the NUPOC program because I worked a full time job during summer, and frankly, 8-5 Monday through Friday isn't for me. I want to try something new, and I figure while I'm young, I have nothing to lose.

From what I've researched, Naval Reactors is designing and auditing reactor designs. Don't get me wrong, I love engineering, but I was hoping for something a little more...out there ...if you will (for lack of a better phrase). Now, probably like half of the people in this forum, I'm stuck between Nuclear sub and Nuclear SWO. I've heard many disadvantages and advantages for each, namely that on carriers you're confined to the engine room while on subs you actually get to rotate around the boat and try different things. I was reading some threads that said several months ago (i.e. April), the program was particularly selective and I would be pretty much out of luck for SWO (N). Would I be competitive for the Sub program? I'm also very involved with my fraternity (no, sadly, I'm too much of an engineer to party in the manner of Animal House, I don't even drink actually), and have a full time internship with Edison now. By the way, I have a clean record (no drugs, tattooes, arrests, etc.).

This might be a little childish of a question, but is the fact that I'm half Iranian and half Russian a concern for security clearance? I was born here but my parents are from their respective countries, and my paternal grandfather was apparently a Colonel (or General, dad doesn't remember which) in the Shah's Army in Iran (that was back before the Islamic Fundamentalists overthrew the Shah's monarchy).

My final concern is I don't have 20/20 vision. I have -2.75 and -3.25. Would I need the PRK/LASIK surgery?

Sorry for my incessant rambling and I very much appreciate any and all help.

[sovbob]

You won't have to worry about your eyesight.  That's more a concern for pilots.  As long as you can demonstrate 20/20 vision with corrective lenses, you're fine for nuke officer.

The parent issue may be more of a snag.  Because submarine officers (I'm not sure about SWO's) need to have a Top Secret clearance, they do a VERY thorough background investigation.  They even go as far as interviewing your old neighbors.  Having Iranian / Russian parents may give them pause.

Then again, they might be cool with it. 

Either way, you're going to be scrutinized VERY closely before they give you a TS clearance.

[MMM]

I don't know much about Subs, but for SWO-N, a carrier is actually their second ship. Typically they go to a small boy as a division officer, then through the pipeline, then to a carrier. I'm not sure what they do for shore duty, but it seems like post-grad school, and then back to a carrier for a PA tour and then to a command. I don't know too much detail about what they do elsewhere as I am not a SWO-N.

[spekkio]

The parents thing may or may not be an issue. It really depends on a multitude of factors, but their nationality alone isn't going to disqualify you.

What, exactly, has you on the fence between surface and sub nuke?

[30378wby]

Well, if you are looking for command earlier then go sub, as a CO on a carrier is a very senior Captain expected to do his two years and advance to admiral, where on a sub you can command as a Commander.  Surface you are competing with hot shot pilots, etc. to get ahead and also much more of the ring-knockers (Annapolis grads) than the sub fleet from what I have heard.  Lastly resist the temptation to go enlisted rather than officer, your marketability is enormously expanded by going officer rather than enlisted.  Of course enlisted can get commercial nuclear power jobs which pay a lot more than comparable jobs in the area.

[Gamecock]

Well, if you are looking for command earlier then go sub, as a CO on a carrier is a very senior Captain expected to do his two years and advance to admiral, where on a sub you can command as a Commander.  Surface you are competing with hot shot pilots, etc. to get ahead and also much more of the ring-knockers (Annapolis grads) than the sub fleet from what I have heard.  Lastly resist the temptation to go enlisted rather than officer, your marketability is enormously expanded by going officer rather than enlisted.  Of course enlisted can get commercial nuclear power jobs which pay a lot more than comparable jobs in the area.

Spoken in ignorance.....

The CO of a carrier is an aviator.....not a SWO(N).  A SWO(N) cannot command a CVN (it is against the law!!!!)

As far as early command goes.....

As a SWO(N), you could have command of a PC as a LT, or an MCM as a LCDR.  You can command CGs, DDGs, etc. as a CDR.  So if you want the chance at command earlier, go SWO(N), not subs.  The first chance for a submarine officer to get command is at the CDR level.

All URL officers (subs, SWO, aviation) compete against each other for promotion.  
Furthermore, all communities have a fair balance of "ring-knockers" as you put it.  

Try in the future to post more fact then fiction.

Cheers,
GC

[DLGN25]

Naval officers must qualify for a secret clearance to be commissioned.  There are many, albeit limited career opportunities for those with only a secret clearance.  These individuals will never be given a command as higher clearances are required, not just in the assignments you need to qualify for command, but what a ship's captain needs.

As to your heritage.  Foreign born parents can be a problem.  Less so if they are naturalized citizens and do not retain dual citizenship.  If you retain dual citizenship, that is also a problem for you. Other considerations will include the frequency, nature, who, and to what extent you or your parents communicate, or support those still in Russia or Iran.

Here is your challenge.  You can go in as a commissioned officer if you qualify for a secret clearance, but you will not know if you can get a higher clearance until the background check is done.  Because of your heritage, the background investigation for top secret that can take up to a year to finish, will be more involved and take much longer for you .

Another thing to consider is that a top secret clearance is reviewed every five years.  Should things change, you could lose it.  If you are denied a top secret clearance, you could lose your commission and let go, or remain an officer, but limited in what you can do.

Here is some additional information, take it for what it is worth.

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=279118366259&topic=17063

Oh, a little history.  As an enlisted nuke, the clearance process was no big deal.  However, when I was assigned as a LPO to an operations division in the conventional navy, with access to the radio room and crypto spaces, I was required to fill out a stack of disclosures and answer a lot of questions which were used in a top secret background investigation.   For whatever reason, I was given an interim, limited TS while the background check was done.

Good luck to you.

[spekkio]

Look, don't let your parents' heritages discourage you from applying for a commissioning program. No one here really knows how the inner workings of a security investigation... work. I've known people who were awarded a TS-SCI with foreign parents, I know people who were denied with natural born citizen parents. It depends on a multitude of factors that are beyond your control right now. It's safe to say that if your parents aren't part of an anti-American organization, don't deal with foreign companies that are outwardly anti-American, and don't owe large sums of money to a foreign organization that you stand a good chance of getting a TS-SCI clearance.

[ceefroe]

I know this is off-topic, but are you a Chrono Trigger fan, Spekkio?