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// Officer Communities
NAVY OFFICER DESIGNATORS
Every U.S. Navy officer carries a four-digit designator code that identifies their warfare community or staff corps. This reference covers all 24 primary designators across the three Navy officer communities — Unrestricted Line, Restricted Line, and Staff Corps.
Written by
T Madden Alford — U.S. Naval Academy '02 · U.S. Navy Reserve Captain (O-6) · Former submarine officer, USS Key West
Reviewed by
Erik Rivera — U.S. Naval Academy '04 · Former U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officer
Last reviewed: May 25, 2026 · Sources checked: May 25, 2026
6 Designators
Unrestricted Line
Warfighters who command and fight ships, submarines, and aircraft.
Browse Community
10 Designators
Restricted Line
Specialty line officers in engineering, intelligence, IW, and space.
Browse Community
8 Designators
Staff Corps
Professional Staff Corps — medical, legal, supply, civil engineering, chaplain.
Browse Community
UNRESTRICTED LINE
RESTRICTED LINE
- 1440Engineering Duty Officer (EDO)
- 1460Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer (AEDO)
- 1510Aerospace Maintenance Duty Officer (AMDO)
- 1650Foreign Area Officer (FAO)
- 1710Public Affairs Officer (PAO)
- 1810Cryptologic Warfare Officer (CWO)
- 1820Information Professional (IP)
- 1830Intelligence Officer (INTEL)
- 1840Cyber Warfare Engineer (CWE)
- 1860Maritime Space Officer (MSO)
STAFF CORPS
Editorial policy
- Source priority. We cite MyNavyHR / MILPERSMAN 1212-010 (Officer Designator Codes), OPNAV/BUPERS instructions, and navy.mil community pages first. Non-government sources are not used as primary evidence on this page.
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- Review cadence. Designator codes, community membership, and accession pipelines are re-verified quarterly and any time NPC or BUPERS publishes a community-consolidation NAVADMIN.
- Reviewer. The page is reviewed for accuracy by the reviewer named in the byline. The "Last reviewed" date at the top of the page reflects the most recent review pass.
- Corrections. Factual errors are corrected as soon as we can verify the issue against an official source. See the "Report an outdated fact" link below.
- Not advice. This page is informational only. For decisions about service, benefits, pay, or assignment, rely on official .mil sources and your chain of command, detailer, recruiter, or accredited representative.
