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PWO badges of honour
Volume 50, No. 15, August 23, 2007 |
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| WELL DONE: After six months’ work, Deputy Fleet Commander CDRE Raymond Griggs, third from right, presented each of the graduates with a 24 carat gold badge engraved with their number. |
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| SYMBOLIC: CDRE Raymond Griggs and CDRE T. Jones, Head of the Warfare Community, receiving their badges from TA-MW CAPT Mike Van Balen as a gesture to symbolise the start of the initiative. |
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After passing a gruelling Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) course, the latest graduates have joined a long tradition.
PWO courses were introduced in 1973 when RAN officers attended the RN PWO Course. Participants included the current Chief of Navy.
In 1985, warfare training was repatriated to Australia and HMAS Watson as the RAN Surface Warfare Officer Course. Graduates of this system were known as SWOs.
In 1989 the course was redesignated the RAN PWO Course.
The RAN PWO Course is of six months’ duration and includes both theory and practical aspects.
The aim is for an officer to join a warship armed with the knowledge and ability to be the commanding officer’s warfighting representative.
The qualification also serves as a gateway to command.
Since the repatriation to Australia, 365 RAN officers have graduated from the RAN PWO system (including the SWOs) and proudly wear the badge which is regarded as one of the most difficult to attain in the Navy.
In recognition of this achievement, a numbering system has been introduced, to acknowledge the accomplishment of the graduates and to recognise their unique standing in joining this prestigious group of officers.
The graduates of the recent PWO 40 Course are the most recent addition to the role of RAN PWOs.
They each received a 24 carat gold badge engraved with their number from the Deputy Fleet Commander, CDRE Raymond Griggs.
The numbering system is in alphabetical order by class and can be found at: http://intranet.defence.gov.au/NavyWeb/sites/TAMW from August 28. |
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