They put nuclear power to a greater use, operating the most advanced Fleet of submarines and aircraft carriers in the world. They pursue the highest degree of intellectual and personal challenges imaginable in their field. They assume the kind of leadership roles that even their most talented peers wait years to take on.
They are NavyNukes — the elite men and women who push the limits of nuclear propulsion technology in today’s Navy. And for college students, there’s a way to reserve a place among them, a path that ensures the chance to experience what NavyNukes experience at the forefront of nuclear science application, research and breakthroughs. It’s a proving ground known as the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate (NUPOC) program.
Take this rare opportunity to enter the classified world of Navy Nuclear Propulsion. Venture behind the scenes to meet NavyNukes, learn about their intense training process through nuclear power or reactors school, and see what everyday life is like serving as top professionals in any of four exciting nuclear-based fields.
Get a feel for what NavyNukes do, where they do it and why they love the work. Get a sense of the kind of cutting-edge capabilities that could be under your command — as well as the historical achievements of the nuclear Navy.
Think you’re up to the challenge of becoming a Navynuke? Think you have that (X) factor we’re searching for? See what it’s like to be part of this truly mind-boggling equation.
What is it that sets a NavyNuke apart from the rest? Focused intellect with the ability to think outside the box. Unrelenting passion to answer the questions others find incomprehensible. Demonstrated leadership — whatever the challenge, whatever form it takes.
The Navy takes those with intelligence, character and motivation and channels all that into real-world applications. Skills are nurtured. Creative problem-solving is encouraged. Opportunities to grow and control the path your career takes are readily available. Whether it’s continuing education, world-class facilities or professional funding, the infrastructure is already in place.
After fulfilling an initial commitment of four to five years, you could use your invaluable experience to pursue esteemed leadership, research, teaching and advisory positions in the Navy. Or you could pursue any of the multitude of possibilities that await former Nuclear Officers in the civilian world.
As a NavyNuke, you’ll be in good company. Working with great minds like your own. Part of something bigger than yourself. Now meet some of the outstanding NavyNukes who are making a name for themselves in the diverse areas of Navy Nuclear Propulsion.
Imagine being in your early to mid-twenties and assuming control of a $1.5 billion warship. In the Navy, this fantasy is a reality for many Submarine Officers. Their stealth, observation and aptitude have led to years of successful conflict deterrence. If you have the ambition and mind set to be part of this elite group, consider pursuing the exciting and demanding career of a Submarine Officer.
Only a select group of disciplined and committed Officers are given the opportunity to lead an entire crew and command some of the most technologically advanced equipment in the world. Submarines are the cornerstone of the Navy’s conflict avoidance and resolution, and naturally, the Officers who man these ships are held to the highest of standards and have extraordinary roles and responsibilities.
Much of the initial time Submarine Officers spend on board is devoted to learning and overseeing the day-to-day operations of a nuclear-powered submarine. Upon mastering this operation, junior Officers learn more about communications, navigation, armament capabilities, and the tactical deployment of the submarine.
Submarine Officers command, manage, and operate the Fleet’s attack, ballistic missile and guided missile submarines, as well as ensure that all the ship’s systems run smoothly — from atmosphere control and nuclear propulsion systems to fire control and weapons systems. They may also be in charge of the safe operation of a nuclear reactor, maintaining their ship’s weapons, charting the ship’s position and operating communications and intelligence equipment.
Whether on a covert, classified mission or a typical day of operation, Submarine Officers gain valuable lifelong experiences, advanced nuclear training and a sense of responsibility. These responsibilities provide unique experiences in leadership and in managing people and time — attributes beneficial in either a career within the Navy or in the civilian sector.
Upon completion of Officer Candidate School (OCS), newly commissioned Submarine Officers can expect an advanced training process that includes classroom study, field experience and the application of their comprehensive training in settings at sea and ashore.
Through Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC), Officers will attend Nuke Power School in Charleston, South Carolina. This 24-week graduate-level course of intensive study covers a variety of science and technology-based subjects from ordinary and partial differential equations to thermodynamics to reactor dynamics. NNPS provides the foundation of knowledge necessary for a theoretical understanding of nuclear propulsion.
Often referred to as Prototype, this 26-week phase of the learning process involves hands-on training at one of two NPTUs — in either Charleston, South Carolina, or Ballston Spa, New York — where there are several reactor prototypes in operation. Here, Officers apply the concepts learned at Nuke Power School — studying systems and components of a nuclear propulsion plant and working with all the associated systems of a full-scale operating plant. The training culminates with qualification as Engineering Officer of the Watch.
During this 12-week course that takes place in New London, Connecticut, Officers learn all about submarine operations, including safety, damage control, seamanship and the responsibilities of leading an advanced submarine crew as a division Officer, before reporting to an assigned submarine. Officers may receive an additional six weeks of advanced training through the strategic weapons system course at Trident Training Facilities in either Kings Bay, Georgia, or Bangor, Washington.
Next comes an assignment as a division Officer on a submarine, managing a team of highly trained Enlisted Submariners. Here, Officers are working toward a personal submarine qualification program that culminates in being designated as “Qualified in Submarines” — earning the right to wear the coveted Gold Dolphins insignia and take on all the responsibilities that go with it. This is a three-year tour alternating between deployments, patrols, days in port, maintenance, local operations and leave.
After the first sea tour comes a shore assignment lasting approximately two years. In this role, Officers fill positions anywhere from Nuke Power School to Prototype to Submarine School. Others may be selected to serve on high-level staffs, commands and strategic projects, or they may elect to work in recruitment positions or further their education at Naval Postgraduate School (NPGS). The ultimate goal for many: to one day command their own submarine.
Back to Top >>The U.S. Navy operates some of the world’s most technically advanced equipment, the mainstay of which is a vast fleet of aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, dock landing ships and other surface vessels. These ships and their crews are commanded and managed by a top-notch group of drivers and fighters — the Navy’s Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs). If you have the ability to take charge and have strong leadership skills, take command of your future as a Surface Warfare Officer trained in the fundamentals of nuclear propulsion.
While Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) are involved in nearly every aspect of a Navy mission, their ultimate goal and primary focus is to command a Navy surface ship. The highly specialized nuclear training SWOs receive prepares them to lead the Navy’s nuclear-powered vessels. While aboard the world’s most powerful warships, these intelligent, goal-driven individuals manage other Sailors to successfully maintain and operate the ship’s systems.
While at sea, Surface Warfare Officers are in charge of numerous shipboard operations and activities, ranging from antiair, submarine and surface warfare support to supplying combatant ships with fuel, ammunition and food to providing repair, maintenance and rescue capabilities through fleet support ships. Aboard multimillion-dollar aircraft carriers, they also provide and coordinate air defense, as well as transport vehicles, cargo and troops.
Throughout their time on board a ship, Surface Warfare Officers are put in charge of a division and are responsible for ensuring that the people in their division remain highly functional. What’s more, it is their responsibility that equipment runs smoothly and that all required tasks are completed on time to ensure that the ship is mission-ready as scheduled. These day-to-day tasks lead to an incredible lifelong sense of responsibility for most Officers.
Surface Warfare Officers receive valuable nuclear training that often directly transfers to civilian careers in executive-level management as well as many technology and high-tech specialty systems. Proof positive that their ability to command leads to a lifetime of success and respect.
Upon completion of Officer Candidate School (OCS), newly commissioned Surface Warfare Officers can expect an advanced training process that includes classroom study, field experience and the application of their comprehensive training in settings at sea and ashore.
During this 20-week course that takes place in Newport, Rhode Island, Officers learn all about surface force combat systems, tactical concepts, propulsion systems (gas, turbine, diesel and steam), maneuvering, navigation, personnel administration, shipboard organization and the responsibilities of leading teams of Sailors as a division Officer before reporting to an assigned conventional surface ship.
Next comes assignment as a division Officer on a conventional surface ship, commanding a team of Sailors responsible for a certain component of the ship — anything from electronics to weapons to engineering systems. Here, Officers are working toward Surface Warfare qualification — earning the right to wear the coveted Surface Warfare Officer insignia and taking on all the responsibilities that go with it. This is an 18-month tour alternating between deployments, patrols, days in port, maintenance, local operations and leave.
Through Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC), Officers will attend Nuke Power School in Charleston, South Carolina. This 24-week graduate-level course of intensive study covers a variety of science and technology-based subjects: from ordinary and partial differential equations to thermodynamics to reactor dynamics. NNPS provides the foundation of knowledge necessary for a theoretical understanding of nuclear propulsion.
Often referred to as Prototype, this 26-week phase of the learning process involves hands-on training at one of two NPTUs — in either Charleston, South Carolina, or Ballston Spa, New York — where there are several reactor prototypes in operation. Here, Officers apply the concepts learned at Nuke Power School — studying systems and components of a nuclear propulsion plant and working with all the associated systems of a full-scale operating plant. The training culminates with qualification as Engineering Officer of the Watch.
With proven abilities as a Surface Warfare Officer on a conventional ship and nuclear training, the next assignment is as a division Officer in the engineering plant of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. This is an 18-month tour alternating between deployments, patrols, days in port, maintenance, local operations and leave.
After completing their sea tours, Surface Warfare Officers may fill positions anywhere from Nuke Power School to Prototype to Submarine School. Others may be selected to serve on high-level staffs, commands and strategic projects, or they may elect to work in recruitment positions or further their education at Naval Postgraduate School (NPGS). The ultimate goal for many: to one day command their own ship.
Back to Top >>For Naval Reactors Engineers, the future is now. Responsible for designing, maintaining and operating the world’s most advanced reactor plants, Reactors Engineers stay ahead of the curve in order to remain on the cutting edge of nuclear propulsion at all times. If you like to take control and stay at the forefront of technology, a career as a Naval Reactors Engineer could be ideal for you.
Some of the brightest minds the Navy has to offer work at Naval Reactors (NR) in Washington, D.C., as Engineers. Their intelligence, backgrounds and extensive training provide them with an impressive knowledge of all aspects of nuclear propulsion, as well as the flexibility to move into other technical areas involved in nuclear propulsion work. Simply put, the Naval Reactors Engineers are the best of the best.
While at junior level, Naval Reactors Engineers assume responsibility for various portions of technical work in a variety of state-of-the-art facilities, including two Department of Energy laboratories, six shipyards, two nuclear prototype/training sites, more than 100 nuclear-powered ships, and more than 1,000 firms that support the Naval Reactors Program. It’s this firsthand, on-the-job training that provides them the knowledge needed to excel in the Navy’s rapid-paced nuclear propulsion field.
Typically in charge of several projects at once, Naval Reactors Engineers take part in a number of technical disciplines. They design nuclear reactors and their components. They develop and implement operating, maintenance and refueling procedures for nuclear propulsion plants. They oversee the acquisition, construction, testing and operation of these plants. They sail aboard nuclear-powered vessels and observe propulsion plant performance. No area goes untouched.
Much like the nuclear propulsion field, the working environment at NR is both challenging and rewarding. All Engineers selected for NR assignment are at the top of their class, making up a workforce consisting of the best and brightest technical experts in the country. The attributes acquired at NR are invaluable and will lead to a successful future, whether in the military or the private sector. Few careers can make that claim.
Upon completion of Officer Development School (ODS), newly commissioned Naval Reactors Engineers can expect to spend the next five years overseeing all the shipboard nuclear power plants, shore-based prototypes and nuclear propulsion support facilities in the Navy. The advanced training process they undergo prepares them to join some of the best and brightest technical experts in the country.
Officers have an initial assignment of approximately four to five months receiving preliminary training at the Naval Reactors Headquarters in Washington, D.C. This is followed by approximately two weeks spent gaining a working background at one of the Navy’s land-based prototypes in either Charleston, South Carolina, or Albany, New York.
The next step involves the six-month process of earning a postgraduate-level education in nuclear engineering through the Bettis Reactor Engineering School at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Following Naval Reactors Training, Naval Reactors Engineers are then assigned a Nuclear Engineer position with the group responsible for managing all technical aspects of the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program — planning, approving and confirming the design, operation and maintenance of over 100 nuclear reactors. Engineers start in a junior role under a supervisor and rapidly advance to take on more and more responsibilities.
Back to Top >>The brilliant minds of NavyNukes work in complex ways, seemingly with the greatest of ease. Shaping these individuals are Nuclear Power School Instructors, whose job is to teach nuclear-trained Officers and Enlisted personnel the theories and fundamentals behind the design and operation of Navy nuclear propulsion plants. If teaching is your calling and you want to be part of one of the most prestigious communities in the world today, consider a career as a Naval Nuclear Power School Instructor.
Atomic physics. Thermodynamics. Integral calculus. For many, the sheer thought of these subjects gives reason to shudder. However, for the bright young minds of NavyNukes, these things come easily — thanks to the superb, thorough teaching provided by Nuclear Power School Instructors.
Today’s Power School Instructors train the future Navy nuclear community through a technologically advanced curriculum. From mathematics to physics, chemistry to reactor dynamics and electrical engineering, the subject matter is as intense as it is challenging. And all taught with a sole purpose in mind: to prepare NavyNukes for their work in the fast-paced, competitive nuclear power field.
Nuclear Power School is a 24-week course in science and technology, designed to provide theoretical background knowledge of nuclear power. Nuclear Power Instructors provide detailed knowledge of a pressurized-water Navy nuclear power plant, its reactor core nuclear principles, heat transfer and fluid systems, plant chemistry and materials, mechanical and electrical systems, and radiological control. Typically, there is one instructor per subject on duty each academic night, allowing students requiring additional assistance on their homework or studies to call upon them at any time.
For years, the Naval Nuclear Power School has been widely regarded as one of the most difficult academic programs in the country. At the heart of this program are the extraordinary instructors who shape the equally extraordinary minds of future NavyNukes. And while the course work they teach may be fast-paced and the standards they set may be high, the results Nuclear Power Instructors get in return are worth it.
Upon completion of Officer Development School (ODS), newly commissioned Power School Instructors can expect to spend the next four years teaching future nuclear-trained Officers and Enlisted personnel the theory and fundamentals behind the design and operation of Navy nuclear propulsion plants. But first, they must undergo the same advanced curriculum and training that they will expertly instruct.
Through Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC), Officers attend Nuke Power School in Charleston, South Carolina. This four-month comprehensive course of intensive study in science and technology provides the foundation of knowledge necessary for a theoretical understanding of nuclear propulsion.
While at NNPS, Officers assume an intense workload. The subjects covered at NNPS include:
Upon completion of NNPS, the student becomes the teacher. Power School Instructors then take the lead in administering the technologically advanced curriculum, working closely with both the Officer and Enlisted personnel who come through their classrooms.
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