As a Meteorological and Oceanography Officer and Command Duty Officer
By Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach
MILLINGTON, Tenn. – A Concord, California, native is serving at Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Ensign Anthony McLennan, a 2001 De La Salle High School graduate, worked at HP Labs in Palo Alto, California, for almost a decade working in the area of digital print and additive manufacturing before joining the Navy a year ago. Today, McLennan is a Meteorological and Oceanography (METOC) Officer and Command Duty Officer (CDO) at JTWC.
“I help publish typhoon and tsunami warning information through our public web page and directly to our DoD customers operating in the Indian and Pacific Oceans,” said McLennan. “As a CDO, I help our command achieve its mission by being the eyes and ears for our commanding officer. I ensure our products reach our customers on time consistently and provide accurate and actionable information so they can successfully complete their missions.”
Naval Oceanography encompasses a wide range of missions crucial to supporting today’s Naval fleet. They include oceanography, hydrography, meteorology, climate science, geospatial information science, astrometry, Earth orientation and precise time.
Whether operating in the air, at sea or underwater, Navy equipment, people and decision-making all rely on the technical and tactical advice of Navy Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) Officers.
The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography directs and oversees more than 2,500 globally-distributed military and civilian personnel who collect, process and exploit environmental information to assist Fleet and Joint Commanders in all warfare areas to make better decisions faster than the adversary.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, McLennan, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.
“You can learn more about a person in a hour of play, than a year of conversation,” added McLennan. “The devil is in the details.”
McLennan is a 2010 University of California, Davis graduate with an Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering degree. He graduated from Officer Candidate School in 2020 with the top overall class Physical Fitness score.
With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.
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