Duty Officer

Duty Officer

Duty Officer is the name of a rotating position assigned to a junior military officer in a duty or watch system. The Duty Officer is charged with responsibility for a military unit and acts as the Commanding Officer's representative. The Duty Officer attends to menial tasks for the Commanding Officer such as being at the scene of an incident and being on call during the night. This duty is in addition to the officer's normal duties.

The Duty Officer's tour is generally 24 or 48 hours, after which he will be relieved by the oncoming Duty Officer listed on the roster or watchbill. The offgoing Duty Officer will turn over relevant data and documentation to his relief about the previous day's happenings, before returning to his normal duties (or going on liberty if his duty ends on a weekend or other non-work day).

In the Indian Army, the Duty Officer is in charge of maintaining discipline and order in an Indian Army Unit. He is also in charge of the guards on duty, and conducting inspections of the Quarter guard at any time of day or night. A Duty Officer also has a Duty JCO and a Duty NCO to assist him in discharging his duties. The Duty JCO and Duty NCO would be wearing a brassard or an arm band with the words "Duty JCO" and "Duty NCO" marked on them.

In the United States armed forces, the Duty Officer is generally in charge of a unit headquarters in the absence of the commander. His duties include inspection of soldiers on guard duty (also called watchstanders in the Navy), being in charge of quarters at the company and battery level and staff duty NCOs at the battalion level, inspection of the arms rooms, motor pool and unit dining facilities. The Duty Officer will contact the commander and senior NCOs if emergency messages are sent to the unit. The Duty Officer usually carries a notebook and briefcase with a series of phone lists and checklists put together by the unit adjutant to guide the officer through his tour of duty.

In various navies, a similar position called the "Officer of the Day" or "Officer of the Deck" (OOD) also exists. Some commands have both an OOD and a Duty Officer simultaneously with a delineation in duties while in others only one exists.

At the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the duty officer is one who takes the place of the President and Director during weekends.


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  • Duty officer — is the name of a rotating position assigned to a junior military officer in a duty or watch system. The duty officer is charged with responsibility for a military unit and acts as the commanding officer s representative. The duty officer attends… …   Wikipedia

  • duty officer — noun The officer on duty at any particular time • • • Main Entry: ↑duty * * * ˈduty officer 7 [duty officer duty officers] noun the officer, for example in the police, army, etc, who is on duty at a particular time in a particular place …   Useful english dictionary

  • duty officer — duty ,officer noun count an official who is responsible for dealing with problems or requests during a period of time when other officials are not working …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • duty officer — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms duty officer : singular duty officer plural duty officers a police officer or other official who is on duty at a particular time …   English dictionary

  • duty officer — officer on call, officer who is currently working his shift …   English contemporary dictionary

  • duty officer — /ˈdjuti ɒfəsə/ (say dyoohtee ofuhsuh) noun the officer rostered to be on duty at a particular time and place …  

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