A CSO is trained as a combined Navigtor and Electronic Warfare Officer. B-1 Weapon System Officers (WSO's) have long been trained as WSO's. They sit in the back and do the mission of dropping bombs and jamming the enemy. However, in this area of downsizing the Air Force I will also tell you that I know several B-1 WSO's who were kicked out of the Air Force involuntarily at the 15-year point with no benefits, but no B-1 pilots have been cut to my knowledge.

There are boards in the Air Force and Navy that determine who goes to pilot training. CSO's apply to pilot training boards. There are also boards for CSO training. Pilots have never applied to those boards.