In June 1956, after just eight years of active service,[2] he was promoted to chief petty officer, which was at the time the highest enlisted rank in the navy.

Homeported in Davisville, Rhode Island, the Guardian was a converted World War II liberty ship being used for radar surveillance.

Walker began his second tour of shore duty in 1964 as Director of Training, Radarman “A” School, Great Lakes, Illinois.

Three years later, he reported aboard the destroyer USS Harlan R. Dickson (DD-708) at Newport, Rhode Island, where he was assigned various command duties including senior enlisted advisor and leading chief for combat systems training at the Fleet Combat Direction Systems Training Center, Dam Neck, Virginia.

Walker fought for increases in sea pay, improvements in off-duty education opportunities, consolidation of the three-form system of enlisted evaluation reports into a uniform format, and a return to the traditional "crackerjacks" phased out by ADM Zumwalt.

In 1990, Robert J. Walker Hall, the home of Operations Specialist "A" School at Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic, Dam Neck, Virginia was named for him.