Courtesy Photo | Midshipman 1st Class Noah Hawkins, from Oceanside, California, a senior at Texas A&M...... read more read more
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GREAT LAKES, Illinois – Thirty-two Midshipmen from multiple units across the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) selected their first ship assignments, November 21.
Midshipmen report to their selected ships after graduating from their universities and commissioning as Naval Officers, next month. Aboard their ships, they will train and qualify as Surface Warfare Officers (SWO).
The Navy Personnel Command (NPC) PERS-41 SWO Assignments coordinated the event where participants selected their ships via video call.
“Ship selection for our future Surface Warriors marks a major milestone in a journey that few begin and fewer finish,” Commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), Rear Adm. Matthew Pottenburgh said. “ROTC was the foundry that forged them into Officers, and now the Fleet will temper them as Warfighters. They are united in purpose, resilient in spirit, and ready to join a Navy Combat Team that is ready to fight and win tonight, tomorrow, and well into the future.”
The ship selection process gives Midshipmen the opportunity to choose from a diverse range of ship assignments worldwide.
Order of selection is determined by merit. Midshipmen rankings are based on academic performance, physical fitness, and leadership skills.
Midshipman 1st Class Noah Hawkins, 22, from Oceanside, California, a senior at Texas A&M University, was among the first to pick and selected the USS Russell (DDG 59) homeported in San Diego. He will commission next month and graduate with a degree in aerospace engineering.
“I chose the Russell because I grew up in San Diego and always hoped to get back to the area,” Hawkins said. “I’m incredibly excited. Getting my top choice makes all the hard work and long hours of studying worth it!”
NROTC is under the charge of NSTC, which oversees 98 percent of the Navy’s officer and enlisted accessions. NSTC, headquartered at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, is the Foundry of America’s Fighting Force. NSTC transforms America’s sons and daughters into service professionals through Recruit Training Command, Officer Training Command Newport, and NROTC. Additionally, NSTC leads the Navy Junior ROTC citizenship development program, which instills leadership, character, and civic responsibility in high school students globally.
To learn more about how NROTC develops the next generation of Navy and Marine Corps Officers, or explore available scholarship opportunities, please visit our website at: https://www.netc.navy.mil/NSTC/NROTC/
| Date Taken: | 11.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2025 16:13 |
| Story ID: | 552402 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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