The NOAA Corps, the Nation’s seventh uniformed service, incorporates many aspects of a commissioned officer's career with scientific mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This service seeks officers for an initial two year sea assignment. Basic Officer Training Classes (BOTC) are held in February and August.

One of the principle objectives of the NOAA Corps training program is to develop maritime and nautical skills, with emphasis on shipboard operations. Following each Basic Officer Training Program, our newly trained officers begin their trek to Woods Hole, Charleston, Norfolk, Pascagoula, Seattle, and Honolulu to meet and join what they will call home for the next two years, a NOAA ship. Upon reporting, I expect each officer to work hard, but I want him or her to have some fun too. As much as they’d like their training to be over, it’s really just beginning. Upon reporting aboard their ships they will be assigned watchstanding responsibilities and tasked with various collateral duties. They will be required to learn the in’s and out’s of the ship in addition to learning how to safely deploy and recover fishing gear, underwater cameras, oceanographic sampling instrumentation, and sonar devices, to name just a few. There is also a great deal to learn about the programs that our ships sup port. Yes, training will continue.

The flexibility and mobility of the NOAA Corps provides NOAA an indispensable tool. The officer will find themselves assigned throughout the Agency, in all line offices. I believe NOAA Corps officers have the best job in all of NOAA. They may work on fisheries’ issues in one assignment, satellite operations in another, and an administrative position in yet another, and still definitely have the opportunity to go to sea or fly in between these assignments. All the time they remain a NOAA Corps Officer. Initially each officer will be told what to do, but quickly they will exercise their leadership skills and it will be incumbent upon them to lead and manage. We will be counting on them.

Being a NOAA Corps officer is a privilege and an honor. Newly commissioned officers have wound their way through a very competitive recruiting process and completed a rigorous training program. As NOAA Corps officers, they will be a critical part of the web of science and management within NOAA. They have developed the discipline to succeed, and they have the esprit de corps that build strong teams.

Thank you again for visiting our site. I wish you fair winds and following seas and look forward to seeing you in the NOAA fleet.