Hi! I am an oceanographic physicist looking to join the NOAA Corps. My partner is a naval aviator, and I was curious if anyone knew how colocation worked between NOAA and the Navy. He flies Romeo helicopters, so I know there are some places with some overlap, such as San Diego (I think).

Was interested in the aviation path with NOAA, as I have my commercial multi-engine and instrument ratings. But I was curious how much flying NOAA pilots actually do on average? Are there large portions of time in the year where you don’t fly? Depends on mission? What’s average?

I applied to the NOAA Corps. I noticed there are two selections maritime and aviation

Do I need to apply to both positions to increase my chances or are candidates selected from a pool of applicants?

I've applied to the Officer Corps and I'm wondering if anyone knows where possible duty stations would be?

I've read about possibilities of going to the South Pole or Hawaii. Anyone know of other possible locations?

I've also read. Connecticut and Virginia

Looks like this ONLY works if you are connected to your email. But some cool kid did this

www.noaanjac.com

My understanding is that NOAA Commissioned Corps officers are considered veterans upon honorable discharge from service. Yesterday was Veteran's Day and I didn't see anything on LinkedIn from the NOAA Corps page recognizing it's officers as veterans. Maybe it was just that one outlet but seemed like a failed opportunity for recognition. Obviously NOAA Corps is not a military service but it has still played a role in wars especially WWII.

How do yall see yourselves when it comes to veteran status?

I’ve looked around but haven’t found an answer, thought I’d ask here before reaching out to a recruiter. Is there a limit to how much prior service you can have to join NOAA? I’m a year from finishing a master’s in aerospace science, but by that time I’ll have 20 years service between the Navy and Army, with 15 of those active.

Hi, I'm a fresh out of college female, 22 y/o, 5'2", 140 lbs. I just started a 2 year position in the Peace Corps Philippines Coastal Resource Management sector and plan on finishing in Sep 2026. I either want to become an officer in the NOAA Corps or become a Navy Diver upon close of service. In college, I was a scientific diver for work and dove in a lot of low visibility cold water, and we installed oceanographic monitoring instruments. I loved being a scientific diver because it challenged me and I want more of challenging myself, as well as serving my country. I'm looking for advice on how to navigate the process of joining the NOAA Corps as a young female in average physical condition. What is training like? Does NOAA Corps involve a lot of diving? Any advice? ALSO, DOES NOAA CORPS ACCEPT NCE (Non-Competitive Eligibility) THAT PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER GETS?

Political opinions aside. Are people worried about NOAA actually being dismantled? What would this mean for the corps?

I was thinking about the NOAA Corps as a way to serve my country, and none of the armed services allow diabetics. The lines are a little blurred on the medical requirements to be an NOAA Corps officer so I was wondering if there have been or are there any officers with diabetes.

I was told recently that with a DD-214 we can get a veteran designation on our drivers license. Is that legit for us to do once we leave the service?

Aloha, my son is about to graduate high school and is considering what college or career training path to take. He is a very high performing student and could take a degree program at university but his passion is sailing and he really wants to try to find a career path with sailing.

He does not support US involvement in foreign wars and so will avoid Navy careers. He loves the search and rescue aspect and would want to do Coast Guard academy but since they are also deployable to war that doesn't seem like a good fit either.

I recently found out about NOAA corps (I saw an ad for an upcoming recruitment event in Honolulu) and was wondering if there is a path to sail with NOAA right out of high school? Hopefully paired with further opportunity for education/ advancement? Is anyone stationed on sailing vessels out in Hawai'i and can give some information or experience?

I am 29 years old and currently work with a major insurance carrier. I make good money but I’m not entirely happy. My dream since I was 5 has always been to chase storms or do something related to weather and science. I do not have any college education, I have a GED. Would it be worth it to chase the “dream job” ? This would mean I would have to go to college for at least 4 years. How competitive is this industry? Is it worth it? My biggest goal is to become a scientist with NOAA flying into hurricanes but I’m not sure that pipe dream is realistic at this age. Any advice? I want a job in weather so bad 😞 thanks guys!

Hey r/NoaaCorps, I’m a current Navy P-8 NFO interested in a IST at the expiration of my current term of service. I’ve always been extremely interested in the NOAA mission set and would love the opportunity to be able to continue my service career while working as a pilot in the NOAA Corps. As background I have a BS in Civil Engineering and a MS in Electrical Engineering.

I’ve seen that typically ISTs from the Navy have requirements for Military Multi-Engine Pilot time. As an NFO, I will have zero Military Pilot time, but I will have significant hours as a P-8 operator to include mission commander time. I am also finishing up my civilian pilot ratings and will be an FAA rated Multi-Engine Commercial Pilot with hopes of being able to get Multi-Engine Instructor added on (therefore more Multi experience) by the time I would apply. Does anyone have any experience or info on whether this is even something that would be considered for an IST?

Assuming the above is even feasible, what would be the best way to bolster my application? Obviously high performance in my Navy career is essential and I would assume more flight hours (both civilian and military) would never hurt. Would it be worthwhile to try to add some sort of education in related fields such as a MS in Meteorology? Additionally, what would be a good way to begin the process? I’m assuming the sooner I get in touch with a IST POC or a recruiter the better.

Lastly, for those of you who have transferred from other services, how does the squadron life at NOAA relate to that of other services? Is it relatively straightforward to go from a Navy squadron to NOAA or is there a considerable learning curve in switching services? How does career progression work after an IST? As a senior O-3 or new O-4 would that set me up in a weird position as far getting into a flying billet while also remaining competitive for DH/Command selections?

Thank you all, I apologize for the long post! Any and all advice or input are greatly appreciated!

TLDR; Navy P-8 NFO with FAA ratings interested in IST to NOAA Corps.

I’m champing at the bit to get my application started the website says October but so far no links have come up on the Application portal. Any guidance on specific dates would be appreciated.

Is there any chance of joining NOAA Corps without a Selective Service Registration? I am past the window where I can register. All attempts at communication that SSS sent during the window were returned as no deliverable because I bounced from place to place so frequently for about ten years after I was 18 years old.

I know that I can join the military without it, and I was curious if I would be eligible for NOAA, since it is one of the eight uniformed services, similar to the military.

Anyone who can shed some light here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I am currently an O-2 USSF Space Operator, with 1.5 years left on my contract. I graduated from college with a degree in geophysics and initially had my sights set on joining the NOAA Corps, but I was picked up for commissioned through the USSF OTS first. However, I have not found much job satisfaction in my current role and am considering not reupping once my contract ends in 2026.

I have been researching the possibility of transitioning from the USSF to the NOAA Corps, but I haven't found much info about USSF members. If anyone has experience or insight regarding this transition, I would greatly appreciate your input. I also am what kind of jobs open up with USSF background members.

Additionally, I am interested in aviation and hold a private pilot license (PPL). I am open to any job opportunities within NOAA, but I would love to incorporate aviation into my career if possible.

Thank you in advance for any advice or guidance

-I am wondering if there are any officer positions aboard any of the aircraft operations besides the pilots? Are the civilian scientists the only other onboard personal?

-If there are other officers stationed onboard and if so what are their duties and how competitive are the positions?

Thank you

Objectively speaking, could this year’s election have serious repercussions for NOAA employees? When it comes to politics I try to see from as many perspectives as possible and glean information from credible, impartial sources. I’ve seen a lot of news around the “Project 2025” document calling to privatize government agencies like NOAA. If this were to actually happen what would that mean for the NOAA Corps? A close friend of mine just got selected as a primary and they are concerned about job security.

Without getting political (as I’m sure officers shouldn’t be stating those views publicly), how do you see this playing out if Trump is elected? Just trying to be better informed.

Has anyone here successfully IST’d from active duty Army to the noaa corp aviation job? I currently fly Blackhawk’s for the Army but I also have my FW commercial ratings

Team NOAA Corps,
On behalf of the mods, thank you for all those that come here seeking answers, providing support and addressing general guidance. It's terrific to see how this sub has grown and adapted to the needs of our service!

Seal2

Hey guys, I’ve been looking into NOAA Corps aviation opportunities wondering the best course of action for me

Right now I am recently turned 19 years old, I’m a CFI, CFII, MEI with about 500 hours of flight time (roughly 250 hours of instructional time) in G1000 and two aircraft, I have no failed checkrides and an 87% pass rate with 8 signoffs.

I have no college experience but I know I am capable of completing a bachelors and I think I would be interested in getting into NOAA Corps for a multitude of reasons

I’m totally fascinated with weather and radar technology, I live in Florida, and I’m looking for something that is both flying, and meteorology/environmental sciences.

What steps should I take to get there?

I am currently on an NROTC scholarship going into my first year as a biochemistry major. I am thinking about what I would like to do once I graduate and commission. Does anyone here know if I could go to the NOAA Corps directly out of NROTC? If so, how could I get there and what are things I should take into consideration (e.g., specific requirements, trainings that might be required). I am interested in oceanic research, especially in marine biology studies and I may change my major to marine studies or take a minor in it - whichever would help my case the most. Thank you!

Given that the Basic Officer Training Class (BOTC) is offered in January and July, what will the January 2026 BOTC number be? Will it be 146, 147, or 148?

Thanks!

I know there are a lot of old threads on the subject, finding info on the NOAA Corps pilots is really difficult. I've seen old threads state that you either A. Have to Get Lucky and hopefully get selected as a pilot at BOTC or after your first tour you can request to transfer to pilot.

I've also seen posts stating that you can guarantee a pilot contract before BOTC if your qualifications are good enough. I've also found posts stating that for this NOAA uses the Air Forces AFOQT others the Navy's ASTB. I've taken both by my AFOQT/TBAS scores are much higher than my Navy scores.

I'm also hoping to complete my PPL very soon. Is it still possible to have a guaranteed flying contract prior to BOTC?

Also regarding being an officer, say I do become a pilot and serve 6 years in NOAA. After that am I eligible to transfer to the Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard or Army Reserve or Army Guard as a rated pilot? Or am I the same as a civilian off the street?

Also is the only way to apply just the application form on the website? Basically you just fill it out with the info and if you get picked you get notified or at least a TBNT? I have a Masters of Science in Cybersecurity, is that a good degree for NOAA? I know they have preferences for science degrees.