Officer Candidate School (United States Navy)

US Navy officer commissioning program based at Newport, RI

Navy Officer Candidate School

Officer candidates from Officer Candidate School march in the Bristol Fourth of July Parade

Country|  United States
Branch|  United States Navy
Role| Train and commission U.S. Navy Officers
Part of| Officer Training Command Newport
Garrison/HQ| Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island
Mascot(s)| Bulldog

Military unit

Logo of the Navy Officer Candidate School

The United States Navy's Officer Candidate School (abbreviated OCS) provides initial training for officers of the line and select operational staff corps communities (supply and CEC) in the United States Navy. Along with United States Naval Academy (USNA) and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC), OCS is one of three principal sources of newly commissioned naval officers.

## Selection

[edit]

Qualified U.S. citizens who hold a bachelor's degree meet with an Officer Recruiter and prepare packages for consideration. Selection is competitive.

Officer Candidates are already associated with a designator when they begin their training at OCS. This is in contrast to USNA and NROTC, where trainees are not associated with a community until soon before commissioning.

## Course of training

[edit]

OCS classes are numbered by the federal fiscal year of their graduation (e.g., 09-19 would be the ninth class to graduate in fiscal year 2019).

Officer candidate uniforms are similar to those worn at USNA and NROTC, with several notable differences. Candidates wear plain foul anchors. In the final phase, candidate officers wear the collar device of MIDN ENS through MIDN CAPT, but are never referred to as Midshipmen.

The U.S. Navy Officer Candidate shoulderboard is worn by the entire regiment without reference to collar device.

Those in training at OCS are mustered at the pay grade of E-5 unless they are prior enlisted already holding a higher pay grade. While attending OCS the students hold the rank of Officer Candidate Under Instruction Second Class (OCUI2).[1] Officer candidate uniforms are similar to those worn at NROTC programs and USNA, but officer candidates are never referred to as midshipmen.

Classes advance through four distinct phases, gradually taking on greater responsibility and preparing to commission:

Phase 1  | Indoctrination Candidate ("Indoc")

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Phase 2  | Junior Officer Candidate ("JOC")
Phase 3  | Senior Officer Candidate ("SOC")
Phase 4  | Candidate Officer ("Candio")

In addition to constant physical training and rifle drill, instruction inside and outside the classroom includes:

* Naval history
* Engineering & weapons
* Damage control
* Division Officer Basics
* Leadership
* Seamanship
* Navigation
* Military law

Every action is scrutinized and shortcomings are swiftly corrected. Candidates who do not meet milestones can be held back in training or removed from the program. Adherence to an honor code is mandatory; violators are removed.

Upon successful completion of the 13-week course the candidates are commissioned as active duty Ensigns (O-1) in the United States Navy. The new officers then join their predetermined designator communities and are eligible for orders to the fleet or follow-on training.

## History

[edit]

A video produced by the U.S. Navy about OCS in 2011.

The structure and course of instruction at OCS has changed many times over the years.

Part of the Post-War Holloway Plan, OCS was originally established to meet the demands of Cold War officer procurement. The successful OCS/Midshipman Schools of World War II era curriculum was followed. In addition to Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island, the Navy still operated Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) at NAS Pensacola, Florida. AOCS trained prospective naval aviators, naval flight officers, aviation maintenance duty officers, and air intelligence officers, while OCS trained all other naval officer line communities (e.g., surface warfare officers, submarine officers, special warfare (SEAL) officers) as well as select staff corps officers. However a small percentage of OCS graduates also entered naval aviation.

During the 1950s and through the 1990, OCS lasted for 16 weeks. The first 8 weeks most candidates wore enlisted uniforms. College graduates, recruited directly from civilian life, were placed in special rate of OCSA (E-2), "officer candidate seaman apprentice." They wore the seaman apprentice rate with blocked letter "OC" over rate insignia, while prior service candidates (referred to as "fleet men") wore their enlisted rate with a blocked letter "OC" over their badge. Chief petty officers wore their CPO uniform, complete with distinctive CPO cap device, and a blocked letter "OC" on left shoulder. Warrant officers (W-1) also continued to wear their uniform, complete with shoulder boards/collar insignia and warrant cap device, with blocked letter "OC" on left shoulder. In final 8 weeks all candidates wore the uniform of a midshipman fourth-class with blocked "OC" letter on left shoulder. They were addressed as ''officer candidate" and/or "mister." Beginning with Class 38 (April–August 1958) college graduates and fleet sailors were integrated in each company, with all chief petty officers and warrant officers (W-1) placed in their own company.

### Aviation Officer Candidate School

[edit]

See also: Aviation Cadet Training Program (USN)

AOCS contained two parallel track programs, the "traditional" AOCS for college and university graduates that operated on a year-round basis, and the Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate (AVROC) program during the summer and early fall. AVROC, similar in nature to the Marine Corps' Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) program, split the AOCS curriculum in half, with college and university juniors attending the first half during the summer between their junior and senior years, then returning the following summer after college graduation to complete the second half of the program and receive their commissions. During the summer months, AVROC classes would typically enter every other week, with their graduations on alternating weeks from AOCS graduations. For AVROCs, the advantage of their program was that their pay entry base date was adjusted to the day they signed up for the AVROC program, typically two to three years before their commissioning. As a result, when they were finally commissioned, they received a higher base pay rate reflecting two to three years of service (i.e., O-1 over 2 years or O-1 over 3 years) versus their traditional nonprior service AOCS counterparts (i.e., O-1 less than 2 years). AVROCs were otherwise indiscernible from traditional AOCs.

Another subset of the traditional AOCs was the Naval Aviation Cadet (NavCad) Program. NavCads, who had some college, but typically lacked a bachelor's degree, completed the entire AOCS curriculum but were not commissioned upon graduation. Instead, they attended their entire flight school program as noncommissioned candidates and did not receive their commissions as ensigns until they completed flight training and received their wings as Naval Aviators or (prior to 1966) Naval Aviation Observers or (1966 and later) Naval Flight Officers. These former NavCads, commissioned officers without bachelor's degrees, would complete their initial fleet squadron tour and would then be sent to the Naval Postgraduate School or a civilian college or university as lieutenants on their first shore-duty assignment in order to finish their baccalaureate degree. AOCS stopped taking NavCad civilian and enlisted candidates in 1968, and the program was discontinued. The NavCad program was reintroduced in early 1986 owing to increased fleet requirements for naval aviators (naval flight officers were not procured via this later incarnation of NavCad), but the program was eliminated again in October 1993 as a result of the end of the Cold War and resultant manpower reductions in the active duty naval officer ranks.

AOCS was a department of the Naval Aviation Schools Command (NAVAVSCOLSCOM), a tenant command at Naval Air Station Pensacola, and organized as a regiment with three battalions until just following the Vietnam War, when it was reduced in size to two battalions. Each battalion consisted of several AOCS classes graduating every two to three weeks. Like OCS, AOCS also emphasized leadership and physical and military training. However, whereas OCS incorporated academics such as shipboard engineering and shipboard navigation, AOCS incorporated "the Big 3": aerodynamics, aircraft engines, and air navigation, as well as land and aviation water survival training that USNA, NROTC, Marine Corps OCS, and PLC, and USCGA and Coast Guard OCS graduates concurrently attended as part of NAVAVSCOLSCOM's Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API) program for commissioned officer flight students.

Unlike OCS, AOCS classes were numbered by graduation date in the calendar, rather than fiscal year.

### Unification and relocation to Newport

[edit]

The first U.S. Navy OCS at Newport, Rhode Island, began operation in 1951 and was closed down in April 1993 when the programs were merged into a single OCS in the former AOCS facilities at NAS Pensacola.

In September 2007, OCS returned to Newport as a result of the 2005 BRAC Commission.

## Marine Corps presence

[edit]

A USMC drill instructor (right, wearing a campaign cover) offers motivation and critiques an Indoctrination Candidate's push up form.

At AOCS, all basic military training was administered by enlisted United States Marine Corps drill instructors, a holdover from World War II when AOCS and NavCad graduates were given an option of a commission as either an ensign in the Navy or a 2nd lieutenant in the Marine Corps. This facet of the training was considered a point of pride by the graduates of AOCS and a mark of distinction they felt separated themselves from the graduates of the original OCS in Newport, as well as NROTC and the Naval Academy. Tradition dictated that when AOCS graduates were commissioned, the first salute they received was from their former Marine Corps drill instructor (returned with a silver dollar handshake).

When AOCS and OCS merged, the unified OCS program retained the Marine Corps tradition alongside Navy Recruit Division Commanders (RDC). This continuing Marine presence is the origin of the slogan "Navy owned, Marine Corps trained" and the distinctive blue "Bulldog" company guidons.

## Notable alumni

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Michael P. Murphy, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor Name  | Year  | Program  | Note

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Edgar Mitchell | 1953  | OCS  | Astronaut, sixth man to walk on the Moon
David E. Jeremiah | 1955  | OCS  | Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1990 to 1994
Jerry O. Tuttle | 1956  | NAVCAD  | Gray Eagle
Everett Alvarez Jr. | 1960  | AOCS  | Second longest-held prisoner of war in U.S. history
Jeremy Michael Boorda | 1962  | OCS  | Chief of Naval Operations, 1994 to 1996
Bob Kerrey | 1966  | OCS  | Medal of Honor awardee, 35th Governor of Nebraska, United States Senator, 1989 to 2001
John Kerry | 1966  | OCS  | United States Senator, 1985 to 2013; United States secretary of state, 2013 to 2017
Vern Clark | 1968  | OCS  | Chief of naval operations, 2000 to 2005
William P. Driscoll | 1969  | AOCS  | Ace
Gregory G. Johnson | 1969  | AOCS  | Gray Eagle
Dale Gardner | 1970  | AOCS  | Astronaut
Joseph E. Kernan | 1974  | AOCS  | 48th governor of Indiana
Gregory C. Johnson | 1977  | AOCS  | Astronaut
William E. Gortney | 1977  | AOCS  | Gray Eagle
Scott Speicher | 1979  | AOCS  | First combat casualty of the Gulf War
Robin Braun | 1980  | AOCS  | First woman to lead any reserve component of the U.S. military
Chuck Pfarrer | 1981  | OCS  | Assault Element Commander SEAL Team Six. Best selling author and Hollywood screenwriter of The Jackal, Hard Target, Navy SEALs, Virus, Red Planet and Darkman.
Susan L. Kilrain | 1985  | AOCS  | Astronaut and only female naval aviator to pilot the Space Shuttle
Barry E. Wilmore | 1986  | AOCS  | Astronaut
Erik Prince | 1992  | OCS  | Founder of defense contracting firm Blackwater
Michael P. Murphy | 2000  | OCS  | Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor

## In popular culture

[edit]

* The 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman is set at AOCS on a fictional naval air station in Washington state.
* Beginning with the 3 April 2019 episode of the TV series SEAL Team the character of Petty Officer Lisa Davis started attending U.S. Navy OCS.

## See also

[edit]

* Officer Candidate School (United States Army)
* Officer Candidates School (United States Marine Corps)
* Air Force Officer Training School
* Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps
* United States Naval Academy
* United States Merchant Marine Academy

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Brown, V. I. (18 March 2011). The Complete History of the Vietnam Conflict (Le Comédie Vietnamien): A "Popular" War That Won't Go Away. iUniverse. ISBN 9781450266376.

## External links

[edit]

* Official Site
* Navy OCS Foundation

* v
* t
* e

Naval Station Newport

Tenant Commands|

* Naval Academy Preparatory School
* Naval Justice School
* Navy Supply Corps School
* Naval Undersea Warfare Center
* Naval War College
* Officer Candidate School (United States Navy)
* U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy

Related|

* Naval Health Clinic New England

* v
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* e

United States Navy

* Category

Leadership|

* Secretary of the Navy
* Under Secretary of the Navy
* Chief of Naval Operations
* Vice Chief of Naval Operations
* Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
* 4-star admirals
* 3-star admirals
* 1864–1959
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* 2-star admirals
* House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
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Structure|

* Navy
* Navy Reserve
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* Expeditionary Combat Command
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* Units
* Active ships
* Future ships
* Aircraft wings
* Aircraft squadrons
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* Installations
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| Operating
forces|

* Fleet Forces Command
* Commander
* Pacific Fleet
* Commander
* Naval Forces Europe – Naval Forces Africa
* Naval Forces Central Command
* Naval Forces Southern Command
* Naval Special Warfare Command
* Naval Reserve Forces
* Operational Test and Evaluation Force
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* Military Sealift Command

|

Shore|

* Naval Sea Systems Command
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* Naval Supply Systems Command
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Fleets|

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Ships|

* A–B
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* Aircraft carriers
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* Yard and district craft

Personnel
and
training|

| People|

| Officers|

Insignia
Designators

|

Enlisted|

Rates
Ratings
Classification

Personnel|

Chaplain Corps

Chief
Deputy Chief
Explosive ordnance disposal
Medical Corps
Dental Corps
Nurse Corps
Medical Service Corps
Supply Corps
Civil Engineer Corps
JAG Corps

JAG
DJAG
NCIS
Boatswain's mates
Hospital corpsman
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SEALs
Seabees
Master-at-arms
Operations specialist
SWCCs
Hispanic sailors

Training|

Recruit
Officer Candidate School
STA-21
NROTC
Naval University System (Naval War College, Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Academy, Naval Community College, Marine Corps University)
BESS
BFTT
CNATT
COMPTUEX
NAWCTSD
AIM
Naval Chaplaincy School
Naval Hospital Corps School
Naval Justice School
United States Armed Forces School of Music
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JMTC
TOPGUN
USNTPS
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Equipment|

* Uniforms
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History and
traditions|

* History
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* United States battleship retirement debate

* v
* t
* e

United States Armed Forces

Legend
A = Army
MC = Marine Corps
N = Navy
AF = Air Force
SF = Space Force
CG = Coast Guard

Leadership|

* President of the United States
* Secretary of Defense
* Deputy Secretary of Defense
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* Joint Chiefs of Staff:
* Chairman
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* Senate
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* National Security Act of 1947
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Components|

| Military departments|

* Department of Defense
* Secretary
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* Secretary
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* Secretary
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* Secretary
* Department of Homeland Security
* Secretary

|

Service branches and heads|

* Chief of Staff of the United States Army
* Commandant of the Marine Corps
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* Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
* Chief of Space Operations
* Commandant of the Coast Guard

Reserve components|

* Reserves:
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* CG
* National Guard:
* A
* AF

Civilian auxiliaries|

* Military Auxiliary Radio System
* Marine Corps Cyber Auxiliary
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Unified combatant command|

* Africa
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Structure|

* United States Code
* Title 10
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* Units:
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* SF
* CG
* Logistics
* Media
* Unit mottoes

Operations
and history|

* Budget
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* Conflicts
* Wars
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History|

* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* SF
* CG

Timeline|

* Colonial
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Demographics|

* African Americans
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* Academy

History centers|

* Army Center of Military History
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War artists|

* Army Art Program
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Personnel|

| Training|

* Service academies:
* A (prep)
* MC/N (prep)
* AF/SF (prep)
* CG
* Merchant Marine
* ROTC
* A
* MC/N
* AF/SF
* Officer candidate/training school:
* A
* MC
* N
* AF/SF
* Warrant officer:
* A
* MEPS
* ASVAB
* The Basic School (MC)
* Enlisted recruit training:
* A
* MC
* N
* AF/SF
* CG
* Other education

|

Uniforms|

* Uniforms:
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* SF
* Awards & decorations:
* Inter-service
* A
* MC/N
* AF/SF
* CG
* Foreign
* International
* Devices
* Badges:
* Identification
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* SF
* CG

Ranks|

* Officer:
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* SF
* CG
* Warrant officers
* Enlisted:
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* SF
* CG

Other|

* Oath:
* Enlistment
* Officer
* Creeds & Codes:
* Code of Conduct
* NCO
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* CG
* Service numbers:
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* CG
* Military Occupational Specialty/Rating/Air Force Specialty Code
* Pay
* Uniform Code of Military Justice
* Judge Advocate General's Corps
* Military Health System/Tricare
* Separation
* Veterans Affairs
* Conscription
* Chiefs of Chaplains:
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* CG

Equipment|

* A (Designations)
* MC:
* vehicles
* weapons
* other
* N
* AF
* CG

| Land|

* Individual weapons
* Crew-served weapons
* Vehicles (active)

|

Sea|

* All watercraft
* Ships:
* A
* N
* active
* future
* AF
* CG
* MSC
* Weapons:
* N
* Reactors

Air|

* Aircraft
* World War I
* active
* future
* Aircraft designation
* Helicopter arms

Other|

* WWII equipment
* Nuclear football
* Electronics (designations)
* Flags:
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* SF
* CG
* Ensign
* Jack
* Guidons
* Food
* WMDs:
* Nuclear
* Biological
* Chemical

* Category
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* SF
* CG
* Navboxes
* A
* MC
* N
* AF
* SF
* CG

* v
* t
* e

United States uniformed services commissioned officer and officer candidate ranks

| Pay grade / branch of service  | Officer
candidate  | O-1 | O-2 | O-3 | O-4 | O-5 | O-6 | O-7 | O-8 | O-9 | O-10 | Wartime
grade | Special
grade

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Insignia  | [1] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | [2]
Army | CDT / OC | 2LT | 1LT | CPT | MAJ | LTC | COL | BG | MG | LTG | GEN | GA[3] | GAS[2]
Marine Corps | Midn / Cand | 2ndLt | 1stLt | Capt | Maj | LtCol | Col | BGen | MajGen | LtGen | Gen | [5] | [5]
Navy | MIDN / OC | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | ADM | FADM[3] | [5]
Air Force | Cdt / OT | 2d Lt | 1st Lt | Capt | Maj | Lt Col | Col | Brig Gen | Maj Gen | Lt Gen | Gen | GAF[3] | [5]
Space Force | Cdt / OT | 2d Lt | 1st Lt | Capt | Maj | Lt Col | Col | Brig Gen | Maj Gen | Lt Gen | Gen | [5] | [5]
Coast Guard | CDT / OC | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | ADM | [5] | [5]
PHS Corps | OC | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | ADM | [5] | [5]
NOAA Corps | OC | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | [4] | [5] | [5]
[1] No universal insignia for officer candidate rank
[2] No official insignia and not currently listed by the Army as an obtainable rank. John J. Pershing's GAS insignia:  (collar)  (epaulettes)
[3] These ranks are reserved for wartime use only, and are still listed as ranks within their respective services
[4] Grade is authorized by the U.S. Code for use but has not been created
[5] Grade has never been created or authorized

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