// Officer Designator · O-1 to O-10 · NATO OF-1 to OF-9

INTELLIGENCE OFFICER (1830)

The IWC community that delivers maritime, joint, and national-level intelligence to commanders at every echelon.

Insignia

Designator

1830

Abbreviation

INTEL

Community

Restricted Line

Paygrade Range

O-1 to O-10

NATO Range

OF-1 to OF-9

OVERVIEW

The 1830 Naval Intelligence Officer designator identifies Restricted Line officers in the Navy Information Warfare Community (IWC) who specialize in maritime, joint, and national-level intelligence operations. Intelligence Officers serve aboard ships, submarines, aircraft, and expeditionary units providing all-source intelligence support to operational commanders, and on joint staffs and at the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Intel Officers are direct-accession officers commissioned into the 1830 community via USNA, NROTC, OCS, or STA-21. After 14 weeks of basic intelligence training at Naval Intelligence Officer Basic Course (NIOBC) at the Information Warfare Training Command, Dam Neck, VA, they report to their first sea or expeditionary tour.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Serve as Intelligence Officer aboard a carrier strike group, expeditionary strike group, or submarine squadron staff
Provide all-source intelligence support to fleet, joint, and combatant commanders
Lead intelligence collection and analysis at the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI)
Conduct joint intelligence work with DIA, NSA, CIA, and partner-nation intelligence services

HISTORY

Naval intelligence has been a Navy specialty since the Office of Naval Intelligence was established in 1882, making ONI the oldest continuously-operating intelligence agency in the U.S. government. The Naval Intelligence Officer designator (formerly 1630, now 1830) was modernized and absorbed into the Information Warfare Community in 2010 alongside the cryptologic, IP, and METOC communities.

Intel Officers played leading roles in every major U.S. naval engagement of the past century — from breaking Japanese naval codes at Midway, to maritime-domain awareness operations across the Cold War, to the post-9/11 counter-terrorism and great-power-competition mission sets.

COMMISSIONING SOURCES

USNA
NROTC
OCS
STA-21
Lateral transfer

TRAINING PIPELINE

1. Information Warfare Basic Course (IWBC)~12 weeks
NAS Pensacola, FL
Joint IWC accession course.
2. Naval Intelligence Officer Basic Course (NIOBC)~14 weeks
Dam Neck Annex, Virginia Beach, VA
All-source intelligence basics, threat analysis, briefing skills, and naval operational intelligence.
3. Joint Intelligence Officer Course~3 weeks
Joint Military Intelligence Training Center, Anacostia, DC
Mid-grade joint intelligence operations.

TYPICAL CAREER PATH

O-1/O-2
IWBC + NIOBC + first tour
Joint IWC and Intel basic courses, then first tour at a fleet, squadron, or expeditionary intelligence billet.
O-3
Mid-grade tour
Carrier strike group or major-staff intelligence tour.
O-4
Department Head
Department head at ONI, DIA, or major-staff intelligence center.
O-5
Major Command
Command of a Navy intelligence center or major joint intelligence staff role.
O-6
Senior IWC Leadership
Senior leadership at ONI, OPNAV N2/N6, or joint intelligence enterprise.

RELATED DESIGNATORS

RELATED BASES

How to address

Same as the underlying officer rank — e.g., "Lieutenant Smith." Community addressed as "Intel" or "1830" in writing.

Prerequisites

Direct commission via USNA, NROTC, OCS, or STA-21 into the 1830 community
Successful completion of the Information Warfare Basic Course (IWBC)
Successful completion of the Naval Intelligence Officer Basic Course (NIOBC)
Maintain Top Secret/SCI clearance

Common assignments

Intelligence Officer aboard a carrier strike group or expeditionary strike group
Intelligence Officer for a fleet aviation squadron
All-source analyst at the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), Suitland, MD
Joint Intelligence Officer at a combatant command or joint task force

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The 1830 designator identifies a Restricted Line officer in the Naval Intelligence community — an all-source intelligence professional in the Information Warfare Community (IWC).

Yes. Intel Officers serve aboard carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups, and submarine squadrons providing intelligence support to operational commanders at sea.

Yes. The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), where many Naval Intelligence Officers serve, is one of the 18 elements of the U.S. Intelligence Community and is the oldest continuously-operating intelligence agency in the U.S. government.

SOURCES

Last updated 2026-05-02

All Officer Designators Full Rank Structure