The Operations Specialist (OS) rating operated radar, sonar control, and navigation systems in the Combat Information Center (CIC); tracked air, surface, and subsurface contacts; and coordinated tactical data. The OS rating was established in 1972 when the Radarman (RD) rate was merged with the Operations Intelligence (OI) community — bringing with it a direct and documented asbestos exposure history from CIC radar work that the corpus records under both the Radarman and OS designations. Personnel who served as Radarmen before 1972 and were redesignated OS continued the same CIC work in the same asbestos-containing compartments.

Documented Exposure Sources

Combat Information Center — Direct Asbestos Exposure

Radarman Rate — OS Predecessor with Direct Exposure Record

CIC — Physical Environment

The Combat Information Center was the most electronics-dense enclosed compartment aboard any combatant. Its construction required:

  • Asbestos-containing insulation board on all interior bulkheads and overhead — electromagnetic shielding and fire-resistance requirements made asbestos-containing insulation board the standard material
  • Asbestos-backed electrical panels throughout the radar control and display consoles
  • Asbestos-insulated wiring in high-current circuits throughout the CIC
  • Asbestos-containing floor tile underfoot at all watch stations

OS personnel stood CIC watches for four to six hours at a stretch, repeating throughout each day at sea. This continuous occupancy of an asbestos-containing enclosed space produced cumulative asbestos exposure over the full sea-duty career.

Radar Equipment — Asbestos-Containing Components

OS in the Operations Community

Service Period and Training

OS and Radarman personnel underwent radar and CIC training at shore-based schools — NTC San Diego, NTC Great Lakes, and various fleet CIC schools — before fleet assignment. These training facilities were constructed with the same asbestos-containing building materials as comparable Navy shore infrastructure of the era.

The Operations Specialist rating (and its predecessor Radarman rate) qualifies for VA service connection under VA asbestos-claim guidance based on documented asbestos exposure in Combat Information Centers and radar spaces aboard Navy vessels. The corpus directly names CIC Radar Intelligence work as an asbestos exposure pathway, and formal Radarman asbestos claims appear in multiple independent litigation documents.

Key documents for an OS or Radarman claim:

  • DD-214 Block 11 — primary specialty showing OS or RD rate
  • Ship assignments — duty stations documenting CIC/radar watch standing
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

Civil claims may run against manufacturers of asbestos-containing insulation board used in CIC construction and against manufacturers of asbestos-containing radar and fire control equipment.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

Documented asbestos exposure information derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.