Navy NEC · Combat & Infantry

O23D Dry Combat Submersible (DCS) Pilot

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

A Navy Enlisted Classification: a skill designation sailors hold in addition to their rating.

Overview

A Dry Combat Submersible Pilot conducts tactical Naval Special Warfare and Special Reconnaissance operations in denied and contested environments through Subsea Seabed Warfare and Over the Beach operations. The pilot implements quality assurance procedures, performs parachuting and explosives demolition, and uses all types of underwater breathing apparatuses operationally.

Core Skills

Operational use of underwater breathing apparatus
Explosive demolition in assigned operations
Implementation of quality assurance procedures

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Commercial Divers

Qualification in underwater breathing apparatus and experience conducting subsea operations provide a direct foundation for commercial diving work.

How to prepare: Have a commercial-diving employer assess your existing qualifications, military training records and documented dives against the intended tasks and diving mode before selecting gap training. If pursuing an ADCI card, request an assessment of whether your documented instruction meets its recognized-equivalent provision.

What the civilian work involves

Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.
Descend into water with the aid of diver helpers, using scuba gear or diving suits.
Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.

Civilian tools and software (examples)

Diving logbook software
Diving table software

Notes & Sources

For work covered by OSHA commercial-diving rules, team members need task-specific equipment, diving-mode and emergency-procedure experience or training, plus CPR and first aid training. Those exposed to or controlling hyperbaric exposure also need diving physics and physiology training; assignments must match experience or training, with limited additional training tasks directly supervised.
ADCI's card framework is not a universal government license: Entry Level requires at least 625 documented hours of qualifying formal instruction or a recognized equivalent. Air Diver requires at least 100 field days and 30 working dives as an Air Diver, with only surface-supplied dives counting toward its dive requirements.

Evidence for this guidance (4 documents)

NAVPERS 18068F Vol II (NEOCS, Jul 2026 edition): NEC O23D
[1] NEC entry "O23D - Dry Combat Submersible (DCS) Pilot"; cached text line 9353; NAVPERS 18068F Vol II, 2026-07 edition
Supports: Operational use of underwater breathing apparatus, Explosive demolition in assigned operations, Implementation of quality assurance procedures, Commercial Divers (O*NET 49-9092.00)
O*NET: Commercial Divers
[2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data
Supports: Commercial Divers (O*NET 49-9092.00)
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.410: Qualifications of dive team
[3] Commercial Diving Operations, paragraphs (a) and (b). Verified 2026-09-24.
Supports: Commercial Divers (O*NET 49-9092.00)
ADCI: Commercial diver classification requirements
[4] Entry Level and Air Diver card classifications. ADCI framework, not a universal government license. Verified 2026-09-24.
Supports: Commercial Divers (O*NET 49-9092.00)

Defense contractor jobs for O23D

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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