theNavyCWO.com

10/29/2026

LDO or CWO? The same board selects both, but they're two very different careers.

Here's how OPNAVINST 1420.2A, the instruction for the active duty and TAR programs, lays out the differences.

The job
- LDOs are "technically oriented officers who perform duties limited to specific occupational fields and require strong managerial skills."
- CWOs are "technical specialists who perform duties requiring extensive knowledge and skills of a specific occupational field at a level beyond what is normally expected of senior enlisted personnel."

Who can apply
- LDO: an E-6 who is selection-board eligible for E-7 (with at least a year in grade), or a chief, senior chief or master chief, with 8 to 14 years of active service. Nuclear-trained applicants have an 8 to 16 year window.
- CWO: a chief, senior chief or master chief. E-7s and E-8s need 14 to 20 years of active service; E-9s need 14 to 22.
Without a waiver, the two windows meet only at 14 years, so your time in service may make the choice for you.

Commissioned as
- LDO: ensign
- CWO: CWO2. Master chiefs are commissioned as CWO3.

Obligated service
- LDO: 10 years from accepting the appointment
- CWO: 6 years

Retiring as an officer
- An LDO must complete more than 20 years of active service, at least 10 of them as a commissioned officer, to retire as an officer.

What's the same
- No college degree is required (it is encouraged). Leadership ability, military qualifications and technical expertise are the key selection factors.
- LDO, CWO and WO1 selectees are required to attend the LDO/CWO Academy at Officer Training Command Newport, R.I.

Enclosure (1) of the instruction lists which LDO and CWO designators your rating can apply for. Read OPNAVINST 1420.2A on our site:
https://thenavycwo.com/applicants/general-guidance-and-instructions/download/4-guidance-and-instructions/619-opnavinst-1420-2a-active-duty-limited-duty-officer-chief-warrant-officer-and-warrant-officer-programsbc

LDO or CWO: which one are you going for, and why? Tell us in the comments, and follow theNavyCWO.com for CWO program guidance every Thursday.

Photo: LDO/CWO Academy Class 24030 reaffirms the oath of office at graduation, Officer Training Command Newport, Feb. 9, 2024. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Logistics Specialist Joshua D. Montes.

10/27/2026

The Navy's newest warrant officer designator got its first officers this month.

Designator spotlight: Executive Support Technician (7904 WO / 7901 CWO)

NAVADMIN 152/26, released June 25, 2026, created the EST community for flag writers. EST warrant officers and chief warrant officers are trained as technical specialists in the front-office administrative work that supports general and flag officers. The message calls it "the first dual accession WO/CWO program in Navy history": depending on paygrade and time in service, Sailors can be appointed directly to WO1, CWO2 or CWO3.

How the first (FY-27) board worked, with time in service computed to Oct. 1, 2026:
- Who could apply: current flag writers with the 791D NEC, more than 6 years TIS and 12 months of documented time as a flag writer
- E-5s and E-6s, and E-7s with less than 14 years: competed for WO1 (7904)
- E-7s and above with 14 or more years: competed for CWO2/CWO3 (7901)
- WO1s keep the "4" in their designator until they promote to CWO3, when it changes to 7901

NAVADMIN 201/26 announced the first selectees: 3 CWO3s, 51 CWO2s and 45 WO1s, all with an Oct. 1, 2026 date of rank.

In Singapore, Chief Yeoman Tom Reyes, flag writer for Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73, was commissioned a CWO2 on Oct. 1, and the Navy called him its first EST chief warrant officer. "Flag writers rely on judgment, discretion and a deep understanding of the leaders and commands we support," he said. "This community gives us a path to develop our expertise and advance in the Navy."

Guidance for FY-28 and later EST boards will come in a future NAVADMIN. Follow theNavyCWO.com so you see it when it's released.

NAVADMIN 152/26: https://thenavycwo.com/resources/naval-messages/251457zjun26-establishment-of-the-executive-support-technician-warrant-officer-7904-and-chief-warrant-officer-7901-community

FY-27 EST selectee list: https://thenavycwo.com/board-info/procurement-board-results/211244zaug26-fy-27-executive-support-technician-warrant-officer-and-chief-warrant-officer-in-service-procurement-selection-board-results

Who's the flag writer who kept your front office running? Tag them in the comments.

Photo: Rear Adm. Aaron Taylor, commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73, proctors the oath of office to CWO2 Thomas N. Reyes, Sembawang, Singapore, Oct. 1, 2026. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval.

10/22/2026

From the vault: Bureau of Navigation News Bulletin No. 27, dated July 3, 1923. The bulletin was the forerunner of All Hands, which took that name in 1945.

Page 3 gives the count of applicants for the upcoming warrant examinations:
Pharmacists: 17 vacancies, 25 applications
Gunners (ordnance): 72 vacancies, 4 applications
Gunners (radio): 58 vacancies, 10 applications
Gunners (electrical): 29 vacancies, 2 applications

The competitive exams were set for August 20, 1923, and were open to petty officers first class as well as chief petty officers. "In view of the small number of applications received so far," the Bureau asked commanding officers to give the exam "as much publicity as possible."

It helped. The August 1923 bulletin shows applications up to 19 for ordnance, 32 for radio and 15 for electrical, against the same vacancies.

The full July issue is in our All Hands archive, along with dozens more from the 1920s through the 1940s:
https://thenavycwo.com/the-archives/all-hands-magazine/download/16-all-hands-magazine/108-all-hands-july-1923

Image: Bureau of Navigation News Bulletin No. 27, page 3 (U.S. Navy Department, 1923), from theNavyCWO archives.

10/20/2026

Designator spotlight: Boatswain (7111)

The boatswain is the Navy's oldest warrant. On December 23, 1775, the Naval Committee in Philadelphia appointed John Beriman boatswain of the brigantine Andrew Doria. That was the first Navy warrant. Under the Continental Navy's pay table of November 28, 1775, a boatswain drew 15 dollars a month, the same as the gunner and the carpenter.

Today Boatswain (7111) is a surface CWO designator. OPNAVINST 1420.2A opens it to Boatswain's Mates and Quartermasters. The LDO counterpart is Deck (6110).

In the photo, CWO5 Ronald Ellis, ship's boatswain, watches well deck operation preparations aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage (LPD 23) in the Pacific on March 24, 2015, during a composite training unit exercise with the Essex Amphibious Ready Group. Look for "BOSN" on the back of his vest.

BMs and QMs: if you're weighing a package, the designator list for every rating is in the Applicants section of our site. And the text of Beriman's 1775 warrant is here:
https://thenavycwo.com/history/the-first-warrant

Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Liam Kennedy/Released (DVIDS 1838227).

10/15/2026

FY-27 CWO W-3, W-4 and W-5 selections are out! Congratulations to every Active and Reserve Chief Warrant Officer selected.

Active Duty: https://thenavycwo.com/board-info/cwo-promotion-board-results/active-duty/151657zoct26-fy-27-active-duty-navy-chief-warrant-officer-w-3-w-4-and-w-5-selections
Reserve: https://thenavycwo.com/board-info/cwo-promotion-board-results/reserve/151703zoct26-fy-27-navy-reserve-chief-warrant-officer-w-3-w-4-and-w-5-selections

10/15/2026

FY-28 LDO and CWO packages were due October 1. Here's what happens next.

Already submitted?
- Any eval signed after October 1, 2026 goes to the board as an addendum.
- Addendums must be received by December 15, 2026, routed through your CO.
- No personal letters to the board.
- Active duty board: January and February 2027 (NAVADMIN 032/26). Selected Reserve: by January 2027 (NAVADMIN 083/26).

Looking at FY-29?
- OPNAVINST 1420.2A: active duty and TAR E-7/E-8 CWO applicants need 14 to 20 years of active service; E-9, 14 to 22.
- No college degree required. Leadership ability, military qualifications and technical expertise are the key factors.
- Enclosure (1) lists which CWO designators your rating can apply for.

Templates, precept and both NAVADMINs: https://thenavycwo.com/applicants/fy-specific-guidance/fy-28/category/77-fy-28

What designator are you applying for, FY-28 or FY-29? Drop it in the comments and we'll point you to the right resources.

Photo: CWO2 commissioning, Naval Base Point Loma, May 1, 2026. U.S. Navy photo by MC1 Michael T. Eckelbecker.

10/13/2026

173 rounds in 65 minutes.

On June 19, 1864, USS Kearsarge sank the Confederate raider CSS Alabama off Cherbourg, France. The next day Gunner Franklin A. Graham reported what the ship had fired: 55 rounds from the 11-inch guns, 60 from the 32-pounders, 48 from the 30-pounder r***e and 10 from the 12-pound howitzer.

Boatswain James C. Walton went over the hull, rigging, sails and boats and counted 28 shot and shell that had struck the ship. The executive officer wrote that Walton "was observably active and efficient" and that Graham's duties "were all performed efficiently and merit commendation."

That's the warrant officer job in one battle: know the gear, keep the count, fix the ship.

The full story: https://thenavycwo.com/history/warrant-officers-in-the-civil-war

Who was the gunner or boatswain who mentored you? Tell us in the comments.

Photo: Officers of U.S.S. Kearsarge. Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-33853.

08/21/2026

Congrats to all the newly selected Executive Support Technician WOs and CWOs! Full list at theNavyCWO

Stay updated on the results of the Navy Chief Warrant Officer Procurement Board at TheNavyCWO.com. Access key selection outcomes and important information to help you understand your candidacy in the CWO selection process.

06/09/2026

⚓️ LDO/CWO Applicants — 115 Days Out ⚓️
115 days to go.

At this point, your package should be close to complete. Now it’s about refining and tightening every section.

Ask yourself—would a board member clearly understand your impact and leadership?

If not, fix it now.

📘 Get it dialed in: https://thenavycwo.com

06/05/2026

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