Seal of the NOAA Commissioned Corps

Flag of the NOAA Commissioned Corps

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps (NOAA Corps) is one of the seven Uniformed Services of the United States, having approximately 300 commissioned officers. It is the uniformed service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is a scientific agency under the United States Department of Commerce. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The United States has seven uniformed services as defined by Title 10 of the United States Code. ... In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ... The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency of the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. ... The United States Department of Commerce is a Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. ...

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 back to 1807 and President Thomas Jefferson. The U.S. 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 U. S. Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) was created in 1965 as part of a reorganization of the United States Department of Commerce (USDOC). ... The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey was established by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807 as the Survey of the Coast. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... The two parts of the laws of war (or Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC)): Law concerning acceptable practices while engaged in war, like the Geneva Conventions, is called jus in bello; while law concerning allowable justifications for armed force is called jus ad bellum. ... Surveyor at work with a leveling instrument. ...

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. Engineering is the applied science of acquiring and applying knowledge to design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geosciences or the Earth Sciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. ... Thermohaline circulation Oceanography (from Ocean + Greek γράφειν = write), also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth Sciences that studies the Earths oceans and seas. ... // Meteorology (from Greek: μετέωρον, meteoron, high in the sky; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. ... A fishery (plural: fisheries) is an organized effort by humans to catch fish or other aquatic species, an activity known as fishing. ...

Organization

Officers in uniform

Its officers wear uniforms similar to the United States Navy, with distinctive NOAA insignia. The NOAA Corps also uses the same ranks as United States Navy commissioned officers, from Ensign to Vice Admiral but wear special corps insignia to identify them as a member of NOAA. However, with the retirement of Vice Admiral H. Arnold Karo in January 1967 [1], the Vice Admiral rank is no longer utilized and the current highest ranking officer in the NOAA Corps is a two-star Rear Admiral. NOAA officers receive direct commissions into the service, which is similar to other Uniformed Services of the United States that induct officers into Direct Commission Officers (DCOs) programs. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organisation whilst participating in that organisations activity. ... USN redirects here. ... This article is about the use of the term rank. ... USN redirects here. ... Ensign is a junior rank of commissioned officer in the militaries of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. ... Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... Uniformed officers who serve on active duty or in the reserves in many cases receive their commission through a Direct Commission Officer (DCO) program. ...

Leadership

• RADM Jonathan W. Bailey -- Director, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and Director, Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
• RDML Philip M. Kenul -- Director, Marine and Aviation Operations Centers
• Captain (Select) Brad B. Kearse [2] -- Director, NOAA Commissioned Personnel Center

The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ... The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ... Please see Captain (military) for other versions of this rank Captain is a rank in the United States armed forces that ranks between a First Lieutenant and Major (O-3 in the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, and United States Marines), or a rank between a Commander and...

Notes

• Officers are designated with the abbreviation NOAA, not USN.
• NOAA Corps officers cannot hold dual commissions with another uniformed service, though inter-service transfers are allowed.

See also

• NOAA ships and aircraft

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References

• NOAA Directives and Appendices in pdf format

External links

• NOAA Corps
  • NOAA Marine Operations
  • NOAA Aircraft Operations
• NOAA Corps uniform insignia and [3]
• NOAA Corps Marching Song
• NOAA Home

This article incorporates material taken from the public domain website of the NOAA Corps. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...