Limited Duty Officers Limited Duty Officers

Limited Duty Officers (LDOs) are technically oriented officers in specific occupational fields. They are experts and leaders in the Navy enlisted rating or Marine Corps enlisted MOS from which they came. LDOs are considered more the officer and less the technician as compared to the chief warrant officer (CWO).

The Limited Duty Officer Program provides commissioning opportunities to qualified senior enlisted personnel and Chief Warrant Officers (CWOs). The program is a 4-week program of instruction delivered to prior senior enlisted Sailors who are commissioned based on extensive training and experience in their jobs.

LDOs are limited to performing their duties within their specific field. The greatest number of LDOs are appointed for limited service in the line in specialties similar to those of warrant officers. A lesser number are appointed in the Supply, Hospital and Civil Engineer Corps.

The LDO community was created as a relatively small, elite group of officers that retained their specialties acquired as enlisted men and Warrant Officers.

Applicants for the Limited Duty Officer Program must meet the following criteria: Be between the ages of 17 and 41 Pass the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) medical exam Meet the physical, mental and moral standards of the Navy Have no more than 20 years of active naval service as of 1 March 2023