Gaining a Commission in the Navy
On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution that gave birth to what has become the most powerful Navy the world has ever known. For the entire history of the United States Navy, men and women of strong moral character, courage and intelligence have been commissioned as officers in our Navy. Naval Officers use their leadership abilities and professional knowledge to inspire the best in others.
Members initially appointed to commissioned grade are so appointed by the President. Permanently commissioned officers in the active component in and above the grade of Lieutenant Commander, and reserve component officers in and above the grade of Captain are appointed by, and with the advice and consent of, the Senate. When the Senate is not in session, temporary and interim appointments are made, subject to Senate confirmation during the next session.
Navy Officer Accession Sources
United States Citizens, including prior service members who have separated from the military under honorable conditions.
Enlisted personnel of the Navy (Active or Reserve Components).
Enlisted personnel of other armed services (with approved inter-service transfer).
Officers of other branches of the military must seek a conditional release from their parent service and apply for inter-service transfer. Officers in the Navy (including Individual Ready Reserve) must apply for either Lateral Transfer/Redesignation or Indefinite Recall.
Physical
Applicants will recieve a full physical to be completed by the local Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). MEPS will use the Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, Or Induction in the Military Services, DoD Instruction 6130.03 of 6 May 2018, to detemine eligibility. If a medical waiver is required, the Navy medical waiver authority will refer to the Manual of the Medical Department, Chapter 15, and consider whether the medical issue could resurface or could present adverse effects that may limit the ability to deploy while the member is serving.
Candidates must meet the Navy fitness height and weight and/or percentage of body fat standards at the time of application and at time of commissioning.
Moral Character
Persons entering the Armed Forces should be of good moral character. The underlying purpose of moral character standards is to minimize entrance of persons who are likely to become disciplinary cases or security risks or who disrupt good order, morale, and discipline. The Military Services are responsible for the defense of the nation and should not be viewed as a source of rehabilitation for those who have not subscribed to the legal and moral standards of society at large. Moral standards of acceptability for service are designed to disqualify the following categories of persons (Navy Conduct Waiver Guide):
- Individuals under any form of judicial restraint (bond, probation, imprisonment, and/or parole).
- Those with significant criminal records.
- Persons convicted of felonies may request a waiver to permit their joining. The waiver procedure is not automatic and approval is based on each individual case, including consideration of the individual's adjustment to civilian life.
- In processing waiver requests, the Military Services shall require information about the "who, what, when, where, and/or why" of the offense in question; and a number of letters of recommendation from responsible community leaders; such as school officials and employers, attesting to the applicant's character or suitability for a commission.
- Those who have been previously separated from the Military Services under conditions other than honorable or for the good of the Military Service concerned.
- Those who have exhibited antisocial behavior or other traits of character that may render them unfit to associate with military personnel.
Navy Officer Jobs
Each Naval Officer designator's community manager develops its own program authorization (PA). The PA will define specific requirements for the designator such as age, Officer Aptitude Rating (OAR) and/or Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) scores (the Navy does NOT consider one's ASVAB score for officer commissioning programs), education, and certifications earned.
Navy Officer Program Authorizations
| Direct Commission, Officer Candidate School (OCS) & Student Programs |
|---|
Baccalaureate Degree Completion Program The BDCP provides financial assistance to college students and graduates to complete baccalaureate degree requirements. |
Health Services Collegiate Program HSCP is a scholarship program designed to provide financial incentives for students in designated health care professions to complete degree/certification requirements. |
Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program HPSP is a scholarship program designed to provide financial incentives for students to attend a school to be a physician, dentist, optometrist or clinical psychologist. |
Financial Assistance Program FAP is for physicians and dentists currently accepted to or enrolled in an accredited residency or fellowship program progressing toward a specialty which has been designated as critical to the Department of Defense. |
Medical Service Corps Those designated MSC are the Navy's health care administration and services officers. |
Aerial Vehicle Operator The program leads to an appointment in the United States Navy as a Warrant Officer (WO1) Aerial Vehicle Operator (AVO), designator 7371. |
Nuclear Officer Candidate NUPOC leads to an appointment on active duty as an Ensign in the unrestricted line of the U.S. Navy. |
Navy Nurse Corps Navy Nurses provide direct care for those injured or ill and preventive care for those in good health. |
Surface Warfare Officer SWOs are the surface Navy experts who lead Sailors in accomplishing shipboard and fleet operations. |
Special Warfare Officer Program Special Warfare Officers lead Sailors on special operations missions. |
Cyber Warfare Engineer Officer Program The Navy's computer scientists that work to provide defense against cyber attacks. |
Naval Flight Officer NFOs are experts in an aircraft's weapons and navigation systems. |
Medical Corps Some of the finest physicians in the world make up the Navy's Medical Corps. |
Intelligence Officer Intel Officers direct and supervise Sailors in the collection and analysis of intelligence. |
Information Professional Information Professional officers direct and supervise Sailors in the defense of networks and the enabling of the free flow of information. |
Cryptologic Warfare Cryptologic Warfare Officers coordinate attacks on networks to gain critical knowledge from the information domain. |
Naval Aviator Aviators are the pilots of rotor and fixed wing Naval aircraft. |
Public Affairs Officer The PAO is the Navy's expert in public affairs and visual information construction and delivery. |
Oceanography Oceanography Officers forecast changes to the physical environment for the benefit of fleet planning. |
Civil Engineer Corps CECs are the Navy's construction project engineers. |
Judge Advocate General's Corps Officer The JAG Corps is the Navy's lawyers. |
Supply Corps SUPPOs lead Sailors who manage inventories of repair parts and general supplies that support ships, squadrons, and shore-based activities. |
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer EOD Officers lead Sailors in locating, identifying, rendering safe, and the disposal of all forms of ordnance. |
Dental Corps Some of the finest dentists in the world make up the Navy's Dental Corps. |
Navy Chaplain Corps Chaplains are ordained members of the clergy who minister to Sailors and Marines. |
FY-2023 Seaman to Admiral STA-21 is a full-time undergraduate education and commissioning program open to enlisted personnel of all pay grades and ratings who meet the eligibility requirements. |
The chart above does not contain all of the designator program authorizations. These are just some of the most popular to provide some context for the application procedure.
Please contact your local Navy Officer recruiter!
Navy Commissioned Officer Rank Chart
As with the enlisted ranks, each commissioned officer rank has a corresponding pay grade. The pay grade is used to determine the Servicemember's pay and allowances.
| Naval Officer Ranks and Pay grades | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pay grade | Rank | Insignia |
| O-10 | Admiral (ADM) |  |
| O-9 | Vice Admiral (VADM) |  |
| O-8 | Rear Admiral Upper-half (RADM) |  |
| O-7 | Rear Admiral Lower-half (RDML) |  |
| O-6 | Captain (CAPT) |  |
| O-5 | Commander (CDR) |  |
| O-4 | Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) |  |
| O-3 | Lieutenant (LT) |  |
| O-2 | Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) |  |
| O-1 | Ensign (ENS) |  |
