Whomever wrote that last sentence has never been to a squadron. Everyone wants the 'gouge'.
That term actually made it into journalism in the 90s, I remember it now.
In the fleet, “gouge” is used almost exclusively within naval aviation, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard. In use it means more than essential inside information. It can also connote worth, to the point of being praiseworthy, as in “Smiley’s soba truck is gouge!”.
Q is gouge.
Not only "the gouge" but "the straight gouge" with the odd expletive added on occasion. (In enlisted circles especially)
As far as useage, I don't recall going near any group of sailors anywhere, active duty or reservist, that didn't have that phrase on the top shelf and students of any rank (but most especially the Student Pilots I worked around) were typically in earnest, almost panic-stricken search for any "gouge" available.
...which just caused a mild flashback to my brief stint as a Radio Navigation instructor during the final transition to TACAN. (Yeah, I'm that old.) All I had to do was teach those poor guys how to do all that crap and I'd go back to the barracks every night with a five-alarm headache; I hate to think of what they felt like after flying while navigating with the mighty ARN-6.