Posted on Nov 3, 2015
Could someone please break down the Navy rank structure?
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E1 - E3 = Seaman/Fireman/Airman/Constructionman/Hospital Corpsman Recruit (1), Apprentice (2), and the aforemention title at E3. Petty Officer 3rd Class is E4 and the first NCO rank in the Navy. PO 2nd Class is E5 and PO 1st Class is E6. Chief Petty Officer is the first rank of SNCO and E7. Senior Chief is E8, Master Chief is E-God
Ensign - O1, LT Jr Grade (LTJG) is O2, LT is O3, LT Commander (LCDR) is O4, Commander (CDR) is O5 and Captain is a full bird O6. Rear Admiral lower half (0-7) and upper half (O-8). Vice Admiral O-9 and Admiral O-10.
Having a Navy background helps me though lol
Ensign - O1, LT Jr Grade (LTJG) is O2, LT is O3, LT Commander (LCDR) is O4, Commander (CDR) is O5 and Captain is a full bird O6. Rear Admiral lower half (0-7) and upper half (O-8). Vice Admiral O-9 and Admiral O-10.
Having a Navy background helps me though lol
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SSG Audwin Scott
Thanks for the breakdown, the navy is the only rank structure and I believe the coast guard that looks different then other branches.
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MCPO Roger Collins
Bless you, my Son. :), unfortunately on submarines we were just overpaid technical experts with a lot of experience.
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MCPO Roger Collins
CPO Charles Schmidgall - Those are noted as paygrades on the Rank Structure charts. The Navy has WO-1, then they are all CWO-2/3/4.
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A quick glance at a Sailor's left sleeve tells you twice as much as looking at the equivalent rank patch in the other services: Navy ranks tell you (a) what a Sailor does for a living, and (b) what his rank is. All enlisted Navy people have specialties that we wear on our rank badge: Photographer's Mate, Boatswain's Mate, Aerographer, Sonarman, Operations Specialist, etc. You'll see those insignia in the center of the rank patch, right underneath the Eagle (we call it the Crow.) Next you look at whether the sailor is wearing 1-3 diagonal stripes underneath the specialty marking, which makes them (in turn) Seaman Recruit, Seaman Apprentice or Seaman. If the sailor is wearing V-shaped chevrons, he or she is an NCO (since the days of sail we've called them "Petty Officers.") One chevron makes that sailor a Petty Officer Third Class (E-4) or more properly, a Photographer's Mate Third Class, Sonarman Third Class, etc. Two chevrons makes that sailor a Petty Officer Second Class (E-4); with three chevrons making them a Petty Officer First Class (E-6). Add a rocker across the top, and that sailor is now a Chief Petty Officer (E-7.) Add a star on the rocker, and you're looking at a Senior Chief Petty Officer (E-8,) and two stars makes them a Master Chief Petty Officer.
Hope this helps
Hope this helps
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Navy rank structure is fairly simple - it's three sets of three.
At the bottom, you have the non-rates. Just like the various versions of Private in the Army. The only difference is that we kind of combine their job title into the rank. Imagine if the Army had "Infantryman, Infantryman, and Infantryman First Class" or "Paratrooper, Paratrooper, and Paratrooper First Class." (I know, awkward, but it's not our fault that the Army chose to give two ranks the same name)
Above that, you have the Petty Officers. These are the Junior NCOs in the army. Just like the Army adopts various adaptations to the title of Sergeant, we do so with Petty Officer... but we keep it simple with first, second, and third class. Again, we like working the job title into the rank, but if you listen for the ending, you'll always know what the pay grade is.
The top tier is a bit distinct in that our Chiefs form a completely separate community that is pulled from the enlisted community and sits at the top enlisted paygrades... but is completely separate from them. In a way, they're a counterpoint to the warrent officers. WO's occupy a separate grade structure but are integrated into the wardroom. CPOs are integrated into the enlisted rank structure, but are completely apart from the junior enlisted. Aside from that, it's just like the top three in other branches - the adjectives used may jumble around from branch to branch, but they're pretty much arbitrary anyways.
Actually, to an extent, the navy makes it easier than the Army and Marines. E-8 is always Senior Chief. Only one rank per paygrade. Likewise, E-9 is always addressed as "Master Chief," whether he be freshly frocked or the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.
For the officers, the flow is pretty much the same, even if the titles change from the Army-style ranks. The one that surprises most people is that a Lieutenant Commander is still considered a Junior Officer, owing to the rank's origin as "Lieutenant - Commanding." None the less, an LCDR is board-selected and should be regarded the same as a Major.
At the bottom, you have the non-rates. Just like the various versions of Private in the Army. The only difference is that we kind of combine their job title into the rank. Imagine if the Army had "Infantryman, Infantryman, and Infantryman First Class" or "Paratrooper, Paratrooper, and Paratrooper First Class." (I know, awkward, but it's not our fault that the Army chose to give two ranks the same name)
Above that, you have the Petty Officers. These are the Junior NCOs in the army. Just like the Army adopts various adaptations to the title of Sergeant, we do so with Petty Officer... but we keep it simple with first, second, and third class. Again, we like working the job title into the rank, but if you listen for the ending, you'll always know what the pay grade is.
The top tier is a bit distinct in that our Chiefs form a completely separate community that is pulled from the enlisted community and sits at the top enlisted paygrades... but is completely separate from them. In a way, they're a counterpoint to the warrent officers. WO's occupy a separate grade structure but are integrated into the wardroom. CPOs are integrated into the enlisted rank structure, but are completely apart from the junior enlisted. Aside from that, it's just like the top three in other branches - the adjectives used may jumble around from branch to branch, but they're pretty much arbitrary anyways.
Actually, to an extent, the navy makes it easier than the Army and Marines. E-8 is always Senior Chief. Only one rank per paygrade. Likewise, E-9 is always addressed as "Master Chief," whether he be freshly frocked or the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.
For the officers, the flow is pretty much the same, even if the titles change from the Army-style ranks. The one that surprises most people is that a Lieutenant Commander is still considered a Junior Officer, owing to the rank's origin as "Lieutenant - Commanding." None the less, an LCDR is board-selected and should be regarded the same as a Major.
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Cpl Phil Hsueh
I'd argue that Chiefs are the same as Staff NCOs in the Army & Marine Corps and possibly the Air Force too. They're senior enlisted but occupy a strata that's their own, just like Navy Chiefs. As with Navy Chiefs, Staff NCOs often get privileges that aren't given to regular NCOs much less non rates. In the Marine Corps anybody that's Gunny & above gets immense respect and starting at Staff Sgt. hold command positions like Platoon Sgt. and are effectively the second in command of a platoon.
Warrant Officers are their own thing and are, as I like to say, neither fish nor fowl. They occupy a weird niche that's above even the senior most enlisted man but still below the most junior of commissioned officers. They rate salutes by enlisted personnel but they don't normally hold formal command billets such as Platoon Leader, Company Commander, and so on. They're also, at least in the Marine Corps, specialists in their fields and are often pulled from the senior enlisted ranks but it's not a part of the normal career path of an elistedman. There's no split in the career path that leads to a Warrant or anything like that, it's something that you have to apply and go to school for.
Warrant Officers are their own thing and are, as I like to say, neither fish nor fowl. They occupy a weird niche that's above even the senior most enlisted man but still below the most junior of commissioned officers. They rate salutes by enlisted personnel but they don't normally hold formal command billets such as Platoon Leader, Company Commander, and so on. They're also, at least in the Marine Corps, specialists in their fields and are often pulled from the senior enlisted ranks but it's not a part of the normal career path of an elistedman. There's no split in the career path that leads to a Warrant or anything like that, it's something that you have to apply and go to school for.
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LCDR (Join to see)
While other branches put a lot of responsibility on their top enlisted pay grades, it seems mostly in the Navy (and I assume Coast Guard) that there's a hard break, and your life and professional responsibilities change DRASTICALLY.
For instance, you say that a Gunny is effectively second in command of a platoon. A Chief pretty much runs the division, and if the DivO isn't strong, he'll find himself just along for the ride. One flaw I had to overcome as a new DivO was being too deferential to the Chief, as a byproduct of my enlisted time.
You are right about Warrants, though. I think the Navy has them better integrated than most branches, but that's because they hold a distinct, discernible place. The are always prior chiefs, holding a commission (we don't use W1) in a field related to their former rating. At least that's how it used to be. With the flying warrants, that tradition was broken, though that program ended. Hopefully this new cyber warrant program will likewise meet a swift end.
For instance, you say that a Gunny is effectively second in command of a platoon. A Chief pretty much runs the division, and if the DivO isn't strong, he'll find himself just along for the ride. One flaw I had to overcome as a new DivO was being too deferential to the Chief, as a byproduct of my enlisted time.
You are right about Warrants, though. I think the Navy has them better integrated than most branches, but that's because they hold a distinct, discernible place. The are always prior chiefs, holding a commission (we don't use W1) in a field related to their former rating. At least that's how it used to be. With the flying warrants, that tradition was broken, though that program ended. Hopefully this new cyber warrant program will likewise meet a swift end.
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