Opso
Who on earth has been saying that about the E3? I'd say that and 1 ACC are the only places that are considered truly front-line (911 notwithstanding)
snobody
My advice is to hammer on a CIO door and demand a Realistic Job Preview visit to every branch you are considering. You will then get a feel for the people, places and jobs, along with a chance to speak to people who do the training and are being trained - all over several pints in the Officers Mess. Otherwise you have no idea whether the CIO people are selling you a pup - not that they'd do that - obviously.