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Je surface ivarfare officer standing a c^txk natch uses the compass to conn the So, too, does he use guidance from t^e Bureau of Naval Personnel in '-karting his career. Successful Performance at sea is the hallmark of the ^0 who makes his way from the gold ars of an ensign to the gold star that Sl8nifies command at sea. The career Patterns of those who do make it all the U ay suggest that all began with a solid ,>ruial education, acquired a firm grasp >n the specifics of the profession, and then Passed the various qualification Milestones on the path to command.
T....................
JL he surface warfare officer performs the oldest task of the naval profession: guiding the warships that ply the surface of the ocean. It is the current sophistication of those ships, however, that has led to the formal recognition of the surface warfare officer (SWO) as a specialist with his own designator, 1 1 10.' As a result of the complexity of his equipment and the leadership challenges this complexity brings, the career development of today’s surface warfare officer is increasingly marked by formal education.
At present, the surface warfare community numbers about 12,000 officers of the unrestricted line. Of this number, about 8,000 have the 1110 designator as fully qualified SWOs. The remaining 4,000 are in the process of qualifying. The employment of these officers is diverse: current service needs dictate about 8,200 billets both afloat and ashore which must be filled by either fully qualified surface warfare officers or by those officers seeking qualification. The remaining 3,800 billets currently occupied by 1110s are detailed without regard to specialty and are virtually separate from the community. Included are assignments such as postgraduate school, instructor duty at the Naval Academy, and a variety of posts in Washington. Obviously, they offer the SWO an opportunity to expand his professional vision and experience in between the sea tours that are vital to his career’s success. While the course of the successful naval career has always been difficult to chart, an effort by the Bureau of Naval Personnel to provide guidance to the junior officer at the outset of his career has produced the Unrestricted Line Officer Career Planning Guidebook (NavPers 15197). This publication, which first appeared in 1975, outlines the standard “career pattern” for all officers of the unrestricted line, including the surface warfare officer. This generalized assignment pattern, shown in Figure 1, is not an absolute key to success, for every SWO will follow a unique path of assignments. Nonetheless, this idealized career outlines the normal sea and shore rotation a surface warfare officer can expect, and it clearly illustrates the essential sea billets the 1110 must serve in to remain competitive in his profession.
Meeting expected standards of performance in
• SHORE COMMAND
• MAJOR SHORE STAFF
• SUBSPECIALTY
24-
MAJ
SHORE
CMO
CAPTAIN COMMAND AD-CGN'-CG-AMPHIB-MLSF
• SUBSPECIALTY
• WASHINGTON
• SR SVC COLLEGE
OTHER SEA CVN ENG/ REACTOR OFF-
18-
• SUBSPECIALTY
• WASHINGTON
• MAJOR SHORE STAFF
POST X0 TOUR - CO • SEA STAFF
LCDR X0 TOUR
SEA STAFF DEPT HEAD CGN ENG OFF/CVN ASST ENG’
2nd SHORE • PG SCHOOL (NON TECH)
• SHORE STAFF
• JR SVC COLLEGE
• PG UTILIZATION
12 —
DEPT HEAD SPLIT TOUR AMPHIB/MLSF/STAFF
OTHER AFLOAT NUC PWR SPLIT- TOUR CGN/CVN'
DD DEPARTMENT HEAD
DEPT HEAD COURSE
FIRST SHORE • STAFF
• RECRUITING
• PG SCHOOL
(TECH CURRICULUM)
NEW CONSTRUCTION OTHER AFLOAT
FIRST SEA TOUR
DIVISION OFFICER LEVEL (BASIC SWO QUALIFICATION) (NUC ENG QUALIFICATION)[1]
whatever billets he holds points the SWO squarely in the direction of commanding his own ship. The steps to the gold star command-at-sea pin are logical and orderly: qualification as an 1110 and selection for the department head course at the Surface Warfare Officers School Command (formerly Destroyer School), successful completion of a department head tour in a destroyer-type and amphibious/service force ship, successful screening and assignment as an executive officer, and finally, qualification for and selection for command. An executive officer tour is not a prerequisite for command in the rank of commander. It is, however, in the normal billet progression to command. With the exception of the 1110 designation, each of these milestones is achieved only after the surface warfare officer has been selected by an autonomous selection board. Of primary concern to every selection board the SWO must face is the criterion of individual performance at sea. The present structure of the fleet makes competition keen. For example, the opportunity for an executive officer tour as a lieutenant commander is about 55% for each
Figure 1 SWO Professional Development Path YCS-
CAPT
22- 20-
CDR
16 — 14-
LCDR
10-
LT
LTJG -
ENS - year group, while command opportunity as a commander is around 50%. Naturally, opportunity depends on the number of available billets and tour lengths. Billets are the constant and tour lengths the variable. Longer tours result in lower opportunities and vice versa.
Billet restrictions are by no means the only obstacle a screening board candidate must face. The composition of every selection board is varied as to member experience and attitude. In a system that must obviously rely a great deal on subjective judgment, there is no avoiding the board member who views a candidate in light of “the way I did it.” Therefore, while the idealized career pattern is not intended to be restrictive, it is not wise to stray too far afield from the “normal” sequence of assignments. As noted by one lieutenant commander who had studied in France after a regular shore duty tour in the United States, “. . . a few lines scribbled in French by some admiral in Paris do not count as a significant fitness report to a screening board.”
The foundation of the modern surface warfare officer community lies in the programmed development of its junior officers. At the heart of this development is the idea that the SWO must have a broad base of technical education in his speciality and that his knowledge must be further forged by experience and performance at sea. The days of the new ensign stumbling aboard his first ship with no concept of her mission or tactical employment have given way to a belief within the community that the crucial first sea tour must be prepared for with an education process that begins before the officer’s commissioning. The accession sources for rhe 1 1 10 community are the Naval Academy, the regular program of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC), and the Officer Candidate School (OCS). During the last fiscal year, the surface warfare officer community acquired 290 Naval Academy graduates, 350 regular officers from NROTC, 209 Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program (NESEP) graduates and contract NROTC reservists, and 402 ensigns from OCS.'3 The newly commissioned 1160 ensign (this designator has been assigned unrestricted line officers aspiring to the 1110 designator) is the product of commissioning sources that have been directed in the last few years to provide a more comprehensive technical education. The graduation of 80% engineering and science majors has been a Naval Academy goal since the inception of the majors program at Annapolis- Recent CNO policy changes have been aimed at increasing the engineering and science majors in the NROTC program from 60% to 80%.4
Regardless of his commissioning source, the 1160 ensign’s first duty station will be the Surface Warfare Officers School Command’s basic course. Taught at both Newport and San Diego, this course has been a bey element of the SWO concept since it began classes lri the early 1970s. The course has evolved into a 16-week curriculum of 640 hours.5 Approximately °ne-fourth of the highly demanding course of study ls spent in either tactical trainer “labs” or under simulated bridge watch conditions on a full-scale bridge mock-up. Although the SWOSC basic course relays the beginning of the average 1160 s initial sea four by several months, commanding officers have been generally impressed with the quality of the graduates produced. This concept of formal training before actual assignment to a division officer s billet is often carried further by enrollment of the SWOSC graduate in any one of a number of functional specialty schools prior to his reporting aboard. This schooling, as shown in Figure 2, is geared to the specific job the ensign will have during his initial sea tour.
As reflected in the standard career pattern, the Prospective SWO’s first sea tour will be around three ar*d a half years in length. Of primary importance to '■be fledgling surface warfare candidate during this rour is his performance as a division officer and his 9Ualification as an 1110. Obviously, the standard of adequate performance in leading his division is not new to the shipboard junior officer, but the requirement to attain the SWO designation has made a significant impact on the surface line division officer "irhin the past three years. The SWO qualification is "trained through the completion of the surface warfare officer’s personnel qualification standards. Commonly referred to as SWO PQS, the training system ^ts down a series of items to be accomplished by the candidate to demonstrate a working knowledge of 'be topic. The items are split into categories of 'theoretical understanding and practical accomplishment. Encompassed in the PQS program are many of 'be qualifications that have been the traditional ^tePping-stones of the junior surface officer: combat mformation center watch officer, officer of the deck 'n port, and the all-important certification as an offiCer of the deck under way. Additionally, the PQS sys- 'err> sets down areas of qualification in the administrative duties of a division officer, in the various warfare missions (such as antisubmarine warfare, antiair Warfare, amphibious operations), and basic shipboard engineering. Each PQS item is assigned a point value ^bich makes the junior officer’s progress easy to gauge. SWO PQS is the tool that guarantees a standard level of achievement and professional knowledge regardless of a candidate’s ship type. As such, the
SWO PQS program has proven demanding and challenging to both those junior officers attempting to complete it and the ships administering it. It imposes, first of all, a novel concept on the average surface ship wardroom: completion of a formal training program for junior officers that must receive emphasis commensurate with that placed on watchstanding and division officer duties. While the submarine community has operated under such a system for years, it is new to the surface navy, and commanding officers have gradually come to realize that the training of their junior officers must be no less emphasized than the training of their enlisted crews. Secondly, and most important, the PQS system demands that the SWO community set and maintain its own high standards of qualification. The most common system for qualification found in the fleet is a special “qualification board.” Such a board is usually convened to examine the SWO candidate in each aspect of material covered by the PQS. The prospect of being examined in any one area by the experts on board his own ship can be somewhat frightening to the candidate, but it clearly introduces a quality assurance motivation into his preparations. The formality of these internal boards has also been instrumental in
emphasizing the need for a professional attitude within the fleet’s wardrooms. A recent change has placed responsibility for 1110 qualification on the ship’s commanding officer.
The coincidental processes of qualification as an 1110 and successful performance as a full-time division officer constitute a demanding work load for today’s first-tour junior officer. Working with his division produces a heavy administrative burden which must be sandwiched in with the precious underway time needed to complete watchstanding qualifications. The established goal for completion of the SWO qualification has been set at 24 months after reporting aboard ship. It can be extended to 36 months if necessary. While no statistics are as yet available on the fleet’s accomplishment of the 24- month goal, several problem areas have been identified. The lack of at-sea time and the already crowded schedule of the average junior officer were previously mentioned. Junior officers assigned engineering billets are usually expected to complete the equally demanding and time-consuming qualification as engineering officer of the watch prior to SWO qualification. This qualification is currently required of surface warfare officers prior to command qualification and sometimes means they won’t qualify as 1110s until after the three-year point. Those 1 160s who fail to attain SWO designation during their first sea tour are normally sent on a second sea tour of 18 months for the express purpose of completing qualification. While the failure to qualify on the initial sea tour is not always the individual’s fault, it is usually discouraging to the junior surface officer. The problem of junior officers not being able to complete the SWO PQS during the first sea tour because of their workloads will largely vanish because all 1160 officers now attend the SWOSC basic course. The curriculum in the course is based directly on the PQS, and the school certifies completion of 70-80% of the PQS line items before the average officer reports to his first ship. With the theory and systems portions out of the way, he can then concentrate his efforts on the remaining items which can be accomplished only on board ship—namely, the watch stations.
Qualification as a surface warfare officer is a formal and obvious goal for the 1 160 ensign or lieutenant (junior grade). An equally vital milestone for his initial sea tour is selection of the young SWO as a candidate for the department head course at Newport. This selection by a frequently convened board is a pivotal point in the professional development of a surface warfare officer. Failure to be selected during the first sea tour usually prompts a second division officer tour since performance in this billet is the only indication the screening board has concerning the ability of the junior officer to assume the duties of a department head. In the majority of careers, assignment to the department head course occurs after the initial shore duty tour, as indicated in Figure 1- The course itself lasts six months and is geared toward preparing the 1110 lieutenant for assignment as operations, weapons, or engineer officer on board a destroyer-type ship (included in this category are frigates, destroyers, and cruisers). Since attendees of any given class come from a variety of seagoing assignments, the curriculum is designed to give an in-depth look at the various systems and tactics of the destroyer world. This look includes an extensive core phase that covers weapon systems, tactics, basic electronics, personnel administration, and fundameO' tal naval engineering concepts and applications. In the practical side of destroyer operations: students receive certification as tactical action officers and are credited with having fulfilled a substantial number of requirements needed for the PQS qualification as engineering officer of the watch. After a two-week underway training period on board a ship of the Atlantic fleet, the prospective destroyer department head spends five weeks of classroom time in a specialty phase to prepare him in the specifics of the assignment he will have on board ship. In some cases, a student from the department head course re-
ce*ves additional training at a fleet school en route to his ship.
The current policy for department head assignment of surface warfare officers will result in about half the 1110s completing two department head assignments within a sea tour of about three years. As indicated by the training at the department head course, an officer’s initial assignment will be to a destroyer-type ship for about 18 months, and then he will go to an amphibious force or mobile logistics support force ship. This rotation highlights several significant thoughts within the SWO community itself. While department head billets on board "am- phibs” and underway replenishment ships were often assigned very junior officers in the past, the split- tour policy will place more experienced officers in these jobs. Hopefully, this will erase the stigma of non-destroyer surface ships being considered second- tate while at the same time “cross-decking” the experience of the SWO lieutenant at a formative place in his career. Paramount among the reasons for splitting the tour during the key department head billet is the notion of the surface force being a single entity.'[2]
The lieutenant department head is a significant ■ndividual in the service’s manpower planning. Retention statistics for all officer communities are based °n the number of officers remaining on active duty two years past their initial obligated service. For the majority of the accession sources described earlier, this occurs around the six-year point in the SWO’s career. The resignation of junior officers at this point generates a requirement replacement from the corn- input of lieutenants to the department head course calls for output of ensigns from OCS into the 1 160 pipeline. The accession figures for fiscal year 1977 outlined above were based on the 1110 community’s retention of 32% of its junior officers two years past the minimum service requirement. This compares to a projected goal for this past year of 33%.' Although this seems encouraging at first glance, it must be remembered that the needs of the SWO community will not remain fixed. Thus, retention goals for its officers must fluctuate correspondingly. The current shipbuilding program will have a significant influence on 1110 manning, as will a variety of other factors. To illustrate the transitory nature of these requirements, consider the fiscal year 1982 projections: the community’s retention goal will shift to 45%, meaning 505 SWO lieutenants must remain on active duty more than two years past the minimum service requirement. This year, 483 chose to remain. Additionally, the 1110 community is currently providing the majority of lateral designator changes made within the unrestricted line community. These transfers to such communities as the Supply Corps and engineering duty are made by selection boards which operate much the same as the boards already discussed. Selection is made on the basis of performance and, ironically, the SWO community is sending some of its best performers to other segments of the Navy. This annual exodus, averaging 180 regular and 150 reserve officers, may clearly be in the best interests of the individual and the service, but the actual requirements lack definition, which damages the 1 1 10 community’s manpower planning. While- such a policy is still being developed on the basis of retention requirements from the aviation, submarine, and surface communities, it is obvious that the 1110 community itself must take positive steps to retain within its ranks the capable officers who are inclined toward a naval career. The problem of keeping “good people” is service-wide; within the surface warfare- community the challenge of this dynamic problem is reflected in the community’s need to support its mission. Table 1 outlines the junior officer requirements based on the number of billets which became vacant during fiscal year 1977 and those projected for fiscal year 1982.8
The performance of the surface warfare officer in his department head tour is the primary factor which will determine whether or not he will pass the screening for assignment as an executive officer. This screening, initially done during the year the 1110 officer is selected for promotion to lieutenant commander and during the three subsequent years if necessary, will select approximately 55% of the SWOs
Table 1 S WO Billet Requirements
Fiscal Year 1977 Fiscal Year 1982
Billet Requirements Billet Requirements [3] 1
Ensign/Lieutenant (junior grade)
1160 Billets | 969 | 1,020 |
Lieutenant 1110 Shore Billets | 90 | 94 |
Lieutenant 1160 /1110 At-sea Non-Department Head Billets | 134 | 135 |
Lieutenant 1110 Department Head Course Students | 279 | 313 |
Lieutenant 1110 Department Head Requirements | 279 | 313 |
NOTE: These figures reflect the number of billets requiring reliefs during the period indicated, not the total number of billets.
► Be a qualified 1110
► Be a qualified engineering officer of the watch (EOOW)
► Have the recommendation of his commanding officer in a seagoing billet
► Pass a written examination*'
The preparation an officer must make for attainment of the above requirements must obviously be extensive. The written examination, for example, is eight hours long and consists of essay questions in three areas:
► Professionalism in command (questions on the rules of the road, navigation, communications, engineering, shipboard safety, the personnel qualification standards, planned maintenance system, damage control, combat systems, supply, and miscellaneous subjects)
► Professionalism in surface warfare (questions relating to the major subdivisions—mine warfare, amphibious warfare, mobile logistic support force operations, and other subjects such as antiair warfare, antisubmarine warfare, electronic warfare, and antiship missile defense)
► Professionalism in a surface warfare specialty (specific questions dealing with the Soviet threat and elective questions based on the candidate’s experience)
As of October 1977, 76.3% of the candidates were passing the examination on their first attempt. About 42% of those who take the examination are lieutenants, and about 30% of the candidates are serving in executive officer billets. The obvious time for an officer to be most concerned with command qualification is during his tour as executive officer. During this XO tour, his performance will have a
Qualifying become routine in nature, it seems rea
determining effect on subsequent success in com- niand screening. While this is the “natural” qualifi- eation point, the lieutenant department head is actuary better equipped to pass the command exam because of his recent experience in the department head c°urse and the nature of his job. This inconsistency highlights the importance in differentiating between a specific command qualification and command SCfeening because the latter is based on a review of an lridividual’s entire career.
Ir> addition to the rigors of the written examina- tlon, the SWO aspiring to command must fulfill the rernaining prerequisites listed above. Perhaps the m°st difficult among them is the requirement to Qualify as engineering officer of the watch. In practical terms, executive officers and non-engineering de- Partrnent heads have not found the time necessary to harn their ship’s engineering plant well enough to stand the watch entrusted with the operation of that Plant. While designed to provide a tangible indica- tl0ri of an officer’s engineering knowledge prior to his assignment as commanding officer, the spirit of tlte requirement is not completely realized in the engineering officer of the watch qualification. Since the f-Oow “ticket” can be punched at any time in the candidate’s career and on board any type of ship, the actual value of the qualification in fulfilling its intended purpose is doubtful. Qualifying as an EOOW ()ri board a diesel-powered fleet tug while an ensign demonstrates few of the managerial techniques the captain of a twin-screw destroyer with a 1,200- P°unds-per-square-inch steam plant will need to successfully complete his tour. Nonetheless, the engineering officer of the watch requirement is an indication of the current emphasis on engineering readiness in the peacetime fleet. Whatever its shortcom- ln&s, the requirement is a clear indication that the Styo seeking his career goal of command must have a flrm grasp on the fundamentals of what goes on be- nt'ath the main deck.
The provisions of the OpNav instruction on command qualification will be in full effect by the end of Che current fiscal year for all 1 1 10s except those who ave passed screening for command and have fewer cd*an 18 months at sea since October 1975. The sur- ace force type commanders have issued a joint induction (ComNavSurfPac/ComNavSurfLant Instruc- C'on 1412.1) establishing a requirement for subordinate commands to set up screening boards on a local tvcd to examine candidates and administer the writ- c.C'n qualification examination. Once the procedures dable to expect SWOs to complete their qualifica- tlQn for command before reporting to their executive officer tours. The preferred time would be during an officer’s department head tour. However routine the qualification procedure becomes, it must be viewed as only a step in the road to command, not the guarantee of having achieved the goal. Qualification for command is not a screening process; those officers eligible for command as commanders will be screened regardless of their qualification status. Actual assignment to a commanding officer’s billet, however, will occur only after the screened officer has completed the command qualification.
The career development traced thus far has shown the logical path followed by the majority of surface warfare officers. While each SWO will follow the steps along the path in a unique manner, those of the 1 1 10 community who are trained in nuclear propulsion are due particular mention. Although they compose a relatively small group within the SWO community, the “nukes” are responsible for the operation of some of the most sophisticated and vital assets in the surface fleet. Prior to the advent of the 1110 designator, the nuclear-trained surface officer was casually considered the nuclear power school graduate who didn’t wear dolphins. Today, he is a specialist within the surface warfare community, experienced not only in the intricate business of nuclear propulsion, but also in the employment of the combat systems of his ship. The foundation of this specialized career is laid in the dual qualification process the officer must undergo to attain his nuclear engineering certification and his 1110 designation. Accordingly,
the initial assignment pattern for the junior nuclear- trained SWO candidate varies from the standard training pattern seen in the case of the average 1 160. As shown in Figure 3, commissioning of this 1 160 candidate is followed by his training at nuclear power school and prototype. This exhaustive tutelage under the guiding hand of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover is followed by assignment to the SWOSC basic course at Newport. The initial sea tour for the nuclear power SWO candidate will then begin about a year and a half after commissioning. As indicated by Figure 2, there are two paths currently followed for developing
the nuclear power 1 l60’s dual qualification. As dictated by individual circumstances, the young nuclear-trained officer will be assigned a three-yeaf initial sea tour on board a nuclear-powered surface ship with the intention of completing his engineering qualifications and 1110 requirements during this single tour. Although it is common for 1 l60s to serve in at least two division officer jobs during their initial three-year tour, the demands of nuclear qualification alone require that this type 1160 be assigned full-time duties with the engineering or reactor department. He must devote considerable effort toward his nuclear qualification in order to complete it and move to another department where his full concentration must be similarly devoted toward the requirements needed to qualify as a SWO. Because of the obvious difficulty of achieving the two required qualifications during a three-year tour, a more common practice for junior nuclear-trained officers is the assignment of two two-year division officer tours, one to a nuclear power engineering billet and the other to a weapons or operations billet. While it is policy to make the non-engineering assignment to a nuclear-powered ship, there is no set policy as to which assignment should occur first. Of the two paths to the dual qualification, the three-year single
. .fl
u- S. NAVY (JOSEPH E. HIGGINS)
tour is assigned to roughly 20% of nuclear-trained
I 160s. The successful completion of both nuclear er*gineering and surface warfare officer qualifications vvill send the average nuclear-trained 1110 to shore duty around the five-year point in his career. Accordingly, he will probably attend the department head course during his eighth year of commissioned service. In order to keep the nuclear 1110’s professional development uniform in all areas, his destroyer department head tour will be in a non-engineering bil- ict. A most likely split-tour from this billet, however, will be assignment as engineer officer of a nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser (CGN) or assistant engineer officer of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
At present, there are approximately 400 nuclear- trained officers in the surface warfare community. The defined career goal of this small band of specialists is command of a nuclear-powered guided- cnissile cruiser as a captain. The restriction of numbers makes this goal achievable only through a highly individualized system of detailing and career Planning. Currently, there is an average of six nuclear-trained 1110s in the 1968 year group and each of the earlier ones back to year group 1957. This shortage of qualified personnel has resulted in an approach to the detailing of nuclear-trained 1110 lieutenant commanders quite different from the norm Set by the remainder of the SWO community. Since the requirement to fill the engineer officer billets on board the CGNs dominates the assignment of nuclear
II 10 lieutenant commanders, it becomes evident that few of the officers currently in this grade will have the opportunity to serve as executive officers prior to promotion to commander and the subsequent screening for command in that grade. Additionally, those nuclear-trained 1 1 10s in the grade of commander are needed to fill engineer officer and reactor officer billets on board the nuclear-powered carriers. Such assignment may similarly preclude an executive officer tour as a commander. Regardless of the difficulty the more senior nuclear 1110 has in finding time to be an executive officer, he cannot be screened for command of a nuclear-powered cruiser as a captain without having served a tour as commanding officer of a conventional destroyer as a commander. In order to provide optimum command opportunities to all otherwise qualified nuclear-trained SWO commanders, selection boards for commander commands are asked to view the CVN engineer officer and reactor officer jobs as being equivalent to a tour as executive officer. A projection of personnel requirements indicates that this shortage of qualified officers at the lieutenant commander and commander level will ease in two years when the 1972 year group comes into the promotion zone for lieutenant commander. Nonetheless, the nuclear power surface warfare officer community will remain a close-knit group with a great deal of consideration given individual career patterns at a relatively high level. For example, commanding officers of nuclear-powered surface ships must submit firm plans on their intentions for qualifying their junior nuclear officers. Currently, the nuclear-trained 1110 is spending more time at sea than most of his contemporaries in order to ensure that he is well versed in all aspects of surface warfare. Among the primary detailing goals of the surface warfare nuclear power community is the routine assignment to two shore tours prior to a command as a commander and an executive officer tour for all nuclear-trained SWOs.l()
It is impossible to understand the current trends in the professional development of the surface warfare officer without considering the formal education afforded him in both the technical aspects of his trade and the more traditional disciplines. In addition to the previously mentioned SWOSC basic and department head courses, the 1110 can expect to attend such professional training courses as the prospective commanding and prospective executive officer courses. The current policies of improved engineering readiness have led to an extensive prospective engineer officer’s course for the junior SWO detailed to a chief engineer’s job. The establishment of a senior officers’ ship material readiness course has placed
admirals on the deck plates in an attempt to create an awareness of engineering problems at the highest level. At the direction of the Chief of Naval Operations, the department head course at Newport is being revised with an emphasis on technical fundamentals. The new curriculum for surface ship department heads is shown in Figure 4 and will be inaugurated in mid-1978. The syllabus developed for the revised course will furnish the prospective department head with an appreciation of fundamental principles in the core phase while the new speciality phase will concentrate on the skills and technical disciplines necessary to function as a head of department. 11 The specialty and on-site phases are intended to provide more effective training of the "hands-on” variety. Although the emphasis this new curriculum places on mathematics and pure sciences
has caused some controversy, the philosophy behind the course revision clearly indicates an approach to professional training that is firmly rooted in a basic understanding of modern naval technology.
The current policies concerning graduate education are another indicator of this trend toward producing technically oriented surface warfare officers. Although any graduate degree held by a SWO is looked upon favorably, the demand for 1 I 10s w ith technical subspecialities has provided the SWO community an exceptional opportunity for assignments to postgraduate school in a technical field. With the screening for postgraduate school occurring early in the 1110’s career, assignment to Monterey is an increasingly common first shore tour. The cultivation of a subspecialty during an early assignment to graduate level training will result in a "payback” tour taking advantage of this subspecialty during the next rotation ashore.
As initially noted, the successful career of any surface warfare officer is more a series of milestones than a fixed pattern. After studying current trends in 1110 qualification, performance, and assignment, BuPers in 1977 developed the career pattern, shown in Figure 1. It illustrates the mix of both planned policy and community needs that go into the development of such a formalized path. Recent changes brought about in this new pattern, which is now effective are as follows:
► The addition of a new construction/second sea tour right after the first sea tour. This addition was made on the basis of the projected need to provide experienced division officers to the increasing number of surface ships under construction and the realization that a significant number of 1 160s require a second sea tour to complete 1110 qualification.
► The first shore tour has been lengthened. This responds to a Department of Defense policy for standardization of tour lengths.
► A post-executive officer tour has been added for lieutenant commanders to command ships such as minesweepers or to serve on afloat staffs. This results from a policy change that will assign lieutenant commander-level commands to only those officers who have completed their executive officer tours.12
It should be noted that this new pattern remains basically the same as the earlier one in respect to sea/ shore rotation. It reflects no changes in the assignment to postgraduate school or the utilization of the subspecialty during subsequent shore tours.13 Similarly, the revised pattern reflects no anticipated changes in a SWO’s assignments to major staffs or to duty in Washington, both considered essential to the professional development of the senior officer.
The updated career pattern was not the only significant product of the 1977 BuPers study. Several ^'commendations concerning personnel distribution were made by the study, and these recommendations are notable in their potential impact on the future billets available for 1110s. In an effort to remove some of the restrictions placed on the community in assignments not related to warfare, the study rec- ornmended that 355 surface warfare officer billets be redesignated as general billets open to any warfare specialists. While some of these billets, the majority °f which are ashore or on staffs, would still be as- Slgned SWOs, many do not require the special qual- 'fications of an 1110. Thus, the responsibility for filing them could be shared by the other warfare communities. Within the SWO community itself, the study recommended upgrading the rank requirements for 102 billets and downgrading the requirements for 617 billets. Although none of the recommended grade changes involved commanding officer billets, more than 500 billets were marked for assignment to ensigns instead of lieutenants (junior grade).14 The acceptance of this proposal now places jobs of greater responsibility on the younger officers within the community. While on the subject of these Very junior officers, the study recommended the crea- fion of 332 new at-sea training billets. These billets, which have been approved, mean the addition of another ensign to many wardrooms, place more 1160s at sea, and provide a larger base of junior officers to meet the community’s needs when they are fully qualified.
Preparation of the modern surface warfare officer for command is a continuous process of education, evaluation, and professional growth. While the efforts put forth on career development give dividends at all levels of assignment during an officer’s career, they reach fruition only when he commands at sea. The current trends in the surface warfare officer’s career path are clear. Professionalism in the modern sense is a combination of formal education, a firm grasp on the specifics of the profession, and an orderly progression of qualifications in preparation for command. The career pattern of the individual seagoing officer is forged by a variety of factors, many contemporary and subject to change, but all with the common end of giving the SWO the ability to command effectively. The concept of naval warfare insists that those proficient at it be of varied experience and proven ability.
The author wishes to thank the following officers for the information and ideas they have contributed to this article: Captain Joseph D. Nolan, Captain John W. Renard, Commander Hugo C. George, Commander Gaylord O. Paulson, Commander James E. McConville, Commander Michael A. McDevitt, and Lieutenant Commander James B. Hinkle.
Lieutenant McKearney graduated from the Naval Academy in 1973. After graduation, he was assigned temporary duty in the English department at Annapolis and attended Damage Control Assistant School prior to assignment to the USS Edson (DD-946). While on board the Edson, Lieutenant McKearney served as dam- I age control assistant and combat information center officer. A qualified surface warfare officer, he attended the department head course at Newport in 1977. He is now operations officer of the USS John S. McCain (DDG-36).
’Throughout this article, officer designators are given the last digit rep- dented by “0.” In individual cases, this digit indicates the type of c°mmission held. For example, a SWO in the regular Navy would be an * 110, one of the Naval Reserve, an 1115. figures supplied by the Bureau of Naval Personnel.
Zlbid.
See Edward N. Bouffard, “NROTC: Quo Vadis?,” United States Naval Institute Proceedings, July 1977, pp. 33-42.
Raymond J. Hart, “Surface Warfare Officers: The Need for Professionalism,” Proceedings, June 1976, pp. 38-44.
The department head split tour, as outlined above, is an unrealistic °bjective in many careers. Most notably, those senior lieutenants who Setvcd as department heads on board amphibious warfare ships prior to attending the department head course would not normally be ordered back to similar jobs. Likewise, lieutenant commanders and lieutenant c°mmander selectees will not normally have a split tour during their In,tial assignment after the department head course.
7Data supplied by the Bureau of Naval Personnel 8Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1977 Surface Warfare Study 9Command and Tactics Department, Surface Warfare Officers School Command, “Command Qualification: A Good First Year," Surface Warfare Magazine, May-June 1977, p. 14.
,0Details on nuclear power SWO assignment provided by Commander Gaylord O. Paulson, Nuclear Surface Assignment (Pers 422), Bureau of Naval Personnel.
11 "A New Tack,” Surface Warfare Magazine, May-June 1977, p. 12.
12 Bureau of Naval Personnel, op. cit.
13 As a general rule, sea duty assignments will have no relation to a SWO’s subspecialty. Fewer than 10% of the billets requiring any subspecialty are at sea or on an afloat staff. While a SWO’s seagoing assignments will not require a subspecialty, many subspecialists obviously prefer to perform in a related task at sea, e.g. a subspecialist in one of the weapons subspecialties serving as a combat systems officer.
14Bureau of Naval Personnel, op. cit.
[1] NUCLEAR TRAINED OFFICERS
[2] 1 10 individual professional base and enhances the concept of the “one force” surface community.
In terms of his career, the next goal for the surface warfare officer who is filling an executive officer’s billet is his selection for command. Historically, the coveted assignment to command at sea has been via selection board and based solely on the officer’s record of performance as reflected in his fitness reports. In addition to this selection process is the formalized command qualification for surface ships which was promulgated by OpNav Instruction 1412.3. This qualification, to be required of an officer prior to becoming a ship’s commanding officer with the rank of commander, sets forth a demanding series of requirements to be met by the SWO as final proof of his readiness to achieve the ultimate goal of his seagoing career. To meet the demands of the instruction the 1110 must:
► Complete at least 48 months of sea duty
► Demonstrate proficiency in the professional aspects of duty afloat (shiphandling, tactics, etc.)
it considers during the four screening “looks.” The selection is done according to billet demands; selection by the screening board automatically means orders to an executive officer billet or, for a very few exceptional officers, assignment to command of certain small ships as an equivalent tour. The required rotation of lieutenant commanders often dictates that the orders must be issued to selectees without regard to ship type. As in the assignment of split-tour department heads, this detailing policy broadens the