r/AirForce • u/Western_Truck7948 • 12h ago
Question Aide-de-camp?
I have an opportunity to apply to be an aide-de-camp for a 3 star and wanted to see if anybody could share their experience. Totally get that it'll be highly dependent on who the GO is. I don't really need it as I'm 80% confident I'll get promoted one more time and then be terminal. It could help get a cool job and get to learn and see a lot though.
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u/HuskySpace7418 11h ago
I served as an aide-de-camp and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I traveled on mil air jets that were basically G-6s, sat in high level meetings I never would have seen otherwise, and coordinated with agencies and people well outside the DAF. The biggest payoff was personal mentorship from a legend. I also became a DTS pro and racked up a ton of points. The job revectored my career and put me on a completely different track than my peers.
Be clear about the tradeoff. You are a glorified personal assistant and road exec, so if you do not want the job or have a passion for it, pass the controller.
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u/Western_Truck7948 11h ago
Thanks, that's the insight I was looking for. I'm in somewhat of a support role now, and I dig it, though it's not nearly the same level. I really can't stand when Monday looks like Friday and all weeks are the same, so travel and something new every day would be exciting.
I don't know how much my vector can (should) change, I'm pretty happy with my path, so I'd take the job just to learn and not really needing to get a "reward" for it. Like I said, I think I have a good shot at one more promotion, and have no interest in serving past that.
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u/EternalNewCarSmell 9h ago
A few of my peers/friends have done the aide-de-camp gig and this is essentially their exact description of it.
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u/MasterTJ52 11h ago
Very interesting to see insight from someone that's done it, thanks for sharing! If you don't mind, the only benefit you seemed to mention is "personal mentorship", can you elaborate what that means?
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u/HuskySpace7418 10h ago edited 10h ago
Sure. Imagine someone at the literal top of their career giving you personal advice and mentorship. That kind of access usually goes to big conferences or to O-6s on their way to becoming GOs. So when someone 40 years into their career takes the time to teach and guide you, it is irreplaceable.
The relationship is the other piece. As an aide you end up on texting terms with your boss and you build a personal connection with them and their family, assuming they choose to open that up to you. Down the road you have a break glass in case of emergency, and you hope you never use it.
What people miss is that the General is not the one who really moves your career. The staff around them is. They are the ones watching you perform every day. My boss has long since retired, but the staff I worked with are now GOs and senior leaders, and if they saw you handle pressure well and wasn't an asshole wearing your boss's rank, they know your aptitude and they want you on their team later.
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u/Red_hat_oops 10h ago
Having someone who will give you frank and honest feedback besides "keep doing what you're doing" or "bloom where you're planted". Having worked directly for a GO, it means having someone who has seen a whole lot of records and is willing to help identify strengths and weaknesses in your record and challenge you.
I also had someone who tolerated all of my stupid questions with patience and helped me better understand a lot of what was going on. It was hugely beneficial having someone who would vouch for me when I was seeking different opportunities and assignments (and also having someone to pull me aside and give me thoughts on whether or not what I was considering was a "good move" or not). I now have a resource I can reach out to most any time and know that GO will make time to talk to me.
You also get to see the world from a higher level and see strategic thinking in action. Even just building PowerPoint slides and getting guidance on how to craft things differently for a 2-star audience vs 4-star or senior civilian/deputy secretary.
I'll agree the hours sucked, and at times it seemed like there was only messing up and not succeeding, but the lessons learned are invaluable
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u/AFWorkUsernameYeet 12h ago
Current supervisor did it previously. He said it was the hardest job he ever had but he learned a lot. Low sleep, high ops.
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u/simple123mind 12h ago
A lot of it depends on the 3-star. If you get along and all is well then this will rocket your career. Even better if the general gets the 4th star. Like others have mentioned, it's stressful and very busy. I was on USAFE staff for a few years and saw aides make and break their careers. The difference now is the DOW is a shit show.
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u/adambomb_23 9h ago
You will learn a ton. You will have no social life. You will learn a ton.
It’s always nice to have that on your OPR
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u/MasterTJ52 12h ago
Never got the appeal of these jobs. Basically the only payout is the big brass knows you and can (maybe) vector you to a follow on, and it will "look good" on your record. But the actual job is doing what a protocol officer does half the time, and the other half is random logistics stuff. I'm sure you'll overhear high level conversations, but I've never understood the appeal, at all. Especially for fliers, you aren't flying and there's no aide pay or anything...sooo why?
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u/TurnspitCur Metals Tech? Loadmaster? Emergency Management? 12h ago
The appeal sounds like a break from MX and being stuck at one shit base
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u/MonkeyCobraFight Aircrew 9h ago
If you do it well, this is an opportunity for career advancements that 99.9% of the Air Force never gets. You’ll be apart of and exposed to their decision making and thought process. If you your plan is 20 years, this is a no brainer.
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u/soccerk1 Active Duty 9h ago
This type of job is very dependent on the personality of the boss. Highly recommend trying to talk to people who have worked with the closely to make sure they’re respectful to their staff, and someone you respect in turn. That will make or break the experience.
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u/BurnBurn666 7h ago
This is what I call a “Type-2 DSD”, meaning you’ll spend 2 years being overworked, stressed, and feeling severely underpaid.
…But once it’s over it’ll feel like the experience of a life time. The travel & mentorship opportunities are phenomenal. I don’t recommend doing it to get promoted but it is a perk that you’ll learn the cheat-codes to how the promotion game works.
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u/ZebraSecret2815 12h ago
It will be high ops tempo, nonstop, unpredictable, stressful
Those assignments are fun when you're young and don't have family