Welcome to Human Resources Direct Commissioned Officer (DCO) Program Page!
This home page is dedicated to the men and women who deliver the Reserve Community, Human Resource expertise and quality-of-life support to the Navy and Joint Warfighters- who are the Navy Human Resource Officers and for those that inspire to join the 1205 community!
HRO Mission: Man the Fleet
The HR Community provides operationally experienced uniformed leadership and core human resource expertise to define, attract, recruit, develop, assign, and retain America’s best and brightest talent to give our Navy a competitive edge, and to meet the demands of the Navy, the Navy Reserve, and the Joint Force. We support the personal and professional development of all members of our Service and their families.
Helpful information:
The Direct Commission Officer (DCO) Program is a highly competitive officer commissioning program intended for career professionals with specific HR work experience, skills, qualifications/ certifications, and education to apply to an officer selection board. If selected, you receive a direct commission as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. For Fiscal Year 2025 the Navy Reserve HR (1205) community selected 2 candidates. The DCO program is NOT intended for new college graduates, extensive qualifications are listed below and available via the links provided in the complete Program Authorization (PA).
Qualifications:
a. Citizenship: Applicants must be United States citizens.
b. Gender: No restrictions.
c. Age: Applicants must be at least 21 years old and not more than 42 years of age at the time of commission. Prior qualifying service will be considered on a case-by-case basis for year-for-year credit up to age 52. Waivers beyond age 52 for individuals with prior qualifying service will not be considered.
d. Education/Certifications:
(1) Possess a baccalaureate or graduate degree from an accredited institution. Preferred degrees include Human Resource Management, Personnel Management, Financial Management, Manpower Systems Analysis, Operations Analysis, Business Administration, Curriculum/Instruction Development, Organizational Management, Education and Training Development, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Applied Psychology, Counseling/Human Development, HR Information Systems Management and any other HR-related academic areas.
(2) Applicants possessing a current, nationally recognized professional HR certification, such as the Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) Security Leadership Certification (GSLC), or Financial Management certifications are preferred.
Looking to join the HR Community as a DCO and not sure where to start?
You have reached the right place. Ensure you meet all of the minimum requirements and then contact a U.S. Navy Recruiter near you and utilize this site to help you navigate resources!
Already accepted into the program and looking to navigate where to start!? You came to the right place. Community contacts and links are available with proper MS Teams and Navy e-mail access.
For more information about a designator and/or to get a 1205 mentor, contact the Reserve HRO Recruiting Lead.
You may reach the Officer Community Manager (OCM) with any policy questions at Reserve HR OCM.