Submarine Engineering Duty insignia

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The Submarine Engineering Duty Insignia is a badge of the United States Navy which is issued to Engineering Duty Officers who have been designated as qualified in submarines through a program administered by the Naval Sea Systems Command. The badge is a variation of the Submarine Warfare insignia and portrays a propeller blade (Engineering Duty Officers Community insigina) flanked by two dolphins (Submarine Warfare Community insignia).

The Engineering Duty Officer Community ensures that U.S. Naval and Joint Forces operate and fight with the most capable platforms possible. Naval Engineers are involved with the design, acquisition, construction, repair, maintenance, conversion, overhaul, and disposal of ships, submarines, aircraft carriers and the systems on those platforms (weapons, command and control, communications, computers, etc). Engineering Duty Officers are unique to the navy because the majority of Engineering Duty Officers start their career as Unrestricted Line (URL) officers. First, they learn how to operate ships or submarines. Next, they obtain technical/engineering masters degrees. Then, Engineering Duty Officers combine that operational experience and technical knowledge to become the technical business leaders for the navy.

A small number of highly-qualified individuals receive direct commissions as Engineering Duty Officers. In order to be considered, these individuals must already have an MS or PhD in engineering or a "hard" science; in exceptional cases, a Professional Engineer's license may be substituted for this requirement, provided that the individual then obtains an MS or PhD. Selection for an Engineering Duty direct commission is very competitive, with only approximately 20 individuals selected from across the US each year.

The Submarine Engineering Duty Insignia is only authorized to those officers who are members of the Engineering Duty Officer community who complete advanced training in submarine design/engineering, construction, quality control, combat system, nuclear marine propulsion, watertight integrity control, nuclear/non-nuclear systems testings, and systems management and analysis.

The Submarine Engineering Duty Insignia is only awarded after a service member completes the Submarine Engineering Duty Officer PQS (Personal Qualification Standards) which tests engineering knowledge in submarine design, operations, and maintenance. Those receiving the Submarine Engineering Duty Insignia are qualified as the Navy's lead submarine engineering experts.

[edit] References

Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (04 Oct 02). "Engineering Duty (ED) Officer Dolphin Program". NAVSEA Instruction 1520.2C. Retrieved on 2006-11-29.