Officer of the Day
A duty officer or officer of the day is a position that is assigned to a worker on a regularly rotational basis. While on duty, duty officers attend to administrative tasks and incidents that require attention regardless of the time of day, in addition to the officer's normal duties. Duty officers are typically assigned to work for a period of time such as 24 to 48 hours, after which he will be relieved by the next duty officer listed on a roster. The outgoing duty officer will turn over relevant data and documentation to the incoming duty officer about the previous day's happenings before returning to his normal duties or resting.
Military usage
In the military, the responsibilities of a duty officer vary depending on the position. Military units may have duty officers that are responsible for the military unit and act as the commanding officer's representative. Certain departments may have duty officers that handle tasks specific to that department after regular working hours. Specialist officers such as dentists, physicians, and lawyers have their own duty officers who are responsible for carrying out the various missions of their respective specialties after hours. Such positions, particularly non-command positions, need not necessarily be held by commissioned officers; they may be filled by non-commissioned officers or warrant officers.
In various navies, the placing of sailors on scheduled duties, including that of officers, is known as watchkeeping. In some naval ships and commands, officer of the day may refer to a specific position of duty officer that represents the commander, namely a command duty officer.
In the Indian Army, the duty officer is in charge of maintaining discipline and order in an Indian Army Unit. He is also in charge of the guards on duty, and conducting inspections of the quarter guard at any time of day or night. A duty officer also has a duty JCO and a duty NCO to assist him in discharging his duties. The duty JCO and duty NCO would be wearing a brassard or an arm band with the words "duty JCO" and "duty NCO" marked on them.
In the United States armed forces, the duty officer is generally in charge of a unit headquarters in the absence of the commander. His duties include inspection of soldiers on guard duty (also called watchstanders in the Navy), being in charge of quarters at the company and battery level and staff duty NCOs at the battalion level, inspection of the arms rooms, motor pool and unit dining facilities. The duty officer will contact the commander and senior NCOs if emergency messages are sent to the unit. The duty officer usually carries a notebook and briefcase with a series of phone lists and checklists put together by the unit adjutant to guide the officer through his tour of duty.
In the American Civil War, a general officer of the day was a general officer assigned the duties of responding to reports by the picket line, such as a flag of truce.[1]
