A duty officer is a junior officer in the military who serves as a rotating assistant to the commanding officer. The duty officer, who usually works a 24- to 48-hour shift or tour, oversees many of the commanding officer’s menial tasks and duties, such as gathering information for any accident or incident involving military personnel or property, and is frequently on-call overnight. When the shift ends, the duty officer keeps a written record of all activities that require his or her attention, which is passed on to the relief officer. This responsibility is frequently added to the officer’s other responsibilities.
The reporting and arrival of incoming troops, any reporting of a new officer to the base, and any incident involving the military police on base are all common activities that will be brought to the attention of the duty officer. In some cases, the duty officer will be required to report an incident to the commanding officer. This usually entails a soldier’s injury or death, as well as damage to base property and any action that necessitates the company or unit’s activation.
The duty officer’s other responsibilities include inspecting troops, arms rooms, and the company motor pool. In some cases, the duty officer will speak to the company’s troops and visitors in place of the commanding officer, and he or she may also speak to the company during low-level ceremonies and holiday festivities and celebrations. This position is similar to that of vice president, but it is filled on a rotating basis. One advantage of performing the duty is that it gives a junior officer experience and allows the officer to see what is expected of a commanding officer in a variety of situations.
While the duty officer is expected to perform flawlessly in his or her duties, he or she is also given a book of suggested responses to a variety of scenarios. Typically, these decisions are made a committee appointed the unit adjutant. The book includes phone numbers for people to call in an emergency, a list of those deemed need-to-know personnel, both officers and non-commissioned officers, and even some civilian authorities. The same duty officer position is referred to as the Officer on Deck in some naval instances, and it is tasked with keeping an eye on both those on board and those on liberty off the ship.