The Submarine Engineering Duty Insignia is a badge of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 which is issued to Engineering Duty Officers who have been designated as qualified in submarines through a program administered by the Naval Sea Systems Command

Naval Sea Systems Command

The Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the U.S. Navy's five "systems commands," or materiel organizations...

. The badge is a variation of the Submarine Warfare insignia

Submarine Warfare insignia

The Submarine Warfare Insignia is a uniform breast pin worn by enlisted men and officers of the United States Navy to indicate that they are qualified in submarines. The Submarine Warfare Insignia is considered one of the Navy's three major warfare pins along with the Surface Warfare Badge and...

 and portrays a propeller

Propeller

A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...

 blade (Engineering Duty Officers Community insigina) flanked by two dolphins (Submarine Warfare Community insignia).

The Engineering Duty Officer Community ensures that U.S. Naval and Joint Forces operate and fight with the most capable platforms possible. Naval Engineers are involved with the design, acquisition, construction, repair, maintenance, conversion, overhaul, and disposal of ships, submarines, aircraft carriers and the systems on those platforms (weapons, command and control, communications, computers, etc.). Engineering Duty Officers are unique to the navy because the majority of Engineering Duty Officers start their career as Unrestricted Line (URL) officers. First, they learn how to operate ships or submarines. Next, they obtain technical/engineering masters degrees. Then, Engineering Duty Officers combine that operational experience and technical knowledge to become the technical business leaders for the navy.

A small number of highly-qualified individuals receive direct commissions as Engineering Duty Officers. In order to be considered, these individuals must already have an MS or PhD in engineering or a "hard" science; in exceptional cases, a Professional Engineer's license may be substituted for this requirement, provided that the individual then obtains an MS or PhD. Selection for an Engineering Duty direct commission is very competitive, with only approximately 20 individuals selected from across the US each year.

The Submarine Engineering Duty Insignia is only authorized to those officers who are members of the Engineering Duty Officer community who complete advanced training in submarine design/engineering, construction, quality control, combat system, nuclear marine propulsion

Nuclear marine propulsion

Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship by a nuclear reactor. Naval nuclear propulsion is propulsion that specifically refers to naval warships...

, watertight integrity control, nuclear/non-nuclear systems testings, and systems management and analysis.

The Submarine Engineering Duty Insignia is only awarded after a service member completes the Submarine Engineering Duty Officer PQS (Personal Qualification Standards) which tests engineering knowledge in submarine design, operations, and maintenance. Those receiving the Submarine Engineering Duty Insignia are qualified as the Navy's lead submarine engineering experts.

See also

• List of United States Navy enlisted warfare designations
• Badges of the United States Navy
  Badges of the United States Navy
  Insignia and badges of the United States Navy are military "badges" issued by the United States Department of the Navy to naval service members who achieve certain qualifications and accomplishments while serving on both active and reserve duty in the United States Navy...
  
  
• Military badges of the United States
  Military badges of the United States
  Military badges of the United States are awards authorized by the United States armed forces that signify rating, qualification, or accomplishment in several career fields, and also serve as identification devices for personnel occupying certain assignments. Personal recognition is granted to...
  
  
• Obsolete badges of the United States military
  Obsolete badges of the United States military
  Obsolete badges of the United States military are a number of U.S. military insignia which were issued in the early 20th century leading up to and including badges issued during the Second World War. Such badges were eventually phased out of the United States armed forces in favor of the modern...
  
  
• Uniforms of the United States Navy
  Uniforms of the United States Navy
  This article examines dress uniforms, daily service uniforms, working uniforms, special situations, and the history of uniforms of the United States Navy...