Hey everyone,

Your going to be working behind a desk a lot of the time. As a seaman/fireman you wont so much, but Petty Officers definitely do.

So you start off as a seaman/fireman, how long does that last until you go to your A school for ME training?

Welcome...enjoy your journey and may it be as awesome as you have imagined it to be!

Stay focused on your goal and you shall achieve it!

Rates are locked up, buddy...put in your time and you'll get what you invested in.  Good luck...

Rates? Meaning what?

Rates are our jobs. ME is a rate. Everyone wants to be an ME that walks through my door, therefore it is the longest wait to get to ME school than any other rate. You'll most likely be waiting 3-4 years before being an ME.

Try looking at other rates ME is not the only rate that does law enforcement.

Well i really want to be apart of LEDET, can i still if i don't become an ME? and is there anything similar to ME work wise?

The ME rate is not the end-all, be-all of MLE. LEDETS are made up of all rates. Remember, LEDETS/TACLETS have been around much longer than the ME rate. You also need to understand that you will not go to a TACLET right out of boot camp. Chances are good you'll go to a STA or cutter of some type.

so if i go in as a BM or something i can still join LEDETS? And i heard from my recruiter that you are only apart of the group for given period of time then you go back to your original job. Is that true?

LEDET is a unit. Like the Midgett is a unit. So yes, if you get assigned there, you will leave there. Prepare yourself that you may never get assigned there.

So is it even possible to have a warrant position over LEDET? And can you always extend your stay with the unit?

I don't know the rank structure at a LEDET, so I won't answer about the warrant. You MIGHT be able to extend at the unit but you can't extend for a career. Maybe a year, maybe if they need you. Probably not, I wouldn't count on it. You know there is a lot of law enforcement at a lot of other units. You are SOOOOO focused on one unit you are losing focus of the big picture of the CG. Again, you might never get assigned to the LEDET. Then what????

OG is right, if you request to extend it probably will only be for one year, one time. Also, you are competing with a couple hundred other people for this job, about every 3-4 years when you are up for transfer. The odds are just not in your favor

What other type of other law enforcements units are there? And big picture meaning what exactly?

Julian what is it about the LEDETs that interests you so much? It's possible that other units do the kinds of things you find so fascinating about LEDETs.

The training seems interesting and the type of work you have to do. I would love to be able to prevent drug smugglers or pirates. It's not your typical job that you can find in the civilian world.

You really need to explore the CG's core missions more. LEDETS/TACLETS are not the only units that do drug interdiction, or LE in general. Small boat stations and cutters of all sizes are actively involved in the LE mission on a daily basis. A boarding team from a cutter is a mix of rates, none of which may be ME. Those folks assigned to the boarding team will have extensive on the job law enforcement training, and very likely have attended the formal boarding team member (BTM) or boarding officer (BO) school.

If you focus so narrowly on the ME rate and LEDETS, you're going to miss out on a lot of what the CG has to offer.

Posted By CPORJM on 14 May 2013 09:35 AM
You really need to explore the CG's core missions more. LEDETS/TACLETS are not the only units that do drug interdiction, or LE in general. Small boat stations and cutters of all sizes are actively involved in the LE mission on a daily basis. A boarding team from a cutter is a mix of rates, none of which may be ME. Those folks assigned to the boarding team will have extensive on the job law enforcement training, and very likely have attended the formal boarding team member (BTM) or boarding officer (BO) school.

If you focus so narrowly on the ME rate and LEDETS, you're going to miss out on a lot of what the CG has to offer.

What type of core missions are there? core missions meaning what exactly? And are boarding teams comprised for drug interdiction?

Boarding teams from cutters do EVERYTHING. Drug interdiction, migrant interdiction, rescues at sea... My son is an OS onboard a 378. On his last patrol he held an integral part in apprehending a drug smuggler. He wasn't on the boarding team, he was in combat, helping to make sure his ship was in line to capture the other ship. The boarding team went out, captured the boat and they brought aboard over 1000 pounds of cocaine. No LEDET involved.

Research, research, research... Speaking face to face with a recruiter would help. Again, not getting so focused on one thing you miss out on everything else.

How do you join a boarding team? And why would they need groups like LEDET/TACLET/ or MSSRT if they if they have boarding teams?

You really need to do some research. TACLETS/LEDETS have a different mission than a boarding team from a cutter or small boat station. TACLETS/LEDETS are usually embarked aboard US Navy vessels, which enables the Navy to conduct LE missions. This is something they would not normally be able to due to the Posse Comitatus Act, which forbids DoD entities from conducting LE missions.
A boarding team is something you request once at a unit, such as a small boat station. You're then trained, in house, at a formal school, or possibly both. I received both. I attended Boarding Team Member (BTM) School at TRACEN Petaluma, but earned my Boarding Officer qualification during a tour at STA Calumet Harbor.

To answer your question posed earlier about the CG's core missions: Search and Rescue (probably what we're most known for), Aids to Navigation (AtoN), Port Security, Marine Environmental Protection, Icebreaking, Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE), and National Defense missions. Most folks don't know this, but the CG had a large presence in the recent Iraqi conflict, conducting port security operations. I was there for a good part of '03, dong exactly that.

Chief, my ex-husband was in Iraq in 2010. He was stationed in Umm Qasr. He is my ex but I'll tell you, there were nights I was worried. But I should have known, he excelled just as he always does and he gained a lot while being there. I hope you had a good tour there and got something positive out of it.

Thanks for the great info CPORJM! So what would you prefer? A boarding team or a LEDET/TACLET unit? And are boarding teams usually longer lasting then units?

Like what Chief said you need to do some research. Have you talked to a recruiter yet? Being on a boarding team is a collateral. I could have gone FS and be on a boarding team, and tours are 2-3-4 years long for enlisted (are 87s still 2 years or did they move to 3?)