Unrestricted Line Officer
Encyclopedia
Unrestricted Line Officers (URL Officers) are commissioned Officers of the Line in the United States Navy
who are qualified to command at sea the Navy's warfighting combatant units such as warships, submarines, aviation squadrons and SEAL Teams. They are also qualified to command the higher echelons of those units such as destroyer and submarine squadrons, aviation wings and groups, and special warfare groups. At the Flag Officer level, they also command carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups, task forces, and Fleet and Force commands. URL officers are also eligible to command shore installations, facilities and activities directly supporting the Navy's warfare mission.
, Submarine Warfare
, Naval Aviation
, and Special Warfare communities, i.e., the Navy's "combat" communities. In this sense, all URL officers are considered warfare specialists and are designated as either Surface Warfare Officers, Submarine Warfare Officers, Naval Aviator
s, Naval Flight Officer
s, SEAL
/Special Warfare Officers, or Special Operations Officers (primarily Diver
or Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer/Diver).
Examples of RL officers include Engineering Duty Officer, Aeronautical Engineering Duty Officer, Aircraft Maintenance Officer, Intelligence Officer, Information Warfare (formerly Cryptology) Officer, Meteorology/Oceanography Officer, Public Affairs Officer, Human Resources Officer, and Foreign Area Officer among others.
Examples of Staff Corps officers include Supply Corps, Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Medical Service Corps, Nurse Corps, Civil Engineering Corps, Judge Advocate General's Corps and Chaplain Corps.
Some RL officers begin their careers as URL and transition to RL, the most common examples being Surface Warfare Officers and Submarine Warfare Officers who become Engineering Duty Officers and Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers who become Aeronautical Engineering Duty Officers. Still other URL officers will transition into Staff Corps communities, most often Medical Corps or the Judge Advocate General's Corps following completion of Navy-funded medical school or law school. The remaining officers are directly commissioned as RL or Staff Corps. RL and Staff Corps officers are authorized to command ashore within their particular speciality, but are not eligible for combatant command at sea, which remains strictly within the purview of URL officers.
In contrast to the U.S. Navy's Limited Duty Officer
s (LDO) and Chief Warrant Officer
s (CWO) who are directly accessed from the senior enlisted grades (E-6 to E-9 and W-2 to W-5 for LDO; E-7 to E-9 for CWO), Unrestricted Line Officers are required to possess at least a Bachelor's Degree
and complete some type of formal pre-commissioning accession program. They are commissioned through programs such as the United States Naval Academy
, the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
(including Seaman to Admiral-21
), and Officer Candidate School
. Some currently serving URL officers who are Naval Aviators or Naval Flight Officers were also commissioned via the since disestablished Aviation Officer Candidate School, which was merged into the current Officer Candidate School in the late 1990s.
of Great Britain. Based on the Royal Navy model, there were originally two kinds of officers on a naval ship of the line, the commanding officers, who were "gentlemen" and commanded the ship, and the warrant officer
s, who were technical specialists who ran important tasks. In the nineteenth century, with the introduction of steam power, a third group of officers developed, engineers, who ran the steam plant. As the technology developed, the engineers were requesting more rights, including command. This system evolved in similar fashion in the Continental Navy
during the American Revolutionary War and in the successor United States Navy into the nineteenth century. Eventually, this dispute led the Department of the Navy to abolish the differences between the groups, amalgamating them into Unrestricted Line Officers in 1899. This fact can lead to confusion with non-American naval personnel, lacking the division between the two groups. The Russian Navy is an example of one with a difference between Deck and Engineer officers.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
who are qualified to command at sea the Navy's warfighting combatant units such as warships, submarines, aviation squadrons and SEAL Teams. They are also qualified to command the higher echelons of those units such as destroyer and submarine squadrons, aviation wings and groups, and special warfare groups. At the Flag Officer level, they also command carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups, task forces, and Fleet and Force commands. URL officers are also eligible to command shore installations, facilities and activities directly supporting the Navy's warfare mission.
URL officer specialities
URL officers include officers from the Surface WarfareSurface warfare
Modern naval warfare is divided into three operational areas: surface warfare, air warfare and submarine warfare. Each area comprises specialized platforms and strategies used to exploit tactical advantages unique and inherent to that area....
, Submarine Warfare
Submarine warfare
Naval warfare is divided into three operational areas: surface warfare, air warfare and underwater warfare. The latter may be subdivided into submarine warfare and anti-submarine warfare as well as mine warfare and mine countermeasures...
, Naval Aviation
Naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...
, and Special Warfare communities, i.e., the Navy's "combat" communities. In this sense, all URL officers are considered warfare specialists and are designated as either Surface Warfare Officers, Submarine Warfare Officers, Naval Aviator
Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
s, Naval Flight Officer
Naval Flight Officer
A Naval Flight Officer is an aeronautically designated commissioned officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps that specializes in airborne weapons and sensor systems. NFOs are not pilots per se, but they may perform many "co-pilot" functions, depending on the type of aircraft...
s, SEAL
Seal
Seal commonly refers to:* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals many of which are commonly called seals* Seal , a device which helps prevent leakage, contain pressure, or exclude contamination where two systems join...
/Special Warfare Officers, or Special Operations Officers (primarily Diver
United States Navy Diver
A Navy Diver refers to a member of the community of Unrestricted Line Officer Officers, Medical Corps Officers and enlisted personnel in the United States Navy who are qualified in underwater open/closed circuit breathing apparatus, deep sea type diving apparatus and saturation diving. Personnel...
or Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer/Diver).
Unrestricted Line versus Restricted Line
Differentiated from URL officers are those naval officers whose functions are considered combat support in nature and are designated as either Restricted Line (RL) officers or Staff Corps officers.Examples of RL officers include Engineering Duty Officer, Aeronautical Engineering Duty Officer, Aircraft Maintenance Officer, Intelligence Officer, Information Warfare (formerly Cryptology) Officer, Meteorology/Oceanography Officer, Public Affairs Officer, Human Resources Officer, and Foreign Area Officer among others.
Examples of Staff Corps officers include Supply Corps, Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Medical Service Corps, Nurse Corps, Civil Engineering Corps, Judge Advocate General's Corps and Chaplain Corps.
Some RL officers begin their careers as URL and transition to RL, the most common examples being Surface Warfare Officers and Submarine Warfare Officers who become Engineering Duty Officers and Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers who become Aeronautical Engineering Duty Officers. Still other URL officers will transition into Staff Corps communities, most often Medical Corps or the Judge Advocate General's Corps following completion of Navy-funded medical school or law school. The remaining officers are directly commissioned as RL or Staff Corps. RL and Staff Corps officers are authorized to command ashore within their particular speciality, but are not eligible for combatant command at sea, which remains strictly within the purview of URL officers.
Unrestricted Line versus Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers
In contrast to the U.S. Navy's Limited Duty Officer
Limited Duty Officer
A Limited Duty Officer is an officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps who was selected for commissioning based on his/her skill and expertise, and is not required to have a bachelor's degree. They are employed in situations where it is desirable to have an officer with...
s (LDO) and Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the Canadian Forces and the Israel Defence Forces.-Canada:In the Canadian Forces, a chief warrant officer or CWO is the most senior non-commissioned member rank in the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
s (CWO) who are directly accessed from the senior enlisted grades (E-6 to E-9 and W-2 to W-5 for LDO; E-7 to E-9 for CWO), Unrestricted Line Officers are required to possess at least a Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
and complete some type of formal pre-commissioning accession program. They are commissioned through programs such as the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.-Origins:...
(including Seaman to Admiral-21
STA-21
STA-21 or Seaman to Admiral - 21 is the U.S. Navy's commissioning program for the 21st century and is designed to enable active-duty Sailors to get a college degree and become commissioned officers.-History:...
), and Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country....
. Some currently serving URL officers who are Naval Aviators or Naval Flight Officers were also commissioned via the since disestablished Aviation Officer Candidate School, which was merged into the current Officer Candidate School in the late 1990s.
History
The United States Navy takes most of its traditions, customs and organizational structure from that of the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
of Great Britain. Based on the Royal Navy model, there were originally two kinds of officers on a naval ship of the line, the commanding officers, who were "gentlemen" and commanded the ship, and the warrant officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
s, who were technical specialists who ran important tasks. In the nineteenth century, with the introduction of steam power, a third group of officers developed, engineers, who ran the steam plant. As the technology developed, the engineers were requesting more rights, including command. This system evolved in similar fashion in the Continental Navy
Continental Navy
The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War, and was formed in 1775. Through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron, John Adams and vigorous Congressional support in the face of stiff opposition, the fleet cumulatively became relatively...
during the American Revolutionary War and in the successor United States Navy into the nineteenth century. Eventually, this dispute led the Department of the Navy to abolish the differences between the groups, amalgamating them into Unrestricted Line Officers in 1899. This fact can lead to confusion with non-American naval personnel, lacking the division between the two groups. The Russian Navy is an example of one with a difference between Deck and Engineer officers.