Naval ROTC midshipmen are scheduled to select their first ships Feb. 13-15, as they look to join the U.S. Navy's surface warfare officer (SWO) community.

This selection process will feature NROTC midshipmen and officer candidates conducting their picks via live video conference. The video conference will broadcast on the Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) YouTube channel, allowing Sailors in the fleet, family, and friends the opportunity to share in this special moment at the commencement of a SWO's career.

More than 275 midshipmen at 71 units (94 colleges and universities) around the country have selected service in the fleet as SWOs. Each selecting midshipman is ranked according to their grade point average, aptitude scores, and physical fitness assessments.

According to their rankings, each of the selectees will provide their picks to the junior officer detailer at the Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tennessee. They will provide their preference of ship or homeport and, if available, they will be assigned as requested.

Following commissioning and graduation, all newly-commissioned SWOs will report to their first shipboard assignments as Navy ensigns.

Family, friends and future shipmates can watch the NROTC SWO ship selections in real-time via http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRUHRP6NI8E and follow the selection assignments at http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/Pages/Spring-2017-ROTC-Ship-Selection.aspx/, or check out the Navy Personnel Command (NPC) PERS-41 Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NROTCShipSelection2017/.

Interviews can be arranged through the NSTC Public Affairs Office.

Media interested in learning more about the ship selection process or to arrange interviews should contact Lt. Sean Brophy, NSTC PAO, at (847)688-7853, ext. 349.

The NROTC program is overseen by Rear Adm. Stephen C. Evans, NSTC commander, headquartered at Naval Station Great Lakes, and was established to develop midshipmen mentally, morally, and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, loyalty, and Navy core values in order to commission college graduates as naval officers.

The officers will possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the naval service and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government.

NSTC oversees 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy's Citizenship Development program. NSTC includes Recruit Training Command (RTC), NROTC units at more than 160 colleges and universities, Officer Training Command (OTC) at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island, and Navy Junior ROTC and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

For more information about NROTC, visit http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/.