The difference in strength between our Navy and that of our potential adversaries can be small. During these tours, the junior Oceanography officer serves primarily as a watch officer, providing operational meteorological or oceanographic support to Navy and Marine Corps units in their Center's area of responsibility. The most challenging and rewarding tours as an Oceanographer occur during sea duty tours. A second sea tour follows as a Lieutenant Commander aboard an aircraft carrier or attached to a carrier group or cruiser-destroyer group staff. Subsequent sea tours are also available with the numbered Fleet staffs.
Oceanographers serve in a wide variety of jobs.
They may be assigned as an environmental expert involved in the research, development, test and evaluation of Navy weapon and sensor systems. They may serve at one of several Naval Research Lab sites. Oceanographers also teach at the Naval Academy, Naval Postgraduate School, Naval War College, Fleet ASW Training Center and the Tactical Training Group, Atlantic. Lower echelon commands are organized into regional Centers, Facilities and Detachments. Shore duty is available at all major Navy homeports, at most Naval Air Stations and in a variety of overseas locations including Spain, Japan, England, Italy, Germany, Antarctica and a host of other areas.