By Dmitry Filipoff

This week CIMSEC is publishing submissions sent in response to our Call for Articles on whether U.S. Navy surface warfare officers should specialize.

The long-running debate between specialized and generalist career tracks for SWOs has regained more relevance in light of growing great power threats. Authors will present well-argued and competing viewpoints in this series.

The lineup is below, and will be updated with further submissions in the coming days.

“The Commanding Officer Must Be a Fighting Engineer — Surface Warfare and Generalism,” by Rob Watts
“SWO Specialization: Specialize by Platform Groups to Win the High-End Fight, Pt. 1,” by JR Dinglasan
“The Merchant Marine Specialized 100 years ago. The Navy should have then, and needs to now,” by Jeff Jaeger
“Preparing for the Future Fight: A Blended Career Path for Surface Warfare Officers,” by Scott Mobley
“No Time to Specialize,” by Chris Rielage
“Specialization vs. Warfighting: Balancing Technology and the Human Element in War,” by Gerry Roncolato
“The Surface Warfare Officer Career Path – An Egalitarian Construct in need of some Improvement,” by Mike Fierro

Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content. Contact him at Content@cimsec.org.

Featured Image: PHILIPPINE SEA (May 10, 2022) Ensign Krystal Francis, from Augusta, Georgia, holds her Surface Warfare pin prior to being pinned as a Surface Warfare Officer aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Samantha Oblander)