Military officers who serve on active duty or in the reserves in many cases receive their commission through a Direct Commission Officer (DCO) program. ActiveDuty. ... A military reserve force is a military organization composed of part-time military personnel, and sometimes civilians, who are available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion. ...

Background

Civilians who have special skills that are critical to sustaining military operations and supporting troops may receive what are called "direct commissions". These officers usually occupy leadership positions in the following areas: law, medicine, dentistry, nurse corps, intelligence, supply-logistics-transportation, engineering, public affairs, chaplain corps, oceanography, merchant marine affairs, and others.

The U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force have more extensive active and reserve component DCO programs than the other three U.S. armed services. The U.S. Marine Corps does not offer a DCO program. The Marines, however, do have a substantial population of Mustang Officers and Limited Duty Officers. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... France Marines is the name of a commune in the département of Val dOise, France. ... A mustang is United States Military (especially Navy and Marine Corps) slang for a commissioned officer who began his or her career as an enlisted person. ... A Limited Duty Officer (LDO) is an officer in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps who was selected for commissioning based on his skill and expertise, and is not required to have a Bachelors Degree. ...

Depending on the specialization and duty-status of the officer, "DCOs" as they're called, will attend either Officer Indoctrination School (OIS) or Direct Commission Officer School (DCO School).

U.S. Navy Direct Commissioned Officers

The United States Navy has an extensive DCO program. It is important to distinguish between the Navy's active duty component staff corps school, called Officer Indoctrination School (OIS), and the Navy's reserve component Direct Commission Officer School (DCO School). USN redirects here. ...

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) of 2005 decreed that reserve officer DCO School be re-located to Newport, RI from its current location at NAS Pensacola, FL in January 2007. The U.S. Navy is consolidating many of its schools in one central location -- in Newport, RI. The Navy is currently considering merging DCO School, Limited Duty Officer School, and Mustang University into one contiguous officer training program -- all located in Newport, RI. Active duty OIS is also located in Newport, RI. Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the US Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory in order to save... Naval Air Station Pensacola, The Cradle of Naval Aviation, is a United States Navy base located in Warrington, Florida, a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits. ... A Limited Duty Officer (LDO) is an officer in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps who was selected for commissioning based on his skill and expertise, and is not required to have a Bachelors Degree. ... A mustang is United States Military (especially Navy and Marine Corps) slang for a commissioned officer who began his or her career as an enlisted person. ...

The Naval Reserve Direct Commissioning Program allows university-educated professionals, between ages 19 to 35, the opportunity to be appointed as an officer in the Naval Reserve. The Direct Commissioning Program serves the expanded needs of the Navy in certain officer skill areas listed below: The United States Navy Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Navy. ...

- Engineering Duty Officer
- Cryptology Officer
- Intelligence Officer
- Merchant Marine Officer
- Public Affairs Officer
- Oceanography Officer
- Medical Programs (Medical, Dental, Nurse, and Medical Service Corps)
- Supply Corps Officer (Transportation and Logistics)
- Chaplain Corps Officer
- Civil Engineer Corps

Some skill areas may not have openings each year. Each year, skill area recruiting quotas are promulgated for recruiters to fill. Upon completion of their training regimen, DCOs serve on nearly every type of ship and submarine in the fleet and shore establishments around the globe. Navy DCOs are forward deployed and are currently serving on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are an integral part of the Navy's role in the War on Terror. The war on terrorism or war on terror (abbreviated in U.S. policy circles as GWOT for Global War on Terror) is an effort by the governments of the United States and its principal allies to destroy groups deemed to be terrorist (primarily radical Islamist organizations such as al-Qaeda...

External links

U.S. Army Direct Commission Links:
http://www.goarmy.com/about/officer.jsp
http://www.princetonreview.com/cte/articles/military/armydc.asp

U.S. Navy Direct Commission Links:
https://otcn.netc.navy.mil/
http://www.navy-reserve.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=912

U.S. Air Force Direct Commission Links:
http://www.princetonreview.com/cte/articles/military/airforcedc.asp

U.S. Coast Guard Direct Commission Links:
http://www.gocoastguard.com/dc/dcindex.htm
http://www.princetonreview.com/cte/articles/military/coastguarddc.asp
http://www.uscg.mil/legal/recruit/dclinterinfo.htm