Direct Commission Officer - U.S. Navy Direct Commission Officers

U.S. Navy Direct Commission Officers

The United States Navy has an extensive DCO program. It is important to distinguish between the Navy's active duty component staff corps school, called Officer Development School (ODS), and the Navy's reserve component Direct Commission Officer School (DCO School).

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) of 2005 decreed that reserve officer DCO School be re-located to Newport, Rhode Island from its current location at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida as of January 2007. The U.S. Navy is consolidating many of its schools in one central location -- Naval Station Newport, RI. The Navy is currently considering merging DCO School, Limited Duty Officer School, and Mustang University into one contiguous officer training program—all located in Newport, RI. As of January 2007 all Navy Reserve DCO, LDO and CWO Officers attend the same two week course of instruction in Newport. Active duty ODS, a five week course, is also located in Newport, RI, as well as Officer Candidate School (OCS), the twelve week program that college graduates wishing to join the US Navy as active duty officers go through.

The U.S. Navy Reserve Direct Commissioning Program allows university-educated professionals, between ages 19 to 35 (or older, in some cases), the opportunity to be appointed as an officer in the Navy Reserve. Most DCOs hold advanced degrees (MAs, MBAs, JDs, MDs, DOs, PharmDs and Ph.Ds.) and/or significant civilian work experience. In recent years, the number of direct commissions offered by the Navy Reserve has increased due to the need for skilled officers to serve as Individual Augmentees (IAs) in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Direct Commissioning Program serves the expanded needs of the Navy in certain officer skill areas listed below in alphabetical order by category:

Unrestricted Line Officer

• Special Warfare Officer

Restricted Line Officer (including Special Duty Officer)

• Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer (AEDO)
  • NOTE: Unlike AEDOs in the Regular Navy, who must first be qualified Naval Aviators or Naval Flight Officers with at least 5 years operational flying experience in naval aircraft, direct commission AEDOs in the Navy Reserve are not required to have any military flight experience
• Aerospace Maintenance Duty Officer (AMDO)
• Engineering Duty Officer
• Foreign area officer (Country or Regional Specialists, Non-Intelligence)
• Human Resources Officer
• Information Professional (typically, personnel have Computer Science degrees and extensive industry experience)
• Information Warfare Officer (formerly Cryptology Officer)
• Intelligence Officer
• Merchant Marine Officer
• Meteorology/Oceanography Officer (METOC)
• Public Affairs Officer

Staff Corps Officer

• Chaplain Corps Officer
• Medical Programs (Medical, Dental, Nurse, Pharmacist and Medical Service Corps)
• Supply Corps Officer (Logistics, Transportation, Supply Management, Customs, Contracting)
• JAG Corps Officer
• Civil Engineer Corps Officer

Limited Duty Officer (Various specialties)

Warrant Officer (Various specialties)

Some skill areas may not have openings each year. Each year, skill area recruiting quotas are promulgated for recruiters to fill. Upon completion of their training regimen, DCOs serve on nearly every type of ship in the fleet and at shore establishments around the globe. Navy DCOs are forward deployed and are currently serving on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are an integral part of the Navy's role in the War on Terror.