Officers are the coordinators of the ISDC, ensuring the successful completion of missions and projects. Officers are also responsible for the health, safety and career development of those under their command.

Within the ISDC officers are military specialists (as opposed to warrant officers who are civilian technical or scientific specialists) focused on developing the leadership skills necessary to ensure effectiveness in dangerous and tactically complex environments.

Career Track

While crew typically undertake very technically focused careers, officer careers aim for a broader range of skills and experience. This wider operational context positions officers to manage the people and resources contributing to their mission, department or project.

Officers can expect to train and work across different systems as influenced by their interests and missions.

A combination of training and mission experience determines advancement.

Ratings

When training is completed on a ship system a qualification known as a rating is awarded, so called because it means the successful trainee is now ‘rated’ to operate that system during missions.

Ratings are awarded at basic and advanced levels.

Experience

Active duty on missions is logged as evidence of an officer’s experience, represented as experience points (XP). Awarded XP depends on a mission’s duration and complexity. 

At senior ranks experience may also be gained by service as an instructor.

Qualification and Advancement

Initial entry is as a cadet. After basic training, the cadet will be asked to select a rating to train towards. When this is completed the newly promoted ensign is now able to join missions and begin to gain experience.

By accumulating experience and attaining additional ratings officers can advance in rank up to lieutenant. 

Senior Officers

To advance further the officer will need an advanced rating in addition to experience.

Promotion to Lieutenant Commander and beyond also requires passing a promotion board, which considers whether the officer's service record makes them suitable for further advancement.

Command Rating

After attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander officers may be eligible for training towards a command rating, which is required to advance to Commander and beyond. 

To achieve a command rating candidates must complete a challenging series of evaluation missions. Award of a command rating is reflected in a variant of service badge insignia.

Specialist Officers

Engineering, science and medical departments require specific technical knowledge and skills from their officers.

Training for specialist officers is less generalized than for other officers and typically focused solely within the specialistion.

There is no policy preventing specialist officers attaining command.

Changing Career Tracks

There is no policy preventing officers from changing to a crew career track. Ratings and accumulated experience can be transferred without penalty, with equivalent rank awarded subject to candidate suitability.