EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL OFFICER (1140)

OVERVIEW

The 1140 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Officer designator identifies Unrestricted Line officers in the U.S. Navy who lead Navy EOD platoons in the rendering-safe and disposal of conventional, chemical, biological, nuclear, and improvised explosive ordnance. Navy EOD is one of only four U.S. service EOD communities and is the lead service for underwater EOD and very-shallow-water mine countermeasures. EOD officers and Sailors deploy worldwide with carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups, Naval Special Warfare units, and joint task forces.

EOD officers complete one of the longest training pipelines in the Navy — over a year of dive school, parachute school, and the joint Naval School EOD at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Successful candidates earn the silver "Crab" insignia (Master EOD Technician at the senior level) and join one of three EOD Mobile Units (EODMU) on the East and West Coasts.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Command an EOD platoon (typically 5 personnel) on combat or expeditionary deployment
• Lead render-safe procedures on conventional and improvised explosive ordnance
• Plan and execute underwater mine countermeasures and very-shallow-water clearance
• Integrate with Naval Special Warfare, expeditionary strike groups, and joint task forces

HISTORY

The Navy EOD community traces its lineage to World War II underwater demolition and bomb-disposal teams. The community was formally established as a separate officer designator in the 1970s alongside the rise of expeditionary EOD operations during the Vietnam era. Following the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, EOD became one of the most-deployed Navy communities, performing thousands of render-safe procedures on improvised explosive devices.

The community shares its EOD basic-school training with Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps EOD personnel at the joint Naval School EOD on Eglin Air Force Base, FL — the only EOD school in the U.S. military.

COMMISSIONING SOURCES

• USNA
• NROTC
• OCS

TRAINING PIPELINE

1. 1. EOD Diving Course (NDSTC)~9 weeks
   Panama City, FL
   Open-circuit and closed-circuit (MK-16) combat diving qualification.
2. 2. Naval School EOD~9 months
   Eglin AFB, FL
   Joint EOD basic school — air ordnance, underwater ordnance, ground ordnance, IED, and weapons of mass destruction phases.
3. 3. Basic Airborne Course~3 weeks
   Fort Benning, GA
   Static-line parachute qualification.

TYPICAL CAREER PATH

1. O-1
   Dive School + Naval School EOD
   Approximately 13 months of pipeline training before reporting to first EOD Mobile Unit.
2. O-2/O-3
   Platoon Commander
   Lead a 5-person EOD platoon through workup and overseas deployment.
3. O-4
   Company Commander / Department Head
   Command of a company within an EODMU, or department-head tour at Group staff.
4. O-5
   EOD Mobile Unit Commanding Officer
   Command of an EOD Mobile Unit on the East or West Coast.
5. O-6
   Group Commander
   Command of EOD Group ONE or TWO.

RELATED DESIGNATORS

• 1110 · Unrestricted Line
  Surface Warfare Officer
• 1130 · Unrestricted Line
  Special Warfare Officer (SEAL)
• 1830 · Restricted Line
  Intelligence Officer

RELATED BASES

• Navy Base · VA
  Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story
• Navy Base · CA
  Naval Base Coronado

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

SOURCES

• Navy EOD Group ONE
• My Navy HR — EOD Officer Community
• Naval School EOD