Master Chief Christopher Rambert was recently named the first Robotics Warfare Specialist (RW), launching a new enlisted career field, an important milestone for the U.S. Navy. Vice Adm. Rick Cheeseman, Chief of Naval Personnel, and Rear Adm. Jim Waters, Director of the Navy’s Personnel Plans and Policy Division, gave Rambert the first-ever R.W. uniform rating badge at the Naval Support Facility Arlington, Virginia event.
The R.W. rating was established after years of hard work inside the Navy, culminating in the release of NAVADMIN 036/24, which formalised the branch’s commitment to operators, maintainers, and managers of robotic and autonomous systems. The Chief of Naval Operations Adm.’s strategic vision aligns with this endeavour.
The Navy has achieved a significant first with the R.W. rating, making it the first branch of the Department of Defense to have a specialised enlisted workforce focused on unmanned and autonomous technologies. Admiral Cheeseman stated in NAVADMIN 036/24 that the Navy is committed to using state-of-the-art capabilities to achieve a hybrid Fleet, and this action demonstrates that commitment.
Active-duty Sailors with Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) codes linked to robotics, especially those with prior experience in unmanned vehicle divisions, are the primary target audience for eligibility for the R.W. rating. Interested individuals in the ranks of E-4 through E-9 may apply by submitting an Electronic Individuals Action Request (EPAR) form to the appropriate Navy personnel office using NAVPERS 1306/7.
Rambert, the Navy’s only Robotics Enlisted Community Manager, emphasised the importance of determination, flexibility, and a passion for innovation in the selection process. Sailors can acquire remarkable knowledge inside the Navy by participating in the R.W. community. This offers a unique opportunity to obtain competence across various domains, including subsurface, surface, air, and ground platforms.
The recently released R.W. rating symbol was created by Mate McLean Monaghan, a Chief Aviation Electrician, and includes components for each U.S. Navy Robotics Warfare Specialist’s operational domains. These domains include aerial systems, the electromagnetic spectrum, ground systems, and surface and subsurface systems.
The Navy envisions a small and highly chosen cadre of R.W. sailors as it continues constructing a hybrid Fleet ready to handle the challenges of contemporary warfare. The Navy’s Career Waypoints (C-WAY) system encourages prospective applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible to guarantee rapid processing.
Reference: U.S. Navy
Master Chief Christopher Rambert Becomes First US Navy Robotics Warfare Specialist appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide
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