Welcome to the Military Standards Cadre (MSC) of Commissioned Officers. Located on Fort Detrick in Frederick, MD, this organization is devoted to provide leadership for readiness standards. This organization is especially chartered to promote readiness standards and esprit de corps in Naval Services without readiness facillities such as the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Commissioned Officers remain on call on a 24 hour/7 day week basis. Commissioned Corps Officers who are deployable as rostered through the Office of Force Readiness Deployment (OFRD) or Tier 1 responders on teams such as the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) respond regularly to national emergencies.

The MSC can help you meet your OFRD requirements through semiannual readiness testing with the Navy PRT or the APFT of the OFRD. Officers who test with the MSC and meet the military standard will become automatic probationary members of the MSC until the semiannual requirements are acheived. MSC members who acheive Fitness Badge Status, may self-report one PT test per year, but must test with the MSC at least once a year and acheive the outstanding low (90%) on all components of their selected military PT test.

Membership in the Military Standards Cadre of Commissioned Officers is available to any uniformed service officer. Most of our applicants are Commissioned Officers in the United States Public Health Service, however, other service members are welcome, including officers in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Membership of this organization is not restricted to any particular geographical area.

To become a Military Standards Member, you must be a uniformed service officer (Regular Corps, Active Reserve, Inactive Reserve, or Retired). You will pass a semiannual physical training test of Armed Forces standards, and a uniform inspection. You will participate semiannually in our "Honor the Colors Ceremony" and demonstrate familiarity with the Uniform Code of Military Justice. For more information on becoming a Military Standards Member, click here.

The MSC offers testing to qualify RDF officers in order to maintain their readiness standards for this important function. OFRD officers may test during our regular Spring and Fall testing week, or arrange to have an individual testing time at both the MSC examiner's and OFRDofficer's mutual convenience. CAPT Calvin Edwards is the RDF liaison officer with the MSC. Please contact him so that arrangements can be made.

The MSC offers testing to qualify OFRD officers in order to maintain their readiness standards for this important function. OFRD officers may test during our regular Spring and Fall testing week, or arrange to have an individual testing time at both the examiner's and OFRD officer's mutual convenience. CDR Lucienne Nelson is the OFRD liaison officer with the MSC. Please contact her so that arrangements can be made.

The MSC recognizes those officers who achieve outstanding status on Armed Forces fitness tests. The award is in the form of an official certificate awarded at the November meeting of the Fort Detrick COA. The certificate features a ribbon design for future approval on uniform wear. For more information, please click here.