NAVY SPECIAL WARFARE AND
EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL
PROGRAMS
The Navy special warfare community includes
enlisted personnel qualified for assigned secondary
NECs 5321, 5322, 5326, 5327, 5332, and 5333.
Additionally, these personnel carry the enlisted
designator DV (qualified as a diver) or PJ (qualified as
a parachutist) or both. Once qualified, personnel may
be assigned to special warfare operations as
underwater demolition/sea-air-land (UDT/SEAL)
team operators or to explosive ordnance disposal
operations as explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)
technicians. Personnel who request this type of duty
must meet the qualifications listed in the TRANSMAN,
chapter 9. Personnel who successfully complete
training may receive specialty pay and assignment to
an appropriate billet.
CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER AND
LIMITED DUTY OFFICER PROGRAMS
The opportunity for receiving a commission as an
officer in the Navy has never been better than it is
today. Two of the most popular programs leading to a
commission, the Chief Warrant Officer (CWO)
Program and Limited Duty Officer (LDO) Program,
are presented in the following paragraphs.
The Navy has a continuing need for CWOs to serve
as officer technical specialists and LDOs to serve as
officer technical managers. The LDO and CWO
Programs are the primary enlisted-to-officer Navy
sponsored programs that do not require a college
education. Competition for entrance into either of the
programs has been, and will continue to be,
particularly keen. If you are interested in applying for
these programs, you should begin preparing early in
your career. To better prepare to become an officer, you
should increase your knowledge by on-the-job training
and specialized training through schools and
correspondence courses.
Chief Warrant Officer Program
The Chief Warrant Officer Program provides a
direct path of advancement to CWO for outstanding
enlisted personnel who have reached the paygrade of
E-7 or above. To be eligible for appointment,
applicants must meet the following requirements:
Be a U.S. citizen
Be serving on active duty as a CPO, SCPO, or
MCPO in the regular Navy, Naval Reserve, or
Training and Administration of Reserves (TAR)
Program at the time of application
Be physically qualified for appointment as a
warrant officer
Be a high school graduate or possess the
service-accepted equivalent
Have no record of conviction by court-martial or
of conviction by civil court for any offenses other
than minor traffic violations for 2 years preceding
the date of 16 January of the year of application
Be recommended by the commanding officer
Must have completed at least 12 years, but not
more than 24 years, of active service on 16
January of the year in which application is made
BUPERSINST 1131.1 spells out the application
procedures for active and inactive duty personnel for
the Chief Warrant Officer Program.
Limited Duty Officer Program
The LDO Program provides a path of advancement
for PO1 through SCPO and CWO to commissioning as
a temporary ensign or lieutenant junior grade (as
applicable) in the regular Navy or Naval Reserve.
The applicant must meet the following eligibility
requirements to apply for the LDO Program:
Be a U.S. citizen
Be serving on active duty in the regular Navy,
Naval Reserve, or TAR Program at the time of
application. If selected, personnel must remain on
active duty until appointment is tendered
Be physically qualified for appointment to LDO
Be a high school graduate or possess the
service-accepted equivalent
Have no record of conviction by court-martial or
of conviction by civil court for any offense other than
minor traffic violations for 2 years preceding 16 January
of the year in which application is made
Be recommended by the commanding officer
Be serving as a petty officer first class or
CPO/SCPO on 16 January of the year in which
application is made. If a PO1, the applicant must have
served in that capacity for at least 1 year as of 16 January
of the year in which application is made
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