Unrestricted Line Officers are Officers of the Line in the U.S. Navy who are qualifed to command ships and aviation squadrons. They come from various communities within the navy, including Surface Warfare, Submarine Warfare, Aviation, and Special Warfare. In contrast to Limited Duty Officers, Unrestricted Line Officers are generally required to have at least a Bachelor's Degree. They are commissioned through either the Naval Academy, Navy ROTC, Officer Candidate School, and the Seaman to Admiral-21 program.

History

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Originally, there were two kinds of officers on a ship, the commanding officers, who were "gentlemen" and commanded the ship, and the warrant officers, who were technical specialists who ran important tasks. In the Nineteenth Century, with the introduction of steam power, a third group of officers developed, engineers, who ran the steam plant. As the technology developed, the engineers were requesting more rights, including command. Eventually, this dispute led the Department of the Navy to abolish the differences between the groups, amalgamating them into Unrestriced Line Officers. This fact can lead to confusion with non-American naval personnel, lacking the division between the two groups. The Russian Navy is an example of one with a difference between Deck and Engineer officers.

United States Navy