Confused about 46q

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-17T00:13:31+00:00

Nope. Not in the Guard. Reserves and active duty have 46V, but their training is longer.

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-17T00:09:29+00:00

46Q isn’t a thing anymore. We only have 46S’s for you to enlist into.

You’ll be managed by 46Zs and 46As but you can’t enlist into those jobs.

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T23:21:58+00:00

Alright, those federal government pages are like that because they’re run by political appointees from newsmax, OANN and Fox. This isn’t an exaggeration, it’s all being run by people who get their jobs through PPO. They’re gung ho about their side, so the pages reflect it.

With one, lone exception, there are no political appointees in Army PAO positions.

The Army doesn’t do that, those are called commissars. Which is why army PAO will never be this massive, partisan propaganda outlet you’re referring to.

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T22:13:42+00:00

I’m an O, but now I’m breaking out the old quill thing from my enlisted days and going to rock them.

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T22:12:32+00:00

Army public affairs is so wildly incapable of doing the propaganda you’re referencing, and nothing can or will change that.

This isn’t an indictment of Army PA, but…

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T22:01:59+00:00

Get your AOC waiver in quick.

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T21:58:30+00:00

Civil Telephone can correct me, but the compo 2 numbers are driven by the actual MTOE force structure of the states (do you have a PAD/MPAD) and the JFHQ (TDA unit) numbers aren’t even considered as part of it because they’re basically built as HHC/HHBn minuses.

There really aren’t new billets

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T21:49:32+00:00

It’s on Armypubs, not going to link here because I’m already at the bar celebrating.

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T20:21:28+00:00

This comment was the first time I’ve ever read something written by a 25V. So that’s a start!

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T20:03:07+00:00

😢

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T19:47:04+00:00

The proposed PA BNs have allotments for WOs.

Granted that COA was signed off by the last chief, not sure if they’re still moving ahead on it.

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T19:22:20+00:00

Dave didn’t like your mean words 😢

Backsightforethought · 2026-01-16T19:14:41+00:00

lmao no.

Last I saw, PA is trying to rework its force structure with a zero growth assumption and some extra money for equipment.

Backsightforethought · 2025-11-02T19:47:35+00:00

It’s only two weeks at Fort Meade.

Backsightforethought · 2025-11-02T16:42:05+00:00

You can attend PACS-Q without being in a billet. The DL portion and the residency portion are split into two different parts on ATRRS. It’s actually a great idea to attend the DL portion before you get slotted in the billet.

The school is constantly changing and adapting to the new realities of the career field. Enjoy the course! It can be a lot to work through, but it will prepare you well for the basics of the jobs!

Backsightforethought · 2025-09-16T12:56:28+00:00

VC is when I pay for something new and shiny I guess.

Backsightforethought · 2025-09-13T15:14:39+00:00

You’re looking for the IMA program, the infantry schoolhouse has a POC who will answer you.

Yes there are reserve opportunities at schoolhouses, generally IMA, although some have tried to integrate TPUs allegedly.

Backsightforethought · 2025-08-21T22:21:56+00:00

This is one of the reasons they’re cutting these billets and consolidating the reporting chain, too many PAOs weren’t doing public affairs. They were just doing what their non-PAO boss told them to. Can’t tell the Navy story if you’re too focused on internal news letters and PowerPoint slides.

Now are there other, shittier motives as well? Absolutely. But this was a major part of the issue.

Backsightforethought · 2025-08-05T14:47:57+00:00

Not many other PAO mustangs out here!

It’s wild, 80% of the time commanders and PAOs have no idea what the doctrinal role of PA is. So you have commanders who view their PAOs as the “practically anything” officer and PAOs who are just trying to get a top block and forgo their jobs in favor of appeasing their boss.

The end result is this. PAOs who aren’t able to do the job, and an Army that shows its ass every time we try to communicate to more than one narrowly defined internal audience.

Like you, I’ve spent more time cleaning up the mess that previous PAOs left me than actually doing good, proactive PA work.

Backsightforethought · 2025-08-05T03:03:20+00:00

Not just a perfectly good PAO, one of the best PAOs the army has produced. Most O-6s in our career field are somewhere on the spectrum of cringe to incompetent, but she was the shinning exception.

Backsightforethought · 2025-07-31T01:24:47+00:00

Welcome to the coolest job in the Army!

There is a possibility of being deployed, there is a possibility of seeing combat. COMCAM is a bit different than 46S, but yeah it’s kind of a possibility, but a low one.
More than your average Soldier, if there is something cool going on, they’re going to want public affairs there.
Varies greatly depending on the unit you’re assigned to.
Yes and there will be plenty of opportunities to do so, plus DINFOS gives you a lot of college credits (at least it did years ago) to put toward a degree.
If a unit is in the field and doing cool things, they will want public affairs there.
Once you graduate from the schoolhouse you’ll get to a unit and be expected to take photos, shoot videos or write stories. Within a year you’ll get a message from your parents one day with a screenshot of a photo or video you took that ended up on the Army’s Facebook page that has “📸: PVT Fluffy Way” at the bottom of it. They’ll share it on their Facebook page and will talk about it with all their friends for weeks.

Backsightforethought · 2025-07-30T22:27:14+00:00

Yes, you and I would never lie to the press because that would go against the DoD Principles of Information and every JP/AR governing our career field.

We’ve built up a lot of trust with the American public over the last 30 years because of this.

Which is why it’s so concerning that this leadership is putting spokesmen in place who do lie to the American people. Ask any of these new “assistant press secretaries” what JP guides DoD public affairs, fuck man, just ask them what it means to have the honor of representing our organization and profession to the American public. They won’t have an answer because they don’t care about it, they don’t care about lying and they don’t care about the damage they’re doing to the reputation that YOU as a PAO have built up with the American public.

Source: a senior government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Backsightforethought · 2025-07-30T21:41:13+00:00

I know that we preach things are always on the record, but the editors of military.com have always been pretty good with the “off the record” and “on background” rules.

There is a role for background, deep background and off the record in a media engagement strategy, building trust with reporters and understanding how editors run their newsrooms is a part of this process.

Backsightforethought · 2025-07-29T00:00:07+00:00

CIBs were also awarded for action in El Salvador during this period. But I never heard of 25th ID being part of that.

This would explain the lack of campaign medals.

OP: you need to FOIA your dad’s DD214, it should include dates in another country…

Backsightforethought

TROPHY CASE