United States Navy Supply Corps School

The Navy Supply Corps School (NSCS) at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island trains officers in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps for both afloat and shore assignments. The school is best known for the Supply Corps Officer Basic Qualification Course (BQC), plus follow-on courses that support leadership roles, aviation logistics, hazardous materials compliance, and expeditionary planning.

Most training paths focus on the practical skills supply officers use early in their careers, including:

• Supply management and inventory controls
• Food service and wardroom operations
• Retail operations (like ship stores)
• Disbursing management and financial processes
• Leadership and personnel administration

History of the Navy Supply Corps School

The Navy Supply Corps has been part of the Navy since the 1700s, but the first Supply Corps schoolhouse dates to 1921. Over time, the training mission moved through several locations, including Philadelphia and Bayonne, before relocating to Athens, Georgia in the 1950s.

NSCS operated in Athens from 1954 to 2010, and the school opened in Newport in January 2011. Many supply officers refer to the school as the Cradle of the Supply Corps because it provides the first formal training most Supply Corps officers receive before they report to the fleet.

Today, NSCS trains officers in a modern facility at Naval Station Newport. The school includes electronic classrooms and mock shipboard spaces (such as a ship’s store and galley) used to support realistic learning in areas like retail operations, food service, and Navy Cash.

For the latest command information, see the official NSCS page at Naval Station Newport: U.S. Navy Supply Corps School.

Supply Corps Training

NSCS training combines classroom instruction, case studies, and practical exercises that mirror how supply teams work on ships, submarines, aviation squadrons, and shore commands. Students learn the rules, processes, and planning methods used to support operations, then apply them through graded exercises and scenarios.

Training topics vary by course, but most NSCS programs focus on core Navy logistics functions. That includes managing material and inventory, running food service and retail operations, supporting aviation logistics, and following required rules for disbursing and hazardous materials movement.

NSCS works closely with the broader Navy logistics community, including NAVSUP, to keep course content aligned with fleet processes and current systems.

Junior Officers and Entry-Level Positions

Junior Supply Corps officers are responsible for key day-to-day logistics functions that keep a unit operating. Depending on the command, that can include ordering repair parts, tracking inventory, running retail operations, managing food service, or supporting disbursing processes.

For most new officers, entry-level training at NSCS is designed to help them arrive at their first command ready to work with experienced enlisted Sailors and civilian teammates. The school also includes leadership training, such as the Division Officer Leadership Course (DIVOLC) that BQC students complete while at NSCS.

Refresher Training for Experienced Personnel

As officers move into department head and senior roles, NSCS offers additional training to refresh technical skills and align leaders with current fleet processes. These courses are designed around practical scenarios and systems used at sea and at shore.

If you are reviewing convening dates or quotas, start with NSCS course information and your command training chain: Navy Supply Corps School.

Curriculum at Navy Supply Corps School

The Navy Supply Corps School provides training to officers in the United States Navy across multiple career stages, from initial qualification through advanced leadership and technical refresher programs. Course offerings and schedules change, so use NSCS course information pages and your command training office for the current schedule.

The table below summarizes the most common course categories described in this guide.

Supply Corps Officer Basic Qualification Course (BQC) and Division Officer Leadership Course (DIVOLC)

The Basic Qualification Course (BQC) is the primary entry-level program for newly commissioned Supply Corps officers. The course objective is a 20-week program focused on the major functional areas of an afloat supply department:

• Supply management
• Food service
• Retail operations
• Disbursing management
• Leadership and management

Students complete practice sets, practical exercises, and exams that reinforce the required forms, files, and basic audit and correction work in each area. BQC also includes an introduction to common automated systems such as R-Supply and OMMS-NG.

While at NSCS, BQC students also complete the week-long Division Officer Leadership Course (DIVOLC). This is a scenario-driven course designed to prepare junior officers for first-time leadership responsibilities in an operational environment.

Basic Qualification Course - Navy Reserves (BQC-NR)

The Basic Qualification Course - Navy Reserve (BQC-NR) is designed for Reserve Supply Corps officers in the Direct Commissioning Program (DCO) and NAVET redesignation. It is a blended program that spans about 15 months and combines self-paced work with required in-person sessions.

BQC-NR covers five major areas:

• Supply Management (SM)
• Food Service (FS)
• Disbursing Management (DM)
• Retail Operations (RO)
• Leadership and Management (LM)

Graduation standards are course-specific, but the program is built around consistent performance across each area and written assessments.

Intermediate Leadership Course (ILC)

The Intermediate Leadership Course (ILC) is a five-day course designed for Supply Officers reporting to afloat billets in a department head capacity. The curriculum is built to help officers shift from division-level leadership to the broader planning and coordination expected of a department head.

Course activities include role plays, group discussions, and structured problem solving. Topics include expectation management, leadership in the chain of command, command climate influences, and developing junior leaders.

Transportation of Hazardous Materials (TRANS HAZMAT)

This course provides training needed to certify and ship hazardous materials across multiple transportation modes, including motor, rail, water, and both commercial and military air. Students study required rules and documentation standards and complete module exams that support formal certification.

Graduates earn a certification that is valid for 24 months, after which recertification is required.

Transportation of Hazardous Materials Recertification (TRANS HAZ MAT RECERT)

This course refreshes the training required to remain qualified to certify hazardous material shipments. It reinforces the current regulatory framework, covers updates to safety and security requirements, and ends with an exam to extend certification for another two years.

Joint Aviation Supply and Maintenance Material Management (JASMMM)

JASMMM is a two-week course focused on aviation logistics and coordination between supply and maintenance. It is designed to improve aircraft readiness by building shared procedures, common terminology, and effective communication across the Naval Aviation Enterprise.

Commanding Officers Joint Aviation Supply and Material Management (COJASMMM-MTT)

COJASMMM is part of the Aviation Commanding Officer Training (AVCOT) program taught at Naval Aviation Schools Command (NAVAVSCOLSOM) in Pensacola, Florida. It provides executive-level awareness of aviation supply and maintenance material management concepts, policies, and procedures to improve aircraft readiness.

Reserve Supply Management Advanced Refresher Training (RESMART)

RESMART provides Navy Reserve Logistics Specialists (LS) refresher training in afloat supply management procedures. The course includes lecture and discussion supported by extensive lab work and practical exercises.

The primary text is NAVSUP P-485, and students also complete a short presentation to practice researching and teaching supply management topics.

Introduction to Expeditionary Logistics (IEL)

This two-week seminar is now called Introduction to Maritime Logistics Planning (LogPlans). It covers joint and maritime logistics planning concepts, the roles of key logistics organizations, and the coordination needed to support operations across multiple commands.

The course is designed for officers and senior enlisted personnel and includes guest speakers and a culminating exercise.

Supply Officer Department Head Course (SODHC)

The Supply Officer Department Head Course (SODHC) is a four-week course that prepares officers to serve as the supply officer on a ship or submarine. It covers core functional areas (supply management, food service, retail operations, disbursing, and postal operations) and includes technical training aligned with department head duties.

SODHC also includes training on systems such as R-Supply, OMMS-NG, FSM, CMP, and FEDLOG, along with topics like government purchase card user certification, configuration management, and hazardous materials management.

Senior Supply Officer Department Head (SR SODHC)

The Senior Supply Officer Department Head (SR SODHC) course is an eight-day refresher designed to prepare senior Supply Corps officers returning to sea as department heads. Topics include senior leader responsibilities, ethics, inventory and financial management, food service, retail operations, disbursing, postal operations, hazardous materials management, and off-ship bill pay and husbanding services provider processes.

Before reporting, students are encouraged to coordinate with the supply officer they are relieving and their TYCOM, and to gather recent command reports that help connect coursework to current fleet practices.

Advanced Management Program (AMP)

The Advanced Management Program (AMP) is an executive-level course that focuses on leadership, organizational change, and decision making in large organizations. NSCS lists AMP as a two-week course offered multiple times per year at select locations, with an emphasis on leadership concepts, practical frameworks, and peer learning.

International Officer Supply Course (IOSCO)

IOSCO is designed for international students and focuses on U.S. Department of War logistics systems, Foreign Military Sales processes, and the systems used to order, track, and manage material. The course includes classroom instruction and a logistics tour of select organizations involved in supply support.

International Logistics Executive Advanced Development (ILEAD)

This program is officially titled International Leadership Executive Advanced Development (ILEAD). It is designed for senior international officers and includes AMP plus visits to select U.S. Navy logistics organizations to provide an executive view of military logistics and supply chain concepts.

More Information

If you want more information about becoming a Supply Corps Officer, start by contacting a Naval Officer Recruiter.

For NSCS courses, scheduling, and enrollment questions, use the official points of contact below:

U.S. Navy Supply Corps School (NSCS)
1378 Porter Ave.
Naval Station Newport
Newport, RI 02841
Main phone: (401) 841-4801
Course information: (401) 841-4852
Command Duty Officer: (601) 479-5775
Email: nscs_nwpt_courseinformation@us.navy.mil
Website: https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/css/nscs/

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