Ask A Spook! Cryptologic Questions

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by Cobblestone

Ok, thanks! I think I should be 100% fine then!

You will be. People make this process way more difficult than it needs to be haha

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CTT1

[FlyNavy]

Been seeing some CT/Security Clearance questions pop up again.

Bumping for visibility.

/r
CTT1

[peanutbutter]

is it possible for someone with a moral waiver to get a DAR approved for a CT or IS rating?

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by peanutbutter

is it possible for someone with a moral waiver to get a DAR approved for a CT or IS rating?

Anything that shows poor moral judgement will normally disqualify you from access to classified material, especially at the TS//SCI level. So most likely CT or IS is not a path that will be open to you if you're enlisting with a moral waiver.

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CTT1

[Haasino]

I've mentioned it a few times in other threads, but I personally work with people who have prior criminal records ranging from DUI and teenage shoplifting convictions, to one guy on my crew with a felony receiving stolen property arrest (Plead out as a misdemeanor)... and all have Secret to TS/SCI clearances. It seems to come down to frequency and time since offense. One screw-up in your teens... with several years of productive behavior since... doesn't seem to be a disqualifier when determining clearance eligibility.

I myself have my teenage delinquency blemish... my investigator for my SSBI spent more time asking about my prior advisory work in the movie industry than he did about my record.

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by Haasino

I've mentioned it a few times in other threads, but I personally work with people who have prior criminal records ranging from DUI and teenage shoplifting convictions, to one guy on my crew with a felony receiving stolen property arrest (Plead out as a misdemeanor)... and all have Secret to TS/SCI clearances. It seems to come down to frequency and time since offense. One screw-up in your teens... with several years of productive behavior since... doesn't seem to be a disqualifier when determining clearance eligibility.

I myself have my teenage delinquency blemish... my investigator for my SSBI spent more time asking about my prior advisory work in the movie industry than he did about my record.

I would take that with a grain of salt, Hass.
Keep in mind that by needing a moral waiver, that means this individual would have been ineligible for military service without that waiver. That's something that DONCAF is going to see.

Getting a SECRET clearance might be doable, but in most cases TS//SCI is a much more difficult thing to get when you have a record. Like you said, it does depend on the specific offense, where, and when it was committed. But by all accounts having a police record, especially one requiring a waiver, is not a favorable thing when applying for clearance, let alone when going into the SIGINT realm.

Is it possible, sure. But it all depends on what it was and if DONCAF feels that it shows moral turpitude.

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CTT1

[Haasino]

I only speak with confidence on the guy with the felony arrest/misd. theft conviction because I helped him complete his e-QIP, and later saw his granted TS/SCI when we both had our access checked through JPAS. I needed a moral waiver to join as well... didn't disqualify me. Now, we both joined into a Program that initially required a Secret, and was upgraded down the line... would it have been a different story had we been trying for a community with a TS needed right out the gate? Quite possibly...

Also, in my case it had been close to a decade since being a dumb teenager... in my buddy's case, close to 15 years... so the situation will obviously be different for the 18 year-old trying to get a clearance with a record from 2-3 years prior.

[FlyNavy]

Bump

[USNAVYCASTRO]

Hey CTT1 I posted this in another thread. But I'll post here cause I don't think anyone noticed :p
regarding the security clearances for CTI/CTT/CTN my mother and older sister are not US Citizens, they are residents. I know they are planning on taking the citizenship test, so should I wait to join aCT rating until they are citizens? Is it possible to join a different rate and then when they become citizens swap to a CT rating?

[NavySpouse]

What can be expected as far as sea/shore duty and/or deployments. Typically how long would we be apart in the CTI rating and assumedly where are stations for middle eastern languages. How much work does the Navy CTI do with the other branches as well. Will you work with Army and Airforce or almost exclusively Navy

[jzhaun]

Originally Posted by NavySpouse

What can be expected as far as sea/shore duty and/or deployments. Typically how long would we be apart in the CTI rating and assumedly where are stations for middle eastern languages. How much work does the Navy CTI do with the other branches as well. Will you work with Army and Airforce or almost exclusively Navy

CTIs don't have a sea/shore rotation, just an in CONUS/out CONUS one. Sand languages go to Georgia. There are opportunities for aircrew (need to be in good shape, pass aircrew and SERE school), dirsup (short term assignment to ships, not ships company), and subs (males only), but it'll come down to needs of the navy. Those kinds of assignments are mostly navy, but shore duty is mostly joint.

[blueice6102]

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

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by blueice6102

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

Not by any means. They absolutely get out to sea on ships and can also take special duty doing submarines or aircrew. CTR and CTT are the two most versatile of the CT rates.

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CTT1

[blueice6102]

Originally Posted by CTT1(SW)Griffin

Not by any means. They absolutely get out to sea on ships and can also take special duty doing submarines or aircrew. CTR and CTT are the two most versatile of the CT rates.

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CTT1

Thank you.

[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.

[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!

[DGladhill]

Not sure where you're finding loads of info on CTMs, 'cus it's been a pain to find any! As for the leave, you should start accumulating whenever you start getting paid ( ie: bootcamp ). Taking leave on a weekend shouldn't be a big deal, talk to your chain of command when you get down to Pensacola and let them know up front.

As for forgetting stuff, I'm fairly certain the only time it becomes a problem is when you start "forgetting" things like major tickets, surgeries, incidents, etc.

[Marcheline]

Hi there and thank you for taking your time to answer questions! I am interested in a CTI rate and I have a couple technical questions. I passed the ASVAB with 82 and the individual scores qualify me for the job. However ,not having a US citizenship disqualifies me from any intel' jobs until I obtain my citizenship. I've been eligible for years but with three kids and only one income I could never pay the nearly $800 in application fees. I am a college graduate and I speak two more languages besides English. I have also experience in translation/interpretation for EU agencies.
I wonder If I can sign a contract for CTI that would be contingent upon becoming a US citizen which I would while in boot camp? I also wonder if the rate is currently undermanned and if this would help my case , considering my qualifications?
Thank you again for all your efforts!

[Barbazu]

This depends a lot on how your recruiting command functions. The command that I work in requires that TS/SCI clearances be fully adjudicated before shipping. If that's the case where you're enlisting out of, then it wouldn't be possible. As far as the actual Big Navy policy, I don't know. I only know how my command functions.
As for manning, right now CTI is not overmanned, but is nearing a balance. Given how the Navy likes to flood a rate I would expect it to say open for a while. It's difficult to find people for this rate because of the DLAB. In fact, we recently gave a girl a waiver for 3 points on her DLAB so she could qualify. Just that alone should tell you that we are in desperate need for CTIs.

[Beck94]

This is not about CT, but IS. Do you know where most IS end up getting stationed after they finish A-school? Do they usually deploy or stay on shore?

[rjk707]

CTT1,

When you say a full tour do you mean a deployment or a full contract length.

[jzhaun]

Originally Posted by rjk707

CTT1,

When you say a full tour do you mean a deployment or a full contract length.

A full tour = ~3 years at your first command, with the clock starting after you graduate A/C school and PCS. After that you'll renegotiate for new orders and then you can try for TIO (you may have to reenlist if your contract is almost over).

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by jzhaun

A full tour = ~3 years at your first command, with the clock starting after you graduate A/C school and PCS. After that you'll renegotiate for new orders and then you can try for TIO (you may have to reenlist if your contract is almost over).

Pretty much nailed it.
You'll finish your time at your first duty station (basically the length of your 1st contract) and then you can start looking into TIO options.

/r
CTT1

[gameingkine]

Originally Posted by Beck94

This is not about CT, but IS. Do you know where most IS end up getting stationed after they finish A-school? Do they usually deploy or stay on shore?

For us it really depends on your NEC. but the billets are pretty split 50/50 for shore and sea. one of the perks for us right now is we pick our billet so near the end of A school they line all the actives up outside by grade order. Highest grade going first. we then pick from a list of billets they give us. Granted we get the list a day prior so we do a mock run when we come in later that night but anyways each billet has the NEC with it. you cant pick your NEC then your station. each station has what NEC it needs. but because we are a 6 year contract they will get a sea and shore out of you. count on that.

Also we go to C-school. All IS's go to C school right after A school.

Without being classed back the whole schooling takes between 6-9 months. again, depending on which NEC school you go to

[Beck94]

Originally Posted by gameingkine

For us it really depends on your NEC. but the billets are pretty split 50/50 for shore and sea. one of the perks for us right now is we pick our billet so near the end of A school they line all the actives up outside by grade order. Highest grade going first. we then pick from a list of billets they give us. Granted we get the list a day prior so we do a mock run when we come in later that night but anyways each billet has the NEC with it. you cant pick your NEC then your station. each station has what NEC it needs. but because we are a 6 year contract they will get a sea and shore out of you. count on that.

Also we go to C-school. All IS's go to C school right after A school.

Without being classed back the whole schooling takes between 6-9 months. again, depending on which NEC school you go to

Thanks for the information! I read somewhere on here that each NEC went to a specific place after they complete C school, such as, [REDACTED]
As far as Op intel, can they go anywhere or do they usually have a specific place to go?

Then from there you might be attached to a specific ship or carrier for deployment.

Is there any truth to this?

Also, are there usually intelligence specialists on each ship or carrier during deployment or do they usually stay at shore?

Sorry for all the questions, just not a whole lot of info about IS around.

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by Beck94

Thanks for the information! I read somewhere on here that each NEC went to a specific place after they complete C school, such as, [REDACTED]
As far as Op intel, can they go anywhere or do they usually have a specific place to go?

Then from there you might be attached to a specific ship or carrier for deployment.

Is there any truth to this?

Also, are there usually intelligence specialists on each ship or carrier during deployment or do they usually stay at shore?

Sorry for all the questions, just not a whole lot of info about IS around.

Two things here

FRIENDLY OPSEC PLUG
We don't need to discuss what specific personnel, NECs, ect, are going to what unit or locations to do what. This is a public form and not the place for specific information like that. I want you new guys to internalize the fact that foreign actors are almost definitely monitoring this forum in one way or another.

Secondly, there are usually a very small contingent of IS's aboard big decks for deployments. CG and DDG platforms usually only have 1 IS attached and it's always going to be a 1st Class Petty Officer. So yes, they do get underway as ship riders every once in a while, but honestly most of your work can be done from shore.

/r
CTT1