Please correct me if I’m wrong, but for a Cryptologic Technician Sailor seeking a commission as a Cryptologic Warfare Officer (1810), there is a very narrow window of opportunity—one that effectively excludes most second class (PO2) and first class petty officers (PO1). Sailors who are no longer eligible for the U.S. Naval Academy or Officer Candidate School often find themselves waiting until they reach Chief Petty Officer (E-7) with at least 14 years of service before another pathway becomes available. Reestablishing the Limited Duty Officer (LDO) program would help close this gap, providing deserving Sailors a viable path to a commission while also strengthening technical expertise within the 1810 wardroom.

Below are the current requirements:

Officer Candidate School (OCS):

Navy Cryptologic Technicians applying for the 1810 Cryptologic Warfare Officer program via OCS must have no more than 5 years of total active service (or cumulative inactive service) at the time of application. Applicants must be at least 18 and no older than 42 at commissioning. A bachelor’s degree is required, with a minimum 3.0 GPA (STEM preferred).

U.S. Naval Academy:

To be eligible for the U.S. Naval Academy, Sailors must be under 23 years old. While specific guidelines on time-in-service may vary, most enlisted-to-officer accession programs limit applicants to no more than 5 years of total active service.

Chief Warrant Officer (CWO):

Cryptologic Technicians applying for U.S. Navy CWO programs (typically 781X or 782X) must be E-7 through E-9 and have between 14 and 22 years of service.

Seaman To Admiral (STA-21) is not authorized for 1810.