COMMUNICATIONS WATCH OFFICER (CWO).- The CWO is responsible to the communications officer for:

Ensuring that communications capabilities are accomplished in accordance with the command's mission;

Incoming and outgoing traffic, ensuring that all messages, transmitted or received, are handled rapidly and accurately in accordance with existing regulations; and

Ensuring compliance with existing communications directives and monitoring the performance of on-watch personnel and spaces.

Fleet Communications (U), NTP 4, contains a detailed listing of the duties of the CWO.

SENIOR WATCH SUPERVISOR (SWS).-

When assigned, the SWS is the senior enlisted person on watch in communications spaces and is responsible to the CWO for:

The proper handling of all communications;

Notifying the CWO on all matters of an urgent or unusual nature;

Examining operational logs and monitoring equipment alignment and operation; and

Directing action necessary to prevent or overcome message backlogs.

In addition to the duties listed in NTP 4, the SWS is also responsible for any other duties as maybe assigned by the CWO.

COMMUNICATIONS CENTER SUPER-VISOR.- The communications center supervisor is responsible to the CWO and SWS for:

Supervising message processing and circuit operations;

Directly supervising all radiomen on watch in the message processing center; and

Notifying the CWO and SWS on all matters of an unusual or urgent nature.

TECHNICAL CONTROL SUPERVISOR.-

The technical control ("tech control") supervisor is responsible to the CWO for:

Establishing and maintaining required circuits, and initiating action to restore or bypass failed equipment;

Ensuring that quality monitoring and control procedures are used on all systems;

Maintaining the status board showing pertinent information on all equipment, nets, and circuits in use; and

Directly supervising all personnel assigned to technical control and transmitter room spaces.

Command Ship Communications

The term "flagship" is sometimes used instead of "command ship" but means the same thing. Either term means that a group, squadron, or division commander is embarked on board, thereby making that vessel the flagship, or command ship. We mentioned earlier that, in flagships, the embarked commander assumes responsibility for communications functions. The flag communications officer is responsible for ship and flag communications requirements. However, the internal routing of message traffic remains the responsibility of the commanding officer of the ship in which the flag is embarked.

When a flag officer is embarked, the ship's communications officer, communications watch officers, and enlisted communications personnel may be ordered to additional duty in the flag communications division. These personnel are directly responsible to the flag communications officer for the operation of the flag communications functions. The ship's communications officer reports to the flag communications officer and is the contact officer for matters pertaining to the handling of ship and staff message traffic. Figure 2-4 illustrates a standard watch organization aboard a ship with a flag embarked.

By now, you should have a basic idea of how naval communications is organized at shore commands and aboard ship. Remember that there are variations in all organizations. The command size, scope of operations, and personnel assets are just a few of the factors that affect the structure of the communications organization.