Nuclear Power (General)

Nothing projects naval power and capability more dramatically and instantaneously than the U.S. Navy’s Fleet of nuclear aircraft carriers, the stealth of nuclear fast-attack submarines, or the nuclear deterrence from a fleet of the ballistic nuclear submarines. The men and women of the Navy Nuclear Propulsion program are among the best and brightest in America’s Navy. For the Officers and Enlisted Sailors who will work with nuclear power plants every day, it's critical to have a solid understanding of how to operate them safely and effectively. Whether helping design the next generation of small-scale reactors, keeping a power plant safely operational, or training young sailors in an intense, highly-classified curriculum that comes with the job, these personnel assume the kind of responsibilities and leadership roles that even their most talented peers wait years to take on.

For the interest of national security, the United States Navy’s Nuclear Power Program was established in 1948 to develop nuclear-powered ships for the Navy. In the 1950s as submarines, they served as fast attack and ballistic missile variants in multiple classes. The reactors were also effectively employed in multiple surface ship classes beginning in 1961, both as cruisers and aircraft carriers. For the Officers and Enlisted Sailors who will work with nuclear power plants every day, it's critical to have a solid understanding of how to operate them safely and effectively. The United States Navy currently operates 95 total nuclear power plants including 71 submarines (each with one reactor), 11 aircraft carriers (each with two reactors), and 4 training/research prototype plants.

The training for the operational personnel selected for duty is conducted at Naval Nuclear Power School (NNPS).  After Admiral Rickover became chief of a new section in the Bureau of Ships, the Nuclear Power Division, he began work with Alvin M. Weinberg, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) director of research, to initiate and develop the Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology (ORSORT) and to begin the design of the pressurized water reactor for submarine propulsion. Training for Fleet operators was subsequently conducted by civilian engineers at Idaho Falls, Idaho (1955-1958) and West Milton, New York (1955-1956). The first formal Nuclear Power School was established in New London, Connecticut in January 1956 with a pilot course offered for six officers and fourteen enlisted men. Subsequent locations include Naval Training Center Bainbridge, Maryland (1956-1976); Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California (1958-1976); Naval Training Center Orlando, Florida (1976-1998) and its current location, Goose Creek, South Carolina.  

In 1993, in response to the BRAC-directed closure of NTC Orlando by the end of Fiscal Year 1999, the Nuclear Field A School and Nuclear Power School were joined to create Naval Nuclear Power Training Command. A move from Orlando, Florida to Goose Creek, South Carolina began in May 1998 and was completed in January 1999. Construction of the new command allowed Nuclear Field A School and Nuclear Power School to be located in the same building.

NNPS is a technical school operated by the U.S. Navy in Goose Creek, South Carolina to train enlisted sailors, officers, KAPL civilians and Bettis civilians for shipboard nuclear power plant operation and maintenance of surface ships and submarines in the U.S. nuclear navy. Women were first allowed into the Naval Nuclear Field from 1978 until 1980, when the Navy began only allowing men again. With the repeal of the Combat Exclusion Law in the 1994 Defense Authorization Act, and the decision to open combatant ships to women, the Navy once again began accepting women into NNPS for duty aboard nuclear-powered surface combatant ships. Acceptance to the officer program requires successful completion of interviews at Naval Reactors in Washington, D.C., and a final approval via a direct interview with the Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion, a unique eight-year, four-star admiral position which was originally held by the program's founder, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover. The first female officers bound for submarine qualification began training at NNPTC in late August 2010. All officer students have had college-level courses in calculus and calculus-based physics.  Similar to the enlisted course offered at the same location, officer training at Naval Nuclear Power School covers all required topics in equal depth, but also requires students to have undergraduate engineering or science degrees. 

All graduates of the Naval Nuclear Power School continue training with twenty-four weeks of instruction as a nuclear operator at a Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU). This training involves the operation and simulated maintenance of nuclear reactor plants and steam plants. The Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in New York has the longest operational history of NPTUs. However, two other sites also provided operational training during the Cold War. From the early 1950s to the mid-1990s, Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) in Idaho trained nearly 40,000 Navy personnel in surface and submarine nuclear power plant operations with three nuclear propulsion prototypes — A1W, S1W, and S5G. From 1959 until 1993, over 14,000 Naval operators were trained at the S1C prototype at Windsor, Connecticut.

All graduates of NPTU are qualified nuclear operators and given a special designation to serve in the operational assignments usually in the fleet. Today, there are female submarine officers that serve aboard SSBN and SSGN submarines. Non-submarine designated female officers may serve at shore commands and on Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.  All officers will usually qualify as a Nuclear Engineering Officer, during their first nuclear operational assignment, in a separate course involving self-study and formal examination, until found suitable by the Director for a follow-on assignment as an Engineer Officer or Reactor Officer of a nuclear powered ship or submarine. A failure to qualify or loss of eligibility to become a nuclear engineering officer would usually result in removal of their special nuclear qualification designation.

Because of the exclusive nature of the program for commissioned Officers and Officer Candidates, the magnitude of the responsibilities as a nuclear-trained officer will be required to take on from a young age, the requirements to become Nuclear Power Officer Candidate (NUPOC) are extensive and competition for acceptance is great. The NUPOC program is open to both men and women. The following EDUCATION program qualifications apply. Those still in school may apply as early as their sophomore year of college and must have completed one academic year of calculus, completed one academic year of calculus-based physics,have a competitive GPA and a minimum grade of “B” in all technical courses. Other officer candidates must be graduates or students of an accredited college or university in the United States or in a United States territory pursuing a BA, BS or MS (preferably majoring in mathematics, engineering, physics, chemistry or other technical areas). The following AGE AND HEALTH program qualifications apply to Nuclear-trained Officers. An eligible candidate must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 19 years of age and less than 29 years of age at the time of commissioning – waivers up to age 35 may be available for Naval Nuclear Power School Instructors. Meet the physical standards of the Navy.

Similar health and age restrictions for officers listed above will apply to the enlisted sailors. A high-school diploma or equivalent is required to become an Enlisted Sailor in the nuclear operations field in the Navy. As enlisted operators, those seeking one of these positions must be US citizens with successful completion of one year of Algebra, and can meet eligibility requirements for a security clearance. There are special qualification examinations administered to ensure you meet the minimum academic skills in math and physics required. For qualified enlisted sailors, the entry into the naval nuclear propulsion program requires satisfactory completion of the navy’s basic recruit training, as well as one of the Nuclear Field “A” School courses of instruction in order to be job-skills rated as an Electronics Technician (Reactor Operator), Electrician’s Mate (Electrical Operator), or a Machinist’s Mate (Mechanical Operator). 

They are rewarded to begin, complete, and maintain their training. They operate and maintain the most formidable fleet of nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers on the planet. They get to apply nuclear energy and fundamentals of engineering in ways that not only help to defend our national security but also serve to better our world.  

It’s not easy to get in, to get through, and it’s not in everyone's nature to pursue the highest degree of intellectual challenges that occur sometimes during a stressful situation. Long work hours and long deployments away from friends and family are part of the occupation in the nuclear field.

Someone who is easily excited and maybe a little nervous could do the work but it may be too stressful for some. These skills are developed during an aggressively-paced course. For all nuclear power trained ratings, promotion opportunities are regularly available but competitive and based on performance. Each of these requires highly trained, hands-on professionals that perform the complex technical functions that are at the core of both submarine and aircraft carrier combatant capabilities. 

The viability of a ship, sub or other command is the responsibility of all hands, so within the first few weeks of arriving in the fleet, everyone is expected to be trained on one of the many duties of a damage control party. A few of those roles you might fill include hose team member for fighting fires, stretcher bearer for extracting injured personnel and messenger for relaying orders in the event of electronic communications loss. Damage control parties don’t just respond to emergencies, they also take on assignments designed to prevent or minimize damage before it happens. However, if an emergency does take place, the quick response of a well-trained damage control party can be the difference between saving a vessel and mission success or failure.