List of United States naval officer designators


This is a list of naval officer designators in the United States Navy. In the United States Navy, all active and reserve component officers are assigned to one of four officer communities, based on their education, training, and assignments: Line Officers, Staff Corps Officers, Limited Duty Officers, or Warrant Officers. Each community is further subdivided by primary occupation. Each occupation is identified by a designator.

Definition

The officer billet designator codes are four-digit numbers used to identify the primary naval specialty qualifications required of the billet incumbent and to administratively categorize officer billets for proper management and identification. They serve as a manpower management tool when used in conjunction with the officer designator codes. These codes are entered in the Manpower Authorizations to indicate the categories of officers required for the billets.
The first digit identifies the officer's community.
The second and third digits denote the officer's area of specialization within the line, staff corps, LDO, or warrant officer community.
The final digit denotes the officer's current type of commission.
Fourth DigitCommission
0An officer of the regular Navy whose permanent grade is ensign or above.
1An officer of the regular Navy whose permanent status is warrant officer or chief warrant officer.
2A temporary officer of the regular Navy whose permanent status is enlisted.
3An officer of the regular Navy who is on the retired list, i.e., is on the permanent or temporary list of retired officers of the regular Navy.
4No longer used.
5An officer of the Navy Reserve, in either the Ready Reserve or the Standby Reserve category.''
7An officer of the Navy Reserve on active duty in the Full Time Support Program ; includes officers of the FTS program rotated to other than FTS billets.
8An officer of the Navy Reserve who was appointed in the Naval Reserve Integration Program from enlisted status or whose permanent status is chief warrant officer, warrant officer, or enlisted.
9An officer of the Navy Reserve who is on the retired list, i.e., the Retired Reserve category of the Navy Reserve.

Between fiscal year 1992 and fiscal year 2005, all officers entering the U.S. Navy were awarded a Reserve commission. Legislation was signed that all Reserve officers on full-time active duty, previously designated by a "5" in the last digit of the designator, would be converted to a regular Navy commission by the close of fiscal year 2006.
There is no distinction between USN and USNR officers, no matter what the commissioning source. All hold the same ranks, have the same responsibilities and authority, and enjoy the same privileges. As part of the U.S. Navy's Active–Reserve Integration initiative that "operationalized" the Navy's Reserve component, the term "U.S. Naval Reserve" was superseded by "U.S. Navy Reserve," and the term USNR was discontinued as a matter of Total Force policy in 2005. All officers in the U.S. Navy now use the term USN with their rank titles.
As used above, Full Time Support program officers are reserve officers serving on either fixed or indefinite periods of active duty, while remaining reserve officers, under the authority of 10 USC 12310. The Full Time Support program exists to provide FTS for training, administration, recruiting, organization, and equipping the reserve components.

(1xxx) Line Officers

Fully Warfare Qualified Unrestricted Line (URL) Officers

Unrestricted Line Officers are commissioned Officers of the Line in the United States Navy, both Regular Navy and Navy Reserve, who are not restricted in the performance of duty, and are qualified to Command at Sea the Navy's warfighting combatant units such as warships, submarines, aviation squadrons, and SEAL Teams. They are also qualified to command the higher echelons of those units, known as "major commands," such as destroyer and submarine squadrons, aviation wings and groups, and special warfare groups. At the Flag Officer level, they also command carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups, task forces, and Fleet and Force commands. URL officers are also eligible to command shore installations, facilities and activities directly supporting the Navy's warfare mission.

Non-Warfare Qualified Unrestricted Line (URL) Officers

110X General URL Officer without warfare qualifications.

Training Designators For Unrestricted Line Officers

Restricted Line (RL) Officer designators

Officers of the line of the Regular Navy and Navy Reserve who are restricted in the performance of duty by having been designated for aviation duty, engineering duty, aerospace engineering duty, or special duty. RL officers are authorized to command ashore within their particular speciality, but are not eligible for combatant command at sea, which remains strictly within the purview of URL officers.

Restricted Line Special Duty (RL SD) Officers

Training designators For Restricted Line (RL) and Restricted Line Special Duty (RL SD) Officers

(2xxx) Staff Corps Designators

Officers, Regular and Reserve, of all staff corps of the Navy. The eight staff corps designators are:

Limited Duty Line Officers (by Community)

Limited Duty Staff Corps Officers (by Community)

Limited Duty Line Officers (Information Warfare Community)

NOTE: 68XX designators to be assigned to Lieutenant/O-3E and below requirements only. LCDR/O-4 and above billets are assigned the appropriate 18XX designator.

(7xxx) Warrant Officers

Officers of the line, or staff, as appropriate by their career field, of the Regular Navy and Navy Reserve appointed to chief warrant officer for the performance of duty in the technical fields indicated by former enlisted rating groups.

Line Chief Warrant Officers (by Community)

Staff Corps Chief Warrant Officers (by Community)

Line Chief Warrant Officers (Information Warfare Community)