The surface warfare insignia is a military badge of the United States Navy which is issued to U.S. Navy personnel who are trained and qualified to perform duties aboard United States surface warships. There are presently four classes of the surface warfare pin, being that of line, staff, special operations, and enlisted. The line and enlisted surface warfare badges may be earned by United States Coast Guard personnel assigned to Navy commands. The various badge types are as follows:
The surface warfare officer insignia is the first milestone qualification an eligible commissioned officer may receive in surface warfare. This device is commonly called the "SWO pin" in the U.S. Navy. Those receiving the pin must qualify as officer of the deck (both underway and in port), small boat officer, combat information center watch officer, and must be trained in shipboard engineering, naval history, and damage control. For further, enterprise-level training, officers will attend Surface Warfare Officers' School (SWOS) in Newport, Rhode Island between all sea tours. The surface warfare officer badge is typically a prerequisite for tactical action officer (TAO) training.
Junior officers, typically Ensigns, assigned to the surface warfare community are known as "unqualified" or "1160s" until they receive qualification as a Surface Warfare Officer and receive the SWO pin. Surface line personnel who are not yet qualified have the 1160 officer designator: once qualified they receive the 1110 designator for Regular Navy Officers and 1115 for Navy Reserve Officers. Prior to 2018, junior officers were granted 24 months to qualify as Surface Warfare Officers; failing to do so within the time period meant either separation from the service or applying to transfer to another warfare community. The collisions involving the USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) and the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) brought about a change in qualification standards. Unqualified junior officers now have no official time limit to qualify within the two and a half years of their first tour, and now must qualify solely before they transfer to their next command. Failing to qualify prevents the officer from transferring. Officers who are separated from the SWO community go through a process called "Non-Attained" and this designation is entered into the officer's permanent military record.
The Surface Warfare Officer pin was designed to depict the traditional and typical elements of naval service: waves breaking before the bow of a ship overlaid on crossed U.S. Navy commissioned officer's swords, rendered in gold. The insignia was introduced in 1975.
Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS)
Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist Insignia
On 1 December 1978, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral T.B. Hayward approved the enlisted surface warfare specialist (ESWS) qualification program. This approval followed immediately by the promulgation of OPNAV Instruction 1412.4, which provided the specific details of the program.
Since the introduction of the surface warfare officer (SWO) qualification program in 1975, a strong advocacy for a similar program for surface enlisted was started. The program was initiated in 1977 when the surface warfare commanders (DCNO Surface Warfare, COMNAVSURFLANT and COMNAVSURFPAC) gave their conceptual approval to the development of a surface enlisted qualification program.
Initial guidelines for the program at that time were:
It was to reflect a level of qualification above and beyond the normal level of professional and performance criteria necessary for advancement.
The qualification was applicable to and reasonably attainable by all "surface" ratings.
Qualification was an attainable goal for dedicated enlisted serving on ships and afloat staffs.
Management of the program would not become an administrative burden on the ship.
Qualification criteria would be well defined and specific.
Participation was voluntary, and there was neither a financial reward nor hazardous duty associated with the qualification.
The silver cutlass was available for the first time in April 1979.
Specifically the criteria in 1979 to qualify was as follows:
Be a petty officer
Have 24 months on a surface ship
Have a performance mark and leadership marks of top 30% for CPO's and 3.4 for petty officers.
Complete the PQS for damage control, damage control petty officer, repair party leader, and work center supervisor.
Qualify in all watch stations for rating and pay grade.
Perform an oral board held by the commanding officer, executive officer or lieutenant commander.
Be recommended by the chain of command, and approved by the commanding officer.
OPNAVINST 1414.9 is the Navy instruction that governs the enlisted warfare qualification programs. This instruction also cancels OPNAVINST 1414.2A.
The ESWS pin is authorized for wear by any enlisted member of the United States Navy who is permanently stationed aboard a navy afloat command and completes the enlisted surface warfare qualification program and personal qualification standards (PQS). The ESWS badge can be obtained at any time after reporting to a ship. If in the paygrade of E-5 (petty officer 2nd class), it is a requirement for advancement to E-6 (petty officer 1st class). It is extremely uncommon for sailors in paygrade E-3 and below to earn their ESWS pin but strongly encouraged to stand among their peers for promotion. Sailors for whom ESWS is their secondary community (mostly those in the air warfare community) are not required to re-qualify.
An enlisted person who has qualified for his or her ESWS pin places the designator SW after his or her rate and rating; for example, Senior Chief Yeoman Martinez, having qualified for her ESWS pin, is identified as YNCS(SW) Martinez.
For those enlisted personnel who are subsequently commissioned as officers and are shipboard SWO's, the ESWS badge is replaced, but only after they have fully completed their Surface Warfare Officer qualifications.
Features of the Pin
Unlike other warfare pins available to both enlisted and officers, the ESWS and SWO pins differ by more than just color (gold for officers and silver for enlisted is a common theme in U.S. Navy uniforms). The blade weapons behind the hull on the SWO pin are swords. The blade weapons on the enlisted pin are cutlasses. This can clearly be seen in the curvature of the blades and the shape of the handguards. This derives from the sword being a symbol of naval officers and their authority, while cutlasses were traditionally issued for battle to enlisted sailors during the age of sail. The ship that is featured in the middle of the pin is that of a “modern warship” of when the pin came out in 1978 and looks as if it’s a Knox Class Frigate.
The ESWS is 15⁄16 inch (24mm) tall and 2.75 inches (70mm) wide.[1]
Updated ESWS requirements as of November 2020
The new instruction will do away with the requirement for all first-tour Sailors to walk away from their first sea-duty command with their ESWS qualification. Sailors will not be required to enroll in a command’s ESWS program until they reach a journeyman or master-level (E-5 - E-9). These Sailors will be enrolled in their ESWS program after 12 months onboard, or at the commanding officer’s discretion, and from there will have 18 months to qualify in ESWS.
In attempts to improve damage control and ship survivability, the updated program will add more prerequisite PQS, including the following:
Damage Control 301-312.
Damage Control Watches 301, Sounding and Security.
Ship’s Maintenance and Material Management (3-M) Systems 301-303.
Medical corps officer
Medical corps officer insignia
Surface warfare medical corps insignia: A gold metal pin, with a spread oak leaf surcharged with a silver acorn on two crossed swords, on a background of ocean swells.
Nurse corps officer
Nurse corps officer insignia
Surface warfare nurse corps insignia: A gold metal pin, with a spread oak leaf on two crossed swords, on a background of ocean swells.
Dental corps officer
Dental corps officer insignia
Surface warfare dental corps insignia: A gold metal pin, with a spread oak leaf, a silver acorn on each side of the stem on two crossed swords, on a background of ocean swells.
Medical service corps officer
Medical service corps insignia
Surface warfare medical service corps insignia: A gold metal pin, with a spread oak leaf, attached to a slanting twig on two crossed swords, on a background of ocean swells.
Supply corps officer
Surface Warfare Supply Corps Officer Insignia (SWSCO)
The surface warfare supply corps insignia is granted to those members of the Navy Supply Corps who qualify as surface warfare supply officers. Such officers are trained in shipboard supply systems, food service, housing and welfare service, disbursing operations, damage control, and basics of the ship's engineering systems. Post 2018 and the McCain and Fitzgerald Crashes, SWSCO candidates and qualified officer do not stand Officer of the Deck (OOD) Underway. Depending on the ship type they will receive training in shipboard flight operations as the Helicopter Control Officer.
For advancement in the surface supply community, the Surface Warfare Supply Corps Officer Pin (SWSCO) must be obtained by junior supply officers within 18 months from reporting on board a naval vessel. Those failing to qualify as a surface supply officer are transferred to permanent ground assignment as shore supply officers.
The Surface Chaplain Officer Qualification Insignia is a newly introduced warfare pin for members of the surface chaplain corps. The qualification insignia started being awarded to qualified chaplains in 2023 after being approved by the Navy Uniform Board.[2]
Coast Guard
Cutterman insignia – officer
Cutterman insignia – enlisted
The United States Coast Guard does not issue the surface warfare pin. The comparable Coast Guard insignia is the cutterman insignia. The cutterman insignia is awarded on a temporary basis upon completion of a PQS and is made permanent upon accumulation of five years sea time.
Coast Guard personnel who are permanently cross-assigned to afloat Navy commands may qualify for the surface warfare badge through the standard Navy qualification system.
NOAA Commissioned Corps
NOAA deck officer insignia
The NOAA Commissioned Corps deck officer pin is a gold-colored pin displaying breaking waves, with a central device consisting of a fouled anchor surcharged with a NOAA Corps device. NOAA Corps officers certified as senior watch officer may wear the NOAA deck officer insignia after authorization by the Director of the NOAA Corps.
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the regimental colours, the rank acquired the name. This rank has generally been replaced in army ranks by second lieutenant. Ensigns were generally the lowest-ranking commissioned officer, except where the rank of subaltern existed. In contrast, the Arab rank of ensign, لواء, liwa', derives from the command of units with an ensign, not the carrier of such a unit's ensign, and is today the equivalent of a major general.
The Submarine Warfare Insignia are worn by qualified submariners.
The Navy Fleet Marine Force Service Ribbon, was a military award of the United States Navy established in 1984 by Secretary of the Navy, John F. Lehman, Jr. The service ribbon was awarded to eligible Navy personnel serving with the Marine Corps between 1984 and 2006. The award signified the acquisition of specific professional skills, knowledge and military experience that resulted in qualifications above those normally required of Navy personnel serving with the Fleet Marine Force (FMF). The FMF Ribbon was discontinued in the mid-2000s due to the promulgation of the FMF badges.
The Fleet Marine Force warfare insignia, also known as the Fleet Marine Force badge or FMF pin, are three military badges of the United States Navy which are issued to those U.S. Navy officers and sailors who are trained and qualified to perform duties in support of the United States Marine Corps. There are currently three classes of the Fleet Marine Force pin, being that of enlisted, officer, and chaplain.
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Naval Reserve Merchant Marine Insignia was a breast insignia of officers in the United States Merchant Marine who also served in the United States Navy or United States Navy Reserve. The insignia was replaced by the Strategic Sealift Officer Warfare Insignia (SSOWI) in June 2011, per OPNAVINST 1534.1D.
The diver insignia are qualification badges of the uniformed services of the United States which are awarded to servicemen qualified as divers. Originally, the diver insignia was a cloth patch decoration worn by United States Navy divers in the upper-portion of the enlisted service uniform's left sleeve during the first part of World War II, when the rating insignia was worn on the right sleeve. When enlisted rating insignia were shifted to the left sleeve in late World War II, the patch shifted to the upper right sleeve. The diving patch was created during World War II, and became a breast insignia in the late 1960s.
The Naval Aviation Supply Corps insignia is a military badge of the United States Navy which is awarded to Naval Aviation Supply Officers (NASOs) of the Navy Supply Corps who have qualified for duties as a Supply Officer in support of naval aviation and are also qualified to serve in duty assignments onboard aircraft carriers. The Aviation Supply Corps insignia is one of four warfare badges issued to Supply Corps officers by the U.S. Navy. The others are the Navy Expeditionary Supply Corps Officer Badge, Surface Warfare Supply Badge, and the Submarine Supply Corps Badge.
The Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist (EAWS) insignia is a military badge of the United States Navy which was created in March 1980. The insignia recognizes those members of the Navy's enlisted force who have acquired the specific professional skills, knowledge, and military experience that result in qualification for service in the aviation activities of the Navy. This includes most personnel who are trained flight deck personnel onboard aircraft carriers, or maintenance personnel at an Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment or Department (AIMD) or aircraft squadron.
The Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist (SCWS) insignia is a warfare qualification of the United States Navy.
The Integrated Undersea Surveillance System breast insignia is a military badge of the United States Navy which was officially created by OPNAVINST 1020.5 on 24 December 1990. The insignia is awarded to those personnel who have been trained and qualified in naval sonar and undersea surveillance technology.
Insignias and badges of the United States Navy are military badges issued by the United States Department of the Navy to naval service members who achieve certain qualifications and accomplishments while serving on both active and reserve duty in the United States Navy. Most naval aviation insignia are also permitted for wear on uniforms of the United States Marine Corps.
The Aircrew Badge, commonly known as Wings, is a qualification badge of the United States military that is awarded by all five branches of armed services to personnel who serve as aircrew members on board military aircraft. The badge is intended to recognize the training and qualifications required by aircrew of military aircraft. In order to qualify as an aircrew member and receive the Aircrew Badge, such personnel typically undergo advanced training in aircraft in-flight support roles.
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The cutterman insignia is a device awarded by the United States Coast Guard to represent service aboard a Coast Guard cutter. The pin is awarded on a temporary basis after six months of sea time, qualification in required watch stations, successful completion of an oral or written board, and receiving a recommendation from their unit's commanding officer. Temporary insignias may be worn while attached to a cutter, but must be removed upon permanently transferring to a non-afloat unit. The award becomes permanent after 5 years of cumulative sea time in the Coast Guard.
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This is a list of Royal Navy ratings rank insignia.
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The Enlisted Information Warfare Specialist Insignia (EIWS) is a military badge of the United States Navy which was created in 2010. The insignia recognizes those members of the Navy's enlisted force who have acquired the specific professional skills, knowledge, and military experience that result in qualification for service in the information warfare activities of the Navy.
↑ "Navy Chaplain receives Surface Chaplain Officer warfare pin"; by Petty Officer 2nd Class Mikal Chapman; Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, dated 2 November 2023, last accessed 20 April 2024 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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