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I can tell you exactly how this works. When Buttplug applied for a commission he had to have three things a degree appropriate to intel, a skill the Navy wanted and advocates. From Wiki “Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard College and Oxford University, attending the latter on a Rhodes Scholarship.” He used his work experience and his impressive education pedigree to get a commission. Having worked with a few Harvard grads, they tend to get some pretty impressive recommendations from alumni. The Navy, because of his education and schools he attended brought him in as an analyst with the rank of LT vice Ensign or LTJG. This happened a lot during the war. I helped a few junior Sailors get commissions as intel officers and a few people get into the Navy Reserve as Advance Paygrade Intel. Most came in as Second Classes (E-5). In the Marine Corps or on a ship, an O3 is a pretty significant rank in Navy Intel not so much. During the war, you had more O4-O6’s (Major-Colonel) in Navy Reserve Intel then you can shake a stick at. An O3 is nothing and unless he was a Mustang would not have been an OIC of anything at a Reserve JRISE. In Afghanistan he may have been an OIC of a department consisting of junior enlisted from various services. But he is being misleading if he uses the word command. As an intel officer he worked in a secure building in Afghanistan. He may of had a team that provided analysis to a more senior officer who then passed it on for further analysis before it ever made it to the O6 or Flag level. If he convoyed it would have been between major base because they do not have a SCIF on a FOB. Why he would have convoyed is odd to me, but he may have already had political aspirations and volunteered for one. Buttplug received a JCOM medal because he was an Officer assigned to a Joint Command. The minimum award for an Officer was a Joint Com medal. Means he did his job and did not piss anybody off. Navy Junior enlisted had to demonstrate exemplary performance for a JCOM normally they got either a NAM or a Joint Achievement medal.
Finally, you have to understand Navy culture. O1-O4 are considered JO’s (junior officers) Unless an O4 has their Surface Warfare and is a ship driver they are just another JO. I knew Chiefs and Senior Chiefs who took commissions and told me later they missed being treated with respect and having the authority of a Chief. Most would not make out of the JO ranks before they retired. A few make Commander and even fewer make Captain. Most of those are in specialty fields, i.e Chaplain, medical corps, logistics or intel. As a Chief I was made the OIC of a site over an O3 because he was a Staff Officer (specialist) not a Line Officer (ship driver). So making him an O3 was no big deal to the Navy. He served and like any good Pfc gets respect for that, but no more.