National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps (NOAA Corps) is the uniformed service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is a scientific agency under the United States Department of Commerce. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, having approximately 300 commissioned officers.
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[edit] Brief history
The NOAA Commissioned Corps, established in 1917 as the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, and then as the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) Corps from 1965-1970, traces its roots back to the former U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, which dates to 1807 under President Thomas Jefferson. Coast and Geodetic Survey officers were commissioned so that under the laws of war, they could not be executed as spies if they were serving as surveyors on a battlefield.
The NOAA Corps today provides a cadre of professionals trained in engineering, earth sciences, oceanography, meteorology, fisheries science, and other related disciplines. Officers operate ships, fly aircraft, manage research projects, conduct diving operations, and serve in staff positions throughout NOAA. The current leadership includes RADM Jonathan W. Bailey, Director of the NOAA Commissioned Corps and Director of the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, RDML Philip M. Kenul, Director of Marine and Aviation Operations Centers and CAPT Raymond C. Slagle, Director, Commissioned Personnel Center. Previous NOAA Corps directors include RADM Samuel P. De Bow, Jr., ret. (2004-2007) and RADM Evelyn J. Fields, ret. (1999-2002).
[edit] Commissioned officers
The NOAA Corps uses the same commissioned officer ranks as the United States Navy and Coast Guard. While the rank of admiral has been authorized for use by the NOAA Corps, no officer in its history has held that rank.[1] The rank of vice admiral exists but requires congressional approval for re-activation; the only officer to hold that rank was H. Arnold Karo in 1965. Current NOAA Corps ranks rise from ensign to rear admiral, pay grades O-1 through O-8 respectively. NOAA Corps officers are appointed via direct commission and receive the same pay as other members of the uniformed services. They can not hold a dual commission with another service but inter-service transfers are permitted.
| Commissioned Officer Ranks of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps | ||||||||||
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| Vice Admiral (inactive grade) |
Rear Admiral | Rear Admiral (lower half) |
Captain | |||||||
| O-9 | O-8 | O-7 | O-6 | |||||||
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| Note: The gold star above cuff stripes, the gold star on shoulder boards, and the silver anchor on admiral shoulder boards in these illustrations are from U.S. Navy ranks, while NOAA ranks use NOAA insignia instead. |
| Commander | Lieutenant Commander |
Lieutenant | Lieutenant (junior grade) |
Ensign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O-5 | O-4 | O-3 | O-2 | O-1 |
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[edit] Uniforms
For formal service uniforms, the NOAA Corps wears the same Service Dress Blues and Service Dress Whites as the Navy, but with NOAA Corps insignia in place of Navy insignia. For daily work uniforms, the NOAA Corps wears the same Operational Dress Uniform (ODU) as the Coast Guard, but with NOAA Corps insignia in place of Coast Guard insignia.
 Officers wearing the Service Dress Blues |
 Officer wearing the Operational Dress Uniform |
 An ODU uniform ball cap, with LCDR rank insignia |
[edit] See also
- NOAA ships and aircraft
- Awards and decorations of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- NOAA Commissioned Corps
- NOAA Commissioned Personnel Center
- NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
- NOAA Marine Operations
- NOAA Aircraft Operations
- NOAA Corps uniform insignia and [2]
- NOAA Corps Marching Song
- NOAA Home
- NOAA Directives and Appendices in pdf format
This article incorporates material taken from the public domain website of the NOAA Corps.
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