Nuclear Reactor Engineer: NROTC, NUPOC, or Both?

S

Spankucus

New Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2023
Messages
7
Hello.

Great site, lots of good info. I don't think the below has been asked, given my (poor?) usage of the 'Search' function. If so, feel free to point me to an existing thread.

My high school senior daughter is an inspiring nuclear engineer and military officer, in that order.

Until recently, we had only tracked . . . shall we say, regular nuke officers (understanding, of course, surface vs. sub).

Only recently did Google suddenly show me a reddit post about an apparent third option: nuclear reactor engineers (NREs). As near as I can tell, NREs appear to be a small unit at Washington Yard, charged with sustainment, procurement, R&D, etc., of navel nuclear reactors, rather than the strict operation thereof (i.e., the surface and sub nuke officers).

This is exactly what she is looking for.

So here is my question:

Can a NROTC midshipmen be selected for NRE or is the NRE pipeline solely NUPOC?

Obviously, we'll bump any answer we get here against the recruiters, etc. But I don't need to tell you that many recruiters aren't . . . great . . . and the few we've talked to are fairly uninformed about special programs, like NUPOC, let alone specific career fields. Even the ROTC O-3 we visited on a recent university visit didn't mention NREs. Nor another officer still in the community! So I'm hoping a specific question asked to this august body will give us enough info to ask more pointed/specific questions.

And if you happen to know anything about becoming an NRE or the 'life and times' of an NRE, that'd be great. We live in Northern VA and could easily visit Washington Yard if we just knew who to call . . . . :)

Appreciate the help!
 
Last edited:
Based on this website, it appears that NREs are restricted line officers. The purpose of NROTC is to commission unrestricted line officers, which might be why the NROTC LT didn't mention it. While some restricted line officers commission out of NROTC, the vast majority do not - so the chance that your daughter can commission as a NRE through NROTC may be small.

Edit: Edit: Upon further research it looks like the traditional pathway to becoming an NRE is through NUPOC, then attending ODS.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20230903-194236.png
    Screenshot_20230903-194236.png
    414.8 KB · Views: 6
Last edited:
NUPOC path is often mentioned here as an alternate path to a commission if the candidate knows they want one of the nuke officer communities. There are a couple of different officer communities available - some are mainstream Fleet such as submarine or nuke SWO. It’s not an NROTC path, which is why is is attractive to many - not so much of that “military stuff” until later. NRE is a very small community, not well-known, precisely because of its mission and DC-centric location. There were NUPOCs in my Navy OCS class in Newport in the last century, and that’s how they got their commission. Now they go to a similar school in Newport, ODS, as the entry-level commissioning program.

Your daughter should talk to a NUPOC recruiter - has she? The friendly enlisted recruiters in your nearby local shopping area office will know little about it, and it’s not their mission. Ditto most officers at an NROTC unit.

Officer recruiters for specialty programs work out of regional recruiting staffs, called NTAGS. Here is the link to the directory. If your daughter calls them, introduces herself and says she wants to talk to an officer recruiter who handles NUPOC, I think she will find one. I would start with the one in Richmond.
www.navycs.com

Navy Talent Acquisition Group Addresses

Navy Talent Acquisition Group, formerly known as Navy Recruiting District, address, Unit Identification Code and Web site listing.
www.navycs.com

I hope she has found:
www.navy.com

Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program | Navy.com

The NUPOC program is a collegiate path for engineers to join the U.S. Navy as officers in the Nuclear Propulsion Program. Earn a full-time salary while studying. Learn more about this opportunity now!
www.navy.com www.navy.com

www.navy.com

U.S. Navy Reactor Engineering Careers | Navy.com

The most powerful energy sources in the world need the most powerful minds. Set the standard in nuclear reactor regulation as a Naval Reactors Engineer.
www.navy.com www.navy.com





Here’s the big thing, as I understand it, about NRE as an officer community career path: they do their 5 years initial commitment in DC, and then their obligation and uniformed time is done. They move on to private sector or federal service with a solid engineering background. That’s why your average person in the Fleet doesn’t know much about them. I met plenty of people with a NUPOC background during my career, but met an NRE quite by accident in the waiting room at Walter Reed NMMC. They are naval officers in terms of military status, benefits, etc., but are in a very specific program with a specific career arc in terms of time. After 5 years, there is no further promotion opportunity or career path, again, as I understand it. It’s a very small community that most Fleet officers are only peripherally aware of, because of the nature of their community mission. No doubt it suits some perfectly, which is the idea. The Navy gets the warm junior officer engineering bodies it needs; the officer gets college help and a strong start to an engineering career.

The best thing to do is for her to speak directly with an officer recruiter who handles NUPOC, as a first step.

And welcome new member of a day!
 
Last edited:
Great info. Really appreciate it.

To answer the question about talking to a NUPOC recruiter, the answer is 'Apparently, not!' No one, recruiter or quasi-recruiter (i.e., ROTC det, guys already in the career field, etc.) has referred us to a 'special' NUPOC recruiter. Even the official site doesn't so refer! So I appreciate Capt MJ's pointing to the NTAGs, a thing largely unknown to us until now.

Also, for others looking here, I found the 'official' NTAG website here.

We'll definitely need to make a few calls Tuesday, starting with the Richmond office. And I suppose if we strike out at Richmond, just proceed to the next until we find someone conversant in the NRE pipeline.

While it *seems* NUPOC is the typical NRE pathway, it also seems NROTC could be potential route. The advantage to NROTC would be a four-year scholarship known before she goes to college OR knowing that something medical from left field forecloses/challenges any uniformed path (can't imagine what, but one need not go far for such stories!) before we start racking up college bills. Plus all the specific experiences that come with NROTC, that I have to think would only improve her greater Navy situational awareness (and probably life experiences!) before being closeted away with the 40 lbs brain folk in Washington Yard for five years :)

Waiting 1.5 years and rolling the dice on NUPOC presents a higher risk profile -- especially that 'left field medical' risk. And seems to lack access to the above life/Navy experiences. BUT, NUPOC would ensure a nuke billet and (likely) a higher chance of being selected for NRE. Plus, the NUPOC financial benefits appear to outweigh NROTC, including starting her 'federal years of service' clock whilst still in school. Though maybe this is a bit of wash when the comparison is a four-year NROTC scholarship (vice 3 year, 2 year, etc.).

Thanks for the help. More to follow as the Journey Continues!
 
Last edited:
Spankucus said:
Great info. Really appreciate it.

To answer the question about talking to a NUPOC recruiter, the answer is 'Apparently, not!' No one, recruiter or quasi-recruiter (i.e., ROTC det, guys already in the career field, etc.) has referred us to a 'special' NUPOC recruiter. Even the official site doesn't so refer! So I appreciate Capt MJ's pointing to the NTAGs, a thing largely unknown to us until now.

Also, for others looking here, I found the 'official' NTAG website here.

We'll definitely need to make a few calls Tuesday, starting with the Richmond office. And I suppose if we strike out at Richmond, just proceed to the next until we find someone conversant in the NRE pipeline.

While it *seems* NUPOC is the typical pathway, it also seems NROTC could be potential route. The advantage to NROTC would be a four-year scholarship known before she goes to college OR knowing that something medical from left field forecloses/challenges any path (can't imagine what, but one need not go far for such stories!) before we start racking up college bills. Plus all the specific experiences that come with NROTC, that I have to think would only improve her greater Navy situational awareness (and probably life experiences!) before being closeted away with the 40 lbs brain folk in Washington Yard for five years :)

Waiting 1.5 years and rolling the dice on NUPOC presents a higher risk profile -- especially that 'left field medical' risk. And seems to lack access to the above life/Navy experiences. BUT, NUPOC would ensure a nuke billet and (likely) a higher chance of being selected for NRE. Plus, the NUPOC financial benefits appear to outweigh NROTC, including starting her 'federal years of service' clock whilst still in school. Though maybe this is a bit of wash when the comparison is a four-year NROTC scholarship (vice 3 year, 2 year, etc.).

Thanks for the help. More to follow as the Journey Continues!
Click to expand...
When you contact the Richmond office, you may want to see if they can connect you with a Senior Chief Aaron Ausen. His specialty is NROTC but he is a Navy Career Counselor by trade and he knows a lot about all the various career paths.

You can drop my name if you like and let him know I said he is a straight shooter.
 
Spankucus said:
Great info. Really appreciate it.

To answer the question about talking to a NUPOC recruiter, the answer is 'Apparently, not!' No one, recruiter or quasi-recruiter (i.e., ROTC det, guys already in the career field, etc.) has referred us to a 'special' NUPOC recruiter. Even the official site doesn't so refer! So I appreciate Capt MJ's pointing to the NTAGs, a thing largely unknown to us until now.

Also, for others looking here, I found the 'official' NTAG website here.

We'll definitely need to make a few calls Tuesday, starting with the Richmond office. And I suppose if we strike out at Richmond, just proceed to the next until we find someone conversant in the NRE pipeline.

While it *seems* NUPOC is the typical pathway, it also seems NROTC could be potential route. The advantage to NROTC would be a four-year scholarship known before she goes to college OR knowing that something medical from left field forecloses/challenges any path (can't imagine what, but one need not go far for such stories!) before we start racking up college bills. Plus all the specific experiences that come with NROTC, that I have to think would only improve her greater Navy situational awareness (and probably life experiences!) before being closeted away with the 40 lbs brain folk in Washington Yard for five years :)

Waiting 1.5 years and rolling the dice on NUPOC presents a higher risk profile -- especially that 'left field medical' risk. And seems to lack access to the above life/Navy experiences. BUT, NUPOC would ensure a nuke billet and (likely) a higher chance of being selected for NRE. Plus, the NUPOC financial benefits appear to outweigh NROTC, including starting her 'federal years of service' clock whilst still in school. Though maybe this is a bit of wash when the comparison is a four-year NROTC scholarship (vice 3 year, 2 year, etc.).

Thanks for the help. More to follow as the Journey Continues!
Click to expand...
A note of caution - your daughter should speak/visit the NROTC unit recruiter to get clarity on which nuke officer specialties are available out of NROTC. I believe it is likely just nuke sub and nuke surface warfare, which are unrestricted line communities. Without going into the major groupings of officer warfare communities, USNA and NROTC mission parameter is to produce primarily URL officers, not restricted line (RL) or Staff Corps (JAG, Med Corps, Civil Engineering, etc. You can have some fun looking at the MyNavyHR site for deep dive. I believe NRE is RL, only available by direct commission path/NUPOC.

The officer recruiters who work out of an NTAG recruit for a variety of officer programs which use direct commissioning routes, ODS, OCS, certain college programs, scholarship or grad school programs - Health Professional Scholarship Program, CEC program, etc. Your daughter should ask for an officer recruiter she can speak to about the NUPOC program, specifically the NRE officer community. She should not be surprised if she talks with an aviator and not necessarily a nuke engineer. Recruiting is a general duty assignment. I was recruited for Navy OCS by two aviators working college career day fairs in NC and SC, working out of what was then called Naval Recruiting District (NRD) Raleigh. Years later, I was temp assigned to NRD LA (NTAG Pacific now) as a special investigator on some enlisted fraudulent recruiting complaints. They gave me a desk in the officer recruiter area. Those folks were extremely busy, going to BSN nursing programs, engineering schools, etc.
 
Last edited:
GWU PNS said:
When you contact the Richmond office, you may want to see if they can connect you with a Senior Chief Aaron Ausen. His specialty is NROTC but he is a Navy Career Counselor by trade and he knows a lot about all the various career paths.

You can drop my name if you like and let him know I said he is a straight shooter.
Click to expand...
Oh GWU PNS, you are an Emeritus now, so if we look on the GWU NROTC leadership page, your smiling face and name are no longer there. We shall have to refer to you as “He Who Recently Retired as a Distinguished Navy Captain” from that role.
 
Just realized that saying GWU PNS probably won't mean much. Capt Meyers will do when talking with the senior chief although he will probably know me as the former GWU PNS. Or it could be lile Voldemort.....he who's name must not be spoken.
 
Capt MJ said:
A note of caution - your daughter should speak/visit the NROTC unit recruiter to get clarity on which nuke officer specialties are available out of NROTC. I believe it is likely just nuke sub and nuke surface warfare, which are unrestricted line communities.
Click to expand...

Noted, though I fear the answer from the LTs will be a shrug and 'I dunno' without further referral/options as we sort of got that from the last NROTC det LT we talked to when trying to dig into the nuke field. Certainly worth an ask, though. And can elevate if we're at the stage of needing concert answers.

Hopefully, though, we'll find a SuperStar at an NTAG that'll know the options clearly (even if the det doesn't). Or perhaps refers us to the NUPOC program manager for the 'Real Answer'. After all, I suspect that if a midshipman puts in for NUPOC and wows the board with a solid test, great interviews, and stellar Freshmen grades, someone will find a way. Still, shouldn't bet on an exception. So we'll engage as many targets as we can to see/know the options.
 
Last edited:
GWU PNS said:
Just realized that saying GWI PNS probably won't mean much. Capt Meyers will do when talking with the senior chief although he will probably know me as the former GWU PNS. Or it could be lile Voldemort.....he who's name must not be spoken.
Click to expand...

I figured I would just use the 'CAPT Kevin Meyers' in your footer :)

Though he might get a kick out of knowing a guy on the internet referred me to him!
 
Oh - just to broaden the idea of service - with her engineering bent - she should dive into the concept of federal civil service to the country. Take a look at the SMART STEM scholarship.

www.dodstem.us

Opportunities | DoD STEM

DoD STEM seeks to attract, inspire, and develop exceptional STEM talent across the education continuum and advance the current DoD STEM workforce to meet future defense technological challenges.
www.dodstem.us www.dodstem.us


And here’s the broad sweep of URL officer warfare communities available out of NROTC:

I am 99.99% sure NRE is not a choice out of NROTC. I always allow for the “needs of the Navy,” and if someone suddenly become NPQ medically for deployment, they were already approved for the nuke sub/SWO pipeline, and there was a room and great need in the NRE community at exactly that moment that outweighed a need elsewhere, and it made sense to offer that opportunity, it might happen.
 
Last edited:
Spankucus said:
I figured I would just use the 'CAPT Kevin Meyers' in your footer :)

Though he might get a kick out of knowing a guy on the internet referred me to him!
Click to expand...
He will enjoy that. He may nervously ask if I gave out his personal cell number......but he should know I'm not that mean. He and I have done several recruiting road shows together.
 
Capt MJ said:
Oh - just to broaden the idea of service - with her engineering bent - she should dive into the concept of federal civil service to the country. Take a look at the SMART STEM scholarship.

www.dodstem.us

Opportunities | DoD STEM

DoD STEM seeks to attract, inspire, and develop exceptional STEM talent across the education continuum and advance the current DoD STEM workforce to meet future defense technological challenges.
www.dodstem.us www.dodstem.us
Click to expand...

Appreciate it.

For others lurking, DoD SMART is also a great program for STEM inclined folk who would like to contribute to national defense, without wearing combat boots.
 
Spankucus said:
Appreciate it.

For others lurking, DoD SMART is also a great program for STEM inclined folk who would like to contribute to national defense, without wearing combat boots.
Click to expand...
A common recommendation here for those who want to serve but find themselves DQ for military medical accession.

Good luck - keep us posted.
 
Final gift of the day - the Navy is on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, newer programs, knowing social media is an integral part of marketing.

This is an older video, but I don’t believe much has changed.



And here is that officer in the video today:
 
Spankucus said:
Noted, though I fear the answer from the LTs will be a shrug and 'I dunno' without further referral/options as we sort of got that from the last NROTC det LT we talked to when trying to dig into the nuke field. Certainly worth an ask, though. And can elevate if we're at the stage of needing concert answers.

Hopefully, though, we'll find a SuperStar at an NTAG that'll know the options clearly (even if the det doesn't). Or perhaps refers us to the NUPOC program manager for the 'Real Answer'. After all, I suspect that if a midshipman puts in for NUPOC and wows the board with a solid test, great interviews, and stellar Freshmen grades, someone will find a way. Still, shouldn't bet on an exception. So we'll engage as many targets as we can to see/know the options.
Click to expand...

And - be prepared for the NTAG might not actually handle NUPOC, could be directly handled by the senior nuclear power command. I have learned over the years they have their own ways of doing business.

But the Senior Chief mentioned by GWU PNS, you’d be in good hands there, as Navy Chiefs are the go-tos to solve anything or know who to talk to.
 
Last edited:
I keep recalling things I or others have posted here. These are mentions of NUPOCs at random schools:

engineering.purdue.edu

NE undergraduate student selected for NUPOC program

School of Nuclear Engineering undergraduate student Rokas Venckus has been selected to participate in the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate (NUPOC) program. Part of the Navy Engineering collegiate Program, NUPOC hires students and provides them with a full-time salary to finish their current...
engineering.purdue.edu engineering.purdue.edu


 
Spankucus said:
Noted, though I fear the answer from the LTs will be a shrug and 'I dunno' without further referral/options as we sort of got that from the last NROTC det LT we talked to when trying to dig into the nuke field. Certainly worth an ask, though. And can elevate if we're at the stage of needing concert answers.
Click to expand...
For context, ROTC and USNA LTs are usually line officers on their 2nd or 3rd tour after their initial division officer tours. They may not have had much opportunity to deal with some of the more obscure officer communities in the restricted line.

NRE billets are pretty much all centralized at Naval Reactors, so you won't find them at a recruiting station, ROTC unit, or USNA. It is not a community that needs too many people, so there is not a big recruitment push. I suspect the Navy is doing fine getting 100% of accessions to NRE out of NUPOC and OCS/ODS walk-ins.

While you're exploring options, Engineering Duty Officer and Nuclear Power School Instructor are also oft forgotten paths that may be of interest.


NRE and power school instructor are capped at O-3, so if you're looking for a career, a lateral transfer (usually to IW or EDO) will be required.
 
nuensis said:
For context, ROTC and USNA LTs are usually line officers on their 2nd or 3rd tour after their initial division officer tours. They may not have had much opportunity to deal with some of the more obscure officer communities in the restricted line.

NRE billets are pretty much all centralized at Naval Reactors, so you won't find them at a recruiting station, ROTC unit, or USNA. It is not a community that needs too many people, so there is not a big recruitment push. I suspect the Navy is doing fine getting 100% of accessions to NRE out of NUPOC and OCS/ODS walk-ins.

While you're exploring options, Engineering Duty Officer and Nuclear Power School Instructor are also oft forgotten paths that may be of interest.


NRE and power school instructor are capped at O-3, so if you're looking for a career, a lateral transfer (usually to IW or EDO) will be required.
Click to expand...
Glad you mentioned EDO - I thought about it, but I’d dumped enough posts here for the moment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top