Looking for a military term

[ffutures]

I think that there's a military term for this - a civilian who signs on as a temporary officer equivalent in the armed forces, subject to orders etc.

The idea is that I want a rationale for civilian characters aboard a military vessel. Reserves doesn't quite work for my purposes. I could make them civilian employees, but I think I want them to be a little more in the chain of command.

Any suggestions?

Later - I think "Acting supernumerary" will do.

Comments

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

In the Nelson-era Royal Navy that's what 'warrant officers' were - the surgeon, carpenter and so on.

There's no exact equivalent these days in the UK or (so far as I am aware) US forces. The nearest would be the way that the RAF used to have something called a RAFRO CC Commission (RAF Reserve of Officers, Civilian Component). As I understand it, this was a way of ensuring that certain members of the scientific Civil Service, such as Met Office staff, could be put into a military role if required.

Come to think of it, the nearest thing to that today is Sponsored Reserves, where a contractor such as BT has a team of staff all with special TA engagements, so they can be activated and sent as soldiers rather than civilian contractors to operational areas.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Not quite what I had in mind, but for my purposes I think that "Acting supernumerary" comes close enough.

Rationale?

[3pitaka.livejournal.com]

The question is why the military recruits in such a fashion instead of either performing the relevant education within its own ranks, or commissioning existing specialists (as, for instance, physicians have been commissioned).

One justification might be that military education in this world has become so specialized (concentrating on, say, mathematics and technicalia of weapons systems and engines) that there's no room left for specialists in "non-essential" fields like biology or geology or intercultural relations.

Re: Rationale?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

In this case it's a way to get some good publicity by giving a couple of journalists with useful skills a free ride.

Re: Rationale?

[dsample.livejournal.com]

In that case, I think just "supernumerary" will do. The "acting" is redundant.

Re: Rationale?

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

For the Japanese during WWII, they wanted Taiwanese doctors in the Navy, but they didn't want them to have command authority: thus, Medical Advisory Officers.