View source for NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps

{{short description|US federal uniformed service}}
The '''National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps''' (informally the '''NOAA Corps''') is one of eight federal [[uniformed services of the United States]], and operates under the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA), a scientific agency overseen by the [[United States Department of Commerce|Department of Commerce]]. The NOAA Corps is made up of scientifically and technically trained [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]]. The NOAA Corps and the [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]] are the only U.S. uniformed services that consist only of [[Commissioned officer|commissioned officers]], with no [[Enlisted rank|enlisted]] or [[Warrant officer (United States)|warrant officer]] ranks. The NOAA Corps' primary mission is to monitor oceanic conditions, support major waterways, and monitor [[Atmosphere|atmospheric]] conditions.

The NOAA Corps traces its origins to the establishment of the '''United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps''' on May 22, 1917, which the service recognizes as its official date of establishment.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The NOAA Corps: Celebrating a Century of Service (1917-2017) {{!}} Office of Marine and Aviation Operations|url=https://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/noaa-corps/about/noaa-corps-celebrating-century-service-1917-2017|access-date=2021-02-21|website=NOAA Corps}}</ref><ref name="About NOAA Corps">{{Cite web|last=US Department of Commerce|first=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|title=NOAA Ocean Podcast: Celebrating 100 Years of NOAA Corps|url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/may17/nop07-noaa-corps.html|access-date=2021-02-21|website=NOAA Corps|language=EN-US}}</ref> The Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps became the '''Environmental Science Services Administration Corps''' in 1965, which in turn became the NOAA Corps in 1970.<ref name="About NOAA Corps" /><ref name="About NOAA Corps2">{{cite web|title=History of the NOAA Corps|url=http://www.noaacorps.noaa.gov/about/history1.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825120553/http://www.noaacorps.noaa.gov/about/history1.html|archive-date=August 25, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
==Mission==
The NOAA Corps is the smallest<ref name="rensberger19860910">{{Cite news |last=Rensberger |first=Boyce |date=1986-09-09 |title=The Few, the Proud -- the NOAA? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/09/10/the-few-the-proud-the-noaa/deb89a01-efee-4f0a-bc43-dc9031e90947/ |access-date=2024-08-17 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> of the [[Uniformed services of the United States|eight uniformed services]] of the [[United States government]]. It has over 300 [[Commissioned Officers|commissioned officers]], but no [[Enlisted rank|enlisted]] or [[Warrant officer (United States)|warrant officer]] personnel. The NOAA Corps today employs professionals trained in [[engineering]], [[earth science]]s, [[oceanography]], [[meteorology]], [[fisheries science]], and other related disciplines. NOAA Corps officers operate [[NOAA ships and aircraft|NOAA ships]], fly [[NOAA ships and aircraft|NOAA aircraft]], manage [[Research project|research projects]], conduct [[Underwater diving|diving]] operations, and serve in staff positions throughout [[NOAA]], as well as in positions in the [[United States Merchant Marine]], the [[United States Department of Defense]], the [[United States Coast Guard]], the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]], and the [[United States Department of State]]. Like its predecessors, the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps and the ESSA Corps, the NOAA Corps provides a source of technically skilled officers which can be incorporated into the [[U.S. Armed Forces]] in times of war, and in peacetime supports defense requirements in addition to its non-military scientific projects.<ref name="noaahistorynoaacorps">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.noaa.gov/legacy/corps.html|title=NOAA History /NOAA Legacy/NOAA Corps and the Coast and Geodetic Survey}}</ref><ref name="rensberger19860910" /> Should it be called into active duty, it would be a department of one of the six branches of the [[United States Armed Forces]].<ref name="crs">{{Cite web |url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10550 |title=Defense Primer: The Military Departments |date=2023-01-09 |accessdate=2024-07-04 |language=en-US |publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]] |first=Alan |last=Ott}}</ref>
==History==
===Early history===
The NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps traces its roots to the [[United States Coast and Geodetic Survey]], the oldest scientific agency of the federal government. The Coast and Geodetic Survey was founded as the United States Survey of the Coast under [[President of the United States|President]] [[Thomas Jefferson]] in 1807 and renamed the United States Coast Survey in 1836. Until the American Civil War (1861–1865), the Coast Survey was staffed by [[civilian]] [[personnel]] working with [[United States Army]] and [[United States Navy]] [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]]. During the American Civil War, [[Army Officer|Army officers]] were withdrawn from Coast Survey duty, never to return, while all but two [[Navy Officer|Navy officers]] also were withdrawn from Coast Survey service for the duration of the war. Since most men of the Survey had Union sympathies, most stayed on with the Survey rather than resigning to serve the [[Confederate States of America]]; their work shifted in emphasis to support of the [[United States Navy]] and [[Union Army]], and these Coast Surveyors are the professional ancestors of today's NOAA Corps. Those Coast Surveyors supporting the [[Union Army]] were given assimilated military rank while attached to a specific command, but those supporting the U.S. Navy operated as civilians and ran the risk of being [[Capital punishment|executed]] as [[Espionage|spies]] if captured by the Confederates while working in support of Union forces. After the war, U.S. Navy officers returned to duty with the Coast Survey, which was given authority over [[Geodesy|geodetic]] activities in the interior of the United States in 1871 and was subsequently renamed the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1878.<ref name="noaahistorynoaacorps" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.noaa.gov/legacy/time1800.html|title=NOAA History - NOAA Legacy Timeline - 1800s}}</ref>

With the outbreak of the [[Spanish–American War]] in April 1898, the U.S. Navy again withdrew all of its [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]] from Coast and Geodetic Survey assignments. They returned after the war ended in August 1898, but the system of [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]] and men crewing the Survey{{'}}s [[Ship|ships]] that had prevailed for most of the 19th century came to an end when the appropriation law approved on June 6, 1900, provided for "all necessary employees to man and equip the vessels," instead of U.S. Navy personnel. The law took effect on July 1, 1900; at that point, all U.S. Navy personnel assigned to the Survey{{'}}s ships remained aboard until the first call at each ship{{'}}s [[home port]], where they transferred off, with the Survey reimbursing the Navy for their pay accrued after July 1, 1900.<ref>{{cite book |title=Report Of The Superintendent of the Coast And Geodetic Survey Showing The Progress Of Work From July 1, 1900 To June 30, 1901 |last=U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey |year=1901 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=15, 17, 109}}</ref> From July 1900, the Coast and Geodetic Survey continued as an entirely civilian-run organization until after the United States entered World War I in April 1917.<ref name="noaahistorynoaacorps" />
===Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps===
[[File:U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey emblem.jpg|thumb|right|The seal of the [[United States Coast and Geodetic Survey]], in which the NOAA Corps originated as the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps in 1917.]]To avoid the dangers that Coast Survey personnel had faced during the Civil War of being executed as spies if captured by the enemy, the '''United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps''' was established on 22 May 1917, giving Coast and Geodetic Survey officers a [[Commissioned officer|commissioned]] status so that under the [[International humanitarian law|laws of war]], they could not be executed as spies if they were captured while serving as [[Surveyor (surveying)|surveyors]] on a battlefield during World War I. The creation of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps also ensured that in wartime a set of officers with technical skills in surveying could be assimilated rapidly into the [[United States Armed Forces]] so that their skills could be employed in military and naval work essential to the war effort. Before World War I ended in November 1918, over half of all Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps officers had served in the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, or [[United States Marine Corps]], performing duty as [[artillery]] orienteering officers, as [[minelaying]] officers in the [[North Sea]] (where they were involved in the laying of the [[North Sea Mine Barrage]]), as [[navigator]]s aboard [[Troopship|troop transport]]s, as [[Military intelligence|intelligence]] officers, and as officers on the staff of [[American Expeditionary Force]] [[commanding officer]] [[General (United States)|General]] [[John Pershing|John "Black Jack" Pershing]].<ref name="noaahistorynoaacorps" />

The Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps returned to peacetime scientific pursuits after the war.<ref name="noaahistorynoaacorps" /> Its first flag officer was [[Rear Admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Raymond Stanton Patton|Raymond S. Patton]], who was promoted from [[Captain (United States O-6)|captain]] to [[Rear Admiral (United States)|rear admiral]] in 1936.

When the United States entered [[World War II]] in December 1941, the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps again suspended its peacetime activities to support the war effort, often seeing front-line service. Over half of all Coast and Geodetic Survey officers were transferred to the U.S. Army, the [[United States Army Air Forces]], the U.S. Navy, or the U.S. Marine Corps, and deployed in [[North African campaign|North Africa]], [[European Theater of World War II|Europe]], the [[Pacific Theater of World War II|Pacific]], and the defense of [[North America]] as artillery surveyors, [[Hydrography|hydrographers]], [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious]] engineers, beachmasters (i.e., directors of disembarkation), instructors at service schools, and in a wide variety of technical positions. They also served as reconnaissance surveyors for a worldwide aeronautical charting effort, and a Coast and Geodetic Survey officer was the first [[commanding officer]] of the Army Air Forces Aeronautical Chart Plant at [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Missouri]]. Three officers who remained in Coast and Geodetic Survey service were killed during the war, as were eleven other Survey personnel.<ref name="noaahistorynoaacorps" />

After the war ended in August 1945, the Coast and Geodetic Survey again returned to peacetime scientific duties, although a significant amount of its work in the succeeding years was related to support of military and naval requirements during the [[Cold War]].<ref name="noaahistorynoaacorps" />
===ESSA Corps===
When the Coast and Geodetic Survey was transferred to the newly established [[Environmental Science Services Administration]] on July 13, 1965,<ref name="NOAALegis1965">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.noaa.gov/legacy/act5.html|title=NOAA History - NOAA Legacy/Historic Documents - Reorg Plan Establishing ESSA Under Dept. of Commerce}}</ref> control of the corps was transferred from the Coast and Geodetic Survey to ESSA itself, and accordingly, the corps was redesignated the '''Environmental Science Services Administration Corps''', known informally as the '''ESSA Corps'''. The ESSA Corps retained the responsibility of providing [[Commissioned Officers|commissioned officers]] to operate Coast and Geodetic Survey [[Ship|ships]] and of providing a set of [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]] with technical skills in surveying for incorporation into the [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. armed forces]] during wartime.

Following the establishment of the ESSA, [[Henry Arnold Karo|Rear Admiral H. Arnold Karo]] was [[Promotion (rank)|promoted]] to [[Vice Admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] to help lead the agency. He served as the first Deputy Administrator of ESSA and was the first [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]], and at the time the highest-ranking [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]], in the combined history of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps and ESSA Corps. [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[James C. Tison Jr.]] was the first director of the ESSA Corps.
===NOAA Corps===
The ESSA was replaced by the new [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] on October 3, 1970.<ref name="NOAALegis1970">[http://www.history.noaa.gov/legacy/act6.html Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970, reprinted with amendments in 5 U.S.C. app. at 1557–61]. Section 3(d) states: "The Commissioned Officer Corps of the Environmental Science Services Administration shall become the Commissioned Officer Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."</ref> As a result, the ESSA Corps was redesignated the '''National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps''', known informally as the '''NOAA Corps'''. [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Harley D. Nygren]] was appointed as the first director of the new NOAA Corps.

In 1972, the NOAA Corps became the first [[Uniformed services of the United States|uniformed service of the United States]] to recruit women on the same basis as men,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.noaa.gov/legacy/time1900_2.html|title=NOAA History - NOAA Legacy Timeline - 1970-2000}}</ref> and in that year it commissioned [[Ensign (rank)|Ensign]] [[Pamela Chelgren-Koterba|Pamela Chelgren]], making her the first female commissioned officer.<ref>{{cite book |title=NOAA |date=1972 |publisher=[[U.S. Department of Commerce]] |pages=26–28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nycmAQAAIAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A Woman First |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/18436673/ |accessdate=May 15, 2020 |work=Cumberland News |date=July 7, 1972|via=[[newspapers.com]]}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref name="wia">{{cite news |title=Women in the NOAA Corps |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tz96XwAyiucC |accessdate=May 15, 2020 |work=Women in Action |publisher=[[U.S. Civil Service Commission]] |date=1977}}</ref> In 1977, Chelgren became operations officer aboard the NOAA [[research ship]] {{ship|NOAAS|Peirce}}, making her third-in-command and giving her the highest shipboard posting ever achieved by a woman in the Uniformed Services of the United States up to that time.<ref name="wia" /> On 1 June 2012, the NOAA [[research vessel]] [[RV Gloria Michelle|RV ''Gloria Michelle'']], a boat crewed by two NOAA Corps personnel, became the first vessel in the history of [[NOAA]] or its ancestor organizations to have an all-female crew.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capecodtimes.com/article//20120602/NEWS/206020315|title=NOAA ship leaves Woods Hole with first all-female crew|first=sean|last=teehan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mvtimes.com/2012/06/06/lt-anna-liza-villard-howe-takes-command-noaa-research-vessel-10944/|title=Lt. Anna-Liza Villard-Howe takes command of NOAA research vessel|first=Janet|last=Hefler|date=June 6, 2012}}</ref>

On 2 January 2014, [[Michael S. Devany]] was promoted to [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] upon assuming duties as Deputy Under Secretary for Operations at [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]], becoming only the second [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] in the combined history of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, ESSA Corps, and NOAA Corps, and the first since the promotion of [[Henry Arnold Karo|Vice Admiral Karo]] in 1965.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Adams|first=Amilynn E.|date=2016-12-09|title=NOAA Corps Commissioned Personnel Center|url=https://www.corpscpc.noaa.gov/cyberflash/cyberflash2016/cyb20161209.html|access-date=2021-03-22|website=NOAA Commissioned Personnel Center Cyberflash|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce|language=EN-US}}</ref> On 15 July 2024, [[Nancy A. Hann]] assumed the position of Deputy Under Secretary for Operations, NOAA, and became the third person and first woman to achieve the rank of vice admiral in the combined history of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, ESSA Corps, and NOAA Corps.<ref name="hannpromoted">{{Cite web |last=Blackwell |first=Jasmine |date=2024-06-07 |title=Nancy A. Hann to be promoted to vice admiral and named NOAA deputy under secretary |url=https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/nancy-hann-to-be-promoted-to-vice-admiral-and-named-noaa-deputy-under-secretary |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=www.noaa.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref name="cooper">{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Naomi |date=2024-06-10 |title=Rear Adm. Nancy Hann Selected to Serve as NOAA Deputy Undersecretary of Operations |url=https://executivegov.com/2024/06/rear-adm-nancy-hann-selected-to-serve-as-noaa-deputy-undersecretary-of-operations/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="hansteddy">{{Cite web |last=Hans |first=Teddy |date=2024-06-17 |title=Nancy Hann assumes NOAA deputy undersecretary role; Pesquera Diamante appoints Gustavo Delgado-Aparicio general manager |url=https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/business-finance/nancy-hann-assumes-noaa-deputy-undersecretary-role-pesquera-diamante-appoints-gustavo-delgado-aparicio-as-general-manager |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=www.seafoodsource.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="vadmnancyhannnoaa">{{Cite web |title=Vice Admiral Nancy Hann {{!}} National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |url=https://www.noaa.gov/our-people/leadership/vice-admiral-nancy-hann |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=www.noaa.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref name="vadmnancyhannabout">{{Cite web |title=Vice Admiral Nancy Hann |url=https://www.commerce.gov/about/leadership/vice-admiral-nancy-hann |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=U.S. Department of Commerce |language=en}}</ref>
==Directors of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, ESSA Corps, and NOAA Corps==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! width="25" style="text-align:center" |No.
! width="125" style="text-align:center" |Name
! width="75" style="text-align:center" |Tenure
! width="900" style="text-align:center" |Notes
|-
! colspan="4" |United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps
|-
| style="text-align:center" |1
| style="text-align:center" |[[Ernest Lester Jones|Ernest L. Jones]]{{nowrap|(1876–1929)}}
| style="text-align:center" |1917–1929
|Superintendent (title changed to "Director" in 1919) of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1915 until he died in 1929. As such, led the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps from its creation in 1917 until 1929.<ref name="leaders">{{cite web|title=Leaders of Coast Survey|url=http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/docs/Leaders_of_Coast_Survey.pdf|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=August 29, 2013}}</ref> Was a [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] and [[intelligence officer]] in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] during {{nowrap|World War I.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.noaa.gov/ships/jones.html|title=NOAA History - Tools of the Trade/Ships/C&GS Ships/LESTER JONES|website=www.history.noaa.gov}}</ref>}}
|-
| style="text-align:center" |2
| style="text-align:center" |[[Rear admiral (United States)#Rear admiral|Rear Admiral]][[Raymond Stanton Patton|Raymond S. Patton]]{{nowrap|(1882–1937)}}
| style="text-align:center" |1929–1937
|Director, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, which included leadership of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, from 1929 until he died in 1937. Served as director in the rank of [[Captain (United States O-6)|captain]] until he was promoted to [[Rear admiral (United States)|rear admiral]] in 1936. Was the first [[flag officer]] in Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps history.<ref name="leaders" />
|-
| style="text-align:center" |3
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Leo Otis Colbert|Leo O. Colbert]]{{nowrap|(1883–1968)}}
| style="text-align:center" |1938–1950
|Director, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, from 1938 to 1950, which included leadership of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps.<ref name="leaders" />
|-
| style="text-align:center" |4
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Robert Francis Anthony Studds|Robert F.A. Studds]]{{nowrap|(1896–1962)}}
| style="text-align:center" |1950–1955
|Director, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, from 1950 to 1955, which included leadership of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps.<ref name="leaders" />
|-
| style="text-align:center" |5
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Henry Arnold Karo|H. Arnold Karo]]{{nowrap|(1903–1986)}}
| style="text-align:center" |1955–1965
|Last Director, Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps (1955–1965); served as Director of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. At end of the tour as Director, simultaneously transferred to the new ESSA Corps and received a promotion to [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] on 13 July 1965 to serve as Deputy Administrator, [[Environmental Science Services Administration]] (ESSA), from 1965 to 1967. The first [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]] in the combined history of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps and ESSA Corps officer to achieve the rank of [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]].<ref name="leaders" />
|-
! colspan="5" |United States Environmental Science Services Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (ESSA Corps)
|-
| style="text-align:center" |6
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[James C. Tison Jr.]]{{nowrap|(1908–1991)}}
| style="text-align:center" |1965–1968
|First Director, ESSA Corps. Served simultaneously as Director, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1965–1968).<ref name="leaders" />
|-
| style="text-align:center" |7
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Don A. Jones]]{{nowrap|(1912–2000)}}
| style="text-align:center" |1968–1970
|Last Director, ESSA Corps. Served as Director, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1968–1970). Then served in NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and was the first Director, [[National Ocean Service|National Ocean Survey]], from 1970 to 1972.<ref name="leaders" />
|-
! colspan="4" |National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps)
|-
| style="text-align:center" |8
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Harley D. Nygren]]{{nowrap|(1924–2019)}}
| style="text-align:center" |1970–1981
|First Director, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps<ref>{{cite web|title=C&GS Biographies|url=http://www.history.noaa.gov/cgsbios/bion3.html|work=Profiles in Time NOAA History|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=29 August 2013}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |9
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Kelly E. Taggart]]{{nowrap|(1932–2014)}}
| style="text-align:center" |1981–1986
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=45524|title=Jimmy Carter: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Nomination of Capt. Kelly E. Taggart To Be Director of the Commissioned Officer Corps.}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |10
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Francis D. Moran]]
(b. 1935)
| style="text-align:center" |1986–1990
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=37470|title=Ronald Reagan: Nomination of Rear admiral Francis D. Moran To Be Director of the Commissioned Officer Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |11
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Sigmund R. Petersen]]
| style="text-align:center" |1990–1995
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/b53461e84e2d07795dc5c2b00c93816d|title=Nation's Smallest Service to Get New Leader|website=Associated Press }}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |12
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[William L. Stubblefield]]
(b. 1940)
| style="text-align:center" |1995–1999
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/pr95/may95/stubble.html|title=Rear admiral William Stubblefield Confirmed By Senate As Director Of Office Of NOAA Corps Operations|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806174518/http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/pr95/may95/stubble.html|archive-date=August 6, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |13
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Evelyn J. Fields]]
(b. 1949)
| style="text-align:center" |1999–2003
|The first [[woman]] and first [[African-American]] in the combined history of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, ESSA Corps, and NOAA Corps to serve as director.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases99/july99/noaa99052.html|title=Rear admiral Evelyn J. Fields Formally Assumes Command of Office of NOAA Corps Operations and NOAA Commissioned Corps|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212011311/http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases99/july99/noaa99052.html|archive-date=February 12, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |14
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Samuel P. De Bow, Jr.]]
| style="text-align:center" |2003–2007
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2006/oct06/noaa06-r827.html|title=President Bush Appoints Rear admiral Samuel P. De DeBow Jr. to Mississippi River Commission|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615094357/http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2006/oct06/noaa06-r827.html|archive-date=June 15, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |15
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Jonathan W. Bailey]]
| style="text-align:center" |2007–2012
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-resolution/792|title=H.Res.792 - 112th Congress (2011-2012): Honoring Rear Admiral Jonathan W. Bailey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps for his lifetime of selfless commitment and exemplary service to the United States.|first=Kurt|last=Schrader|date=September 19, 2012|website=www.congress.gov}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |16
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Michael S. Devany]]
| style="text-align:center" |2012–2014
|Promoted to [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] on 2 January 2014, only the second [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]] to achieve that rank in the combined history of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, ESSA Corps, and NOAA Corps, and the first to do so since [[Henry Arnold Karo|Vice Admiral Karo]] in 1965.<ref name=":0" /> After a tour as Director, became Deputy Under Secretary for Operations, [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2014/20140102_devany.html|title=Vice Adm. Devany named NOAA Deputy Under Secretary}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=RADM Michael S. Devany, NOAA Director, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps Director, NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations|url=http://www.omao.noaa.gov/pdffiles/Devany_Bio_New.pdf|publisher=US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=January 10, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215063528/http://www.omao.noaa.gov/pdffiles/Devany_Bio_New.pdf|archive-date=February 15, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |17
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[David A. Score]]
| style="text-align:center" |2014–2017
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Rear Adm. David A. Score to lead NOAA Corps and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations|url=http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2014/20140102_score.html|publisher=US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=January 10, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |18
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Michael J. Silah]]
| style="text-align:center" |2017–2021
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Michael Silah to lead NOAA Corps and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations|date=August 14, 2017 |url=http://www.noaa.gov/media-release/michael-silah-to-lead-noaa-corps-and-office-of-marine-and-aviation-operations|publisher=US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=September 3, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center" |19
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Nancy Hann|Nancy A. Hann]]
| style="text-align:center" |2021–2024
|After a tour as Director, promoted to [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] on 15 July 2024 and became Deputy Under Secretary for Operations, NOAA. First woman and third person to achieve that rank in the combined history of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, ESSA Corps, and NOAA Corps.<ref name="hannpromoted" /><ref name="cooper" /><ref name="hansteddy" /><ref name="vadmnancyhannnoaa" /><ref name="vadmnancyhannabout" />
|-
| style="text-align:center" |20
| style="text-align:center" |Rear Admiral
[[Chad M. Cary]]
| style="text-align:center" |2024–
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Rear Admiral Chad Cary|date=<!--undated--> |url=https://www.omao.noaa.gov/omao/rear-admiral-chad-cary|publisher=US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Marine and Aviation Operations|access-date=September 17, 2024}}</ref>
|}
==Commissioned officers==
===Ranks and insignia===
The NOAA Corps uses the same naval [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned officer]] [[military rank|ranks]] as the [[United States Navy]], [[United States Coast Guard]], and [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]]. While the grade of [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]] has been established as a rank in the NOAA Corps,<ref name="law.cornell.edu">[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/37/201-] 10 USC 201. Pay grades: assignment to; general rules</ref> the rank has not been [[Authorization|authorized]] for use by the [[United States Congress]].<ref name="ranks">[http://beta.congress.gov/bill/112th/senate-bill/2388/text] S.2388 – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Amendments Act of 2012</ref> Current NOAA Corps ranks rise from [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]] to [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/noaa-corps/about/heraldry|title=Heraldry &#124; Office of Marine and Aviation Operations|website=www.omao.noaa.gov}}</ref><ref name="ranks" /> [[U.S. uniformed services pay grades|pay grades]] O-1 through O-9, respectively, although the rank of [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] has been used only rarely in the history of the NOAA Corps and its predecessors.

Unless already on active duty as a commissioned officer in any of the other U.S. [[Uniformed services of the United States|uniformed services]] and transferring their commission from that service, new NOAA Corps officers are appointed via [[Direct commission officer|direct commission]] and must complete a 19-week basic officer training class (BOTC)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/noaa-corps/join/basic-training|title=Basic Officer Training|website=www.omao.noaa.gov}}</ref> at the United States Coast Guard Officer Candidate School at the [[United States Coast Guard Academy]] before entering active duty.

NOAA Corps officers receive the same [[United States Military Pay|pay]] as other members of the U.S. uniformed services. They cannot hold a dual commission with another U.S. uniformed service, but inter-service transfers sometimes are permitted from other services via {{USC|10|716}}.

Unlike their [[United States Armed Forces]] counterparts, NOAA Corps officers do not require their rank appointments and promotions to be confirmed by the [[United States Senate]], and only require approval from the [[President of the United States|president]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=S.679 - Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011, 112th Congress (2011-2012)|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/679?|access-date=2021-10-20|website=U.S. Congress|language=en}}</ref>
{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0 12px 12px 0; text-align:center;"
{{United States uniformed services pay grades/officer/blank}}
{{Ranks and Insignia of NATO Navies/OF/United States (NOAA)}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Abbreviation
| colspan=4| 
| colspan=2| VADM
| colspan=2| RADM
| colspan=2| RDML
| colspan=2| CAPT
| colspan=2| CDR
| colspan=2| LCDR
| colspan=2| LT
| colspan=3| LTJG
| colspan=3| ENS
{{Ranks and Insignia of NATO Navies/OF/Blank}}
|}
===Rank flags===
NOAA Corps [[flag officer]]s are authorized the use of rank flags.

{{gallery|mode=|whitebg=y|height=100
|File:NOAA Vice Admiral Flag.png|{{center|Flag of a NOAA Corps<br/>[[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]]}}
|File:NOAA Rear Admiral (upper half) Flag.png|{{center|Flag of a NOAA Corps<br/>[[Rear admiral (United States)|rear admiral]]}}
|File:NOAA Rear Admiral (lower half) Flag.png|{{center|Flag of a NOAA Corps<br/>[[Rear admiral (United States)|rear&nbsp;admiral (lower&nbsp;half)]]}}
}}{{Clear}}
===Militarization===
NOAA Corps officers can be militarized by the [[President of the United States]] under the provisions of {{USC|33|3061}}, which states:{{quote|The President may, whenever in the judgment of the President a sufficient national emergency exists, transfer to the service and jurisdiction of a military department such vessels, equipment, stations, and officers of the Administration as the President considers to be in the best interest of the country. An officer of the Administration transferred under this section, shall, while under the jurisdiction of a military department, have proper military status and shall be subject to the laws, regulations, and orders for the government of the Army, Navy, or Air Force, as the case may be, insofar as the same may be applicable to persons whose retention permanently in the military service of the United States is not contemplated by law.<ref>{{Cite web|title=33 U.S. Code § 3061 - Cooperation with and transfer to military departments|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/33/3061|access-date=2022-01-03|website=LII / Legal Information Institute|language=en}}</ref>}}
==Uniforms==
For formal [[Service uniform|service uniforms]], the NOAA Corps wears the same [[Uniforms of the United States Navy#Service Dress|Service Dress Blues]] and Service Dress Whites as the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]], but with NOAA Corps [[insignia]] in place of [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] [[insignia]]. For daily [[Uniform|work uniforms]], the NOAA Corps wears the same [[Operational Dress Uniform]] (ODU) as the [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]], but with NOAA Corps [[insignia]] in place of [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] [[insignia]].<gallery class="center">
File:NOAA Corps Combination Cap device.png|NOAA Corps Combination Cap Device
File:NOAA Corps Device.png|NOAA Corps Device
File:ODU2.JPG|An ODU [[uniform]] [[Baseball cap|ball cap]], with [[Lieutenant Commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]] rank [[insignia]]
File:Botc112 group.jpg|NOAA Corps [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]] wearing [[Service Dress Blue|service dress blues]]
</gallery>
==Awards and decoration==
{{main|Awards and decorations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}
==Flag==
[[File:Flag of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.svg|thumb|300px|alt=A blue flag with a circle, triangle, and bird centered on it|NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps flag]]Although the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and ESSA had their own flags, neither the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps or ESSA Corps did. The NOAA Corps adopted its flag on 7 March 2002, the last of the then-seven uniformed services of the United States to have its own distinctive flag.<ref name="crwflags">{{cite web |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us~noaa.html |title=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (U.S.) |access-date=8 November 2022 |date=2015-04-04 |website=Flags of the World }}</ref>

The flag has a [[navy blue]] background.<ref name="crwflags" /> Centered on the background is a white circle inscribed with "NOAA COMMISSIONED CORPS" and "1917", the latter referring to the year of the founding of the NOAA Corps's original ancestor, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps. A red triangle symbolizing the discipline of [[triangulation]] used in [[hydrographic survey]]ing — as a similar triangle does in the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, ESSA, and NOAA flags and the [[commission pennant]]s flown by Coast and Geodetic Survey and NOAA vessels — lies within the circle,<ref name="crwflags" /> and the NOAA Corps insignia is set within the triangle.<ref name="crwflags" /> The flag is displayed in accordance with the customs and traditions of the uniformed services of the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 11, 2021 |orig-date=March 15, 2015 |title=NAO 201-6 A: Official Flags of NOAA |url=https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-201-6-official-flags-of-noaa |access-date=8 November 2022 |website=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref>
==Official song==
{{main|Music of the NOAA Corps}}In 1988, the NOAA Corps adopted a [[March (music)|march]], "Forward with NOAA,"  as its first official service song.<ref>{{cite web |title=Forward With NOAA (NOAA Corps Song) |url=https://www.omao.noaa.gov/find/media/audio/forward-noaa-noaa-corps-song |date=June 12, 2019 |website=Office of Marine and Aviation Operations |publisher=[[NOAA]] |accessdate=July 25, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190726065815/https://www.omao.noaa.gov/find/media/audio/forward-noaa-noaa-corps-song |archive-date= Jul 26, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title='Post' Discovers U.S. Agencies' Marching Songs |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=14191429 |accessdate=July 25, 2019 |work=[[National Public Radio|NPR]] |date=September 5, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=NOAA: The Musical |url=https://www.govexec.com/federal-news/2007/09/noaa-the-musical/37795/ |website=govexec.com |date=September 5, 2007 |publisher=Government Executive Magazine |accessdate=July 26, 2019}}</ref> In 2017 it adopted a [[sea chanty]], "Into the Oceans and the Air," as its new official service song.<ref name="n1">{{cite web |title=Message from the Deputy Director |url=https://www.corpscpc.noaa.gov/cyberflash/cyberflash2017/cyb20170616.html |website=noaa.gov |publisher=[[NOAA]] |accessdate=July 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. Coast Guard Band Presents "In Storm and Sunshine" on Sunday |url=https://www.norwichbulletin.com/entertainmentlife/20170615/us-coast-guard-band-presents-in-storm-and-sunshine-on-sunday |accessdate=July 26, 2019 |work=[[Norwich Bulletin]] |date=June 15, 2017}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement]]
*[[NOAA ships and aircraft]]<!---==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
{{reflist|group=note}}--->
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{sisterlinks|d=yes|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|f=no|species=no|s=no|q=no|c=Category:NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps|wikt=no}}
*
{{Official}}
{{Uniformed services of the United States}} {{United States Department of Commerce}} {{US armed forces insignia navigation}} {{authority control}}