SURFACE WARFARE OFFICER (1110)
The Unrestricted Line community that mans, commands, and fights every U.S. Navy surface ship.
OVERVIEW
The 1110 Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) designator identifies Unrestricted Line officers in the U.S. Navy who serve aboard surface combatants — destroyers, cruisers, amphibious ships, littoral combat ships, frigates, and aircraft carriers. SWOs are the largest URL community in the Navy and form the backbone of fleet command at sea: every commanding officer of a surface ship is, by community, a 1110.
A new Ensign with the 1110 designator reports directly to a fleet ship after a short Basic Division Officer Course (BDOC) and immediately begins qualifying as a Division Officer, Officer of the Deck (Underway), and Tactical Action Officer. The "SWO pin" — a gold-and-silver device worn over the left breast pocket — is awarded after the OOD(U) board, and is the qualification that formally establishes an officer as a warfare-qualified Surface Warrior.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead a shipboard division of 10–40 enlisted Sailors as a Division Officer
- Qualify and stand watch as Officer of the Deck (Underway), driving the ship at sea
- Serve as Tactical Action Officer in the ship's Combat Information Center
- Progress to Department Head, Executive Officer, and Commanding Officer of a surface ship
HISTORY
The Surface Warfare Officer designator and pin were established in 1975 by Vice Admiral James L. Holloway III to formally recognize the warfare expertise of officers serving aboard U.S. Navy surface ships, mirroring the long-established submarine and naval-aviation pin programs. Before the SWO program, surface line officers earned only their commissioning device; afterward, the surface community gained parity with its sister URL communities and developed a structured qualification, training, and career-path pipeline.
In the decades since, the SWO career path has been refined repeatedly — most recently to add Junior-Officer-of-the-Deck checkpoints, modular Basic Division Officer Course curricula, and a sea-shore rotation aimed at returning department-head and prospective-commanding-officer candidates to the fleet faster.
COMMISSIONING SOURCES
- USNA
- NROTC
- OCS
- STA-21
- Direct Commission (limited)
TRAINING PIPELINE
- 1. Basic Division Officer Course (BDOC)~9 weeksSan Diego, CA / Norfolk, VAInitial SWO accession course — bridge resource management, navigation, damage control.
- 2. Division Officer Sea Tour~24–36 monthsFleet ship (PACFLT or LANTFLT)Earn OOD(U) qualification and SWO pin in the underway environment.
- 3. SWO Department Head School~6 monthsNewport, RIAdvanced tactics, ship handling, and engineering before department-head sea tour.
TYPICAL CAREER PATH
- O-1/O-2Division Officer (DivO) — first sea tourTwo-tour DivO sequence aboard a surface combatant; earn SWO pin and OOD(U) qualification.
- O-3Department Head (DH)After SWO Department Head School, serve a 36-month DH tour as Operations, Combat Systems, Engineering, or Weapons Officer.
- O-4XO / Major StaffExecutive Officer of a destroyer or amphib, or major-command staff.
- O-5Commanding OfficerCommand of a DDG, FFG, or LCS — the capstone tour for the SWO community.
- O-6Major CommandCommand of a cruiser, large-deck amphib, or destroyer squadron (DESRON).
RELATED DESIGNATORS
RELATED BASES
- Commission via USNA, NROTC, OCS, or STA-21 with selection into the surface community
- Pass the Surface Warfare Officer School curriculum and shipboard OOD(U) board
- Maintain medical fitness for sea duty and unrestricted worldwide assignment
- Division Officer aboard a DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
- Department Head aboard a CG-47 Ticonderoga-class cruiser or LSD/LPD amphib
- Executive Officer or Commanding Officer of a Littoral Combat Ship or DDG
- Surface community staff billet at SURFPAC, SURFLANT, or OPNAV N96