“What’s a Ground Job?”

“What’s a Ground Job?”: Setting Junior Officer Pilots Up for Success Outside of the Cockpit

By LT Andrew “Gonzo” Gregory, USN

I joined the Navy to fly, not to sit in front of a computer all day.” This is a classic gripe among Naval Aviators adjusting to their first Fleet tour. The fact is, Junior Officers (JOs) in aviation squadrons balance many responsibilities. For JO pilots, this means consistently facing a tradeoff between time spent acting as an aviator, and everything else that is asked of them. While many of us prefer to prioritize the parts of the job related to flying, the benefits of learning how to perform a wide variety of roles within a squadron must be recognized. Rotating pilots through positions in all the departments in a squadron makes them more complete leaders and overall better assets to the Navy. This practice is not unique to Naval Aviation; leadership development and rotational programs are utilized throughout the corporate world, across all sectors, to develop interns and post-graduates into more well-rounded leaders. These corporate practices differ from the Navy however, in that the individuals do not immediately assume leadership positions in those departments. Once they do, it is only after adequate training.

On average, a Navy helicopter pilot takes two and a half to three full years to complete the training pipeline that culminates in their arrival to the Fleet. This training is not only time intensive but also expensive, and is entirely devoted to making the individual into a strong aviator. However, as soon as they arrive at their Fleet command, they will spend at least 50% of their time fulfilling non-flying obligations in an entry level position in which they have no experience and little to no training. These positions include, but are not limited to Schedules Officer, Ground Safety Officer, Public Affairs Officer, Communications Security Officer, Legal Officer, and Maintenance Division Officer. Of these, the only position for which the Navy offers formal schooling is Legal Officer, which requires the completion of a standardized two-week course. Given that legal matters have potential for serious ramifications if managed improperly, it is well worth providing specialized training to a future Legal Officer. Given that poor execution within all the other positions could have serious ramifications as well, why have the Navy helicopter community and Naval Aviation in general not deemed these positions also worthy of a dedicated training plan?

The only instance in which a JO pilot receives any formal career development training occurs at the end of their FRS curriculum, when they attend a four-day Division Officer Leadership Course (DIVOLC). This course covers in broad strokes some of the essential topics with which division officers must be familiar. Topics of discussion include FITREPs and EVALs, Navy programs designed to assist in Sailors’ career development, and the basics of a maintenance department. But to pack all of the requisite information that a JO pilot might need to succeed into a few PowerPoint presentations is impossible. Already, this course does not prepare a JO pilot for any position outside of a division leadership role. On top of this, a JO pilot in the FRS–one who has spent years with the mindset of a student–understandably struggles to grasp that so much of what they will be assessed on in the near future is independent of their piloting skills. In general, as long as they meet standard expectations in regard to aviation (e.g. achieving their Aircraft Commander qualification within the requisite timeline), the most important part of their FITREP will be their performance in their ground job; how well they operate as planners, managers, and administrators is what makes a JO stand out from their peers. Why then is this aspect of our careers so underemphasized when it comes to training?

A lack of job training leads to wasted time for everyone involved. Much of a JO pilot’s time is lost teaching themself how to execute their ground jobs. Their success in the new position often relies on a good turnover from their predecessor and/or the presence of a chief or department head with enough time to properly mentor them. As a result, there is a huge variation in quality in the job turnover process. This can lead to sub-par ground job performance (and undue burden on whomever is picking up the slack) until the officer finally acclimates to the new position. On top of that, partially to ensure that a JO gains experience in as many departments as possible during the course of their tour, a JO pilot will spend on average only about nine months in each position. This process of wasted time thus repeats itself frequently. With a constrained timeline, we need to more effectively train JOs to hit the ground running when they assume these positions. The Navy’s most precious resource is its people; we owe it to them to value their time.

The unwillingness of our community to spend time training can be attributed to the general urgency with which we strive to get young pilots to the Fleet, and a hesitancy to induce additional administrative burdens that prolong time-to-train. However, while training does take time in the short term, if it conserves time and resources in the long run by reducing future inefficiency, the savings will be well worth the up-front investment. For instance, the training presented at DIVOLC is eye-opening for students because it highlights for the first time in their careers some of the responsibilities they will assume and knowledge they must gain in the near future. If anything, the DIVOLC Syllabus could be expanded to cover the ground job turnover process, and the specific programs and publications with which a JO should become familiar prior to assuming one of these jobs. That being said, there are ways to prepare a JO better for their ground job without lengthening existing training syllabi.

As a community, we could create standardized products that are available to JO pilots with regard to all the positions that exist at squadrons. The products could exist in a centralized location such as a sharepoint and be divided by each potential future role, since they are generally standard across all squadrons. Such a site could include the “how-tos” for every program that officers might use (i.e. RMI, DTS, ASM, etc.). It could also include all up-to-date publications individuals would require to fully grasp their roles and responsibilities. Finally, it could also provide a standard template to guide the creation of a complete turnover binder, thus improving the standardization of the turnover process itself. A wellmaintained depository of information like this would efficiently improve a JO’s ability to perform their ground job.

JO pilots fill far too many important positions in squadrons to receive so little training on how to succeed in these roles. While JOs obviously suffer from this lack of attention on their career development, the entire squadron suffers when its junior leaders have not been sufficiently prepared. An easily accessible sharepoint could provide a simple solution that is easy to implement. It would help JO train themselves when unable to receive a good turnover, it would help JOs train their successor more efficiently, and it would facilitate the generation of a Fleet-wide standardized process that has, to this point, been nonexistent. We can simultaneously improve future JO career development and the future mission effectiveness of every squadron in the Fleet if we act now to improve the professional development of our pilots.