What do you think about the Navy Eliminating 241-Year-Old Rating System in New Enlisted Rank Overhaul?

Right on Staff!!

IE. The Chinese PLA, PLAN, PLAAF etc.

Oh yes Sir! Pretty much the whole Army minus Warrant Officers and former SPC 5-9 are jack of all trades. Now I'd say that about 50% know their MOS well but the other 50% don't. The only way to know if someone knows their trade in the Army is to observe them for several weeks/months. But it's not their individual fault since this is just the Army way. As a Sr NCO I liked my technical job so much that I applied for the Warrant Officer program. Consequently, I performed my technical MOS for the next 12 years as a WO and had a blast! Maybe the Navy can expand their WO program so NCO's (PO's) that wanna keep their proficiency and meet the requirements can go that route.

CW4 Angel C. - Basically Chief Navy CWO's at least on the Aviation Side are managed very much like Limited Duty Officers (LDO)'s and are moved into Aircraft Management. At least that was the case back before I retired in 2000. I have been keeping up with the Navy since I work for a company that contracts to NavAir in Patuxent River Maryland. But you won't ever see a CWO actually working on a piece of gear unless he or she wants to keep their hand in the rating. They may be assigned as Avionics Division Officers, Ordinance Div Officer and so forth but it is purely administrative.

CPO Byron Sargent - Yeah I guess it depends on the CWO's job. In the Army CWO's are becoming a little rustier at their jobs due to higher needs and expectations to perform both technical and regular officer jobs at the same time. Well hopefully this change doesn't affect the Navy too much.

Captain our traditions of simplicity as well as pride has been replaced for reasons beyond the PC rattles! It's remarkable how empty our leadership voices have become wrapped in self preservation to carry out degradation of so honored identity of standard pride of job skills! Is everyone now "Doc?" Will Snipe,!Stew burner or even polywog be banded from a sailors vocabulary. I hate seeing recklessness thinking that is stealthily promoting depletion of what make a sailor special and devalued individual pride!

When I completed my BMR in 1986, it said Soldier first, sailor second, rate third.

Valid Point - You and I both know that we as sailors identify by our RATE first and Rank second regardless of what some book said. We wore that rating symbol on our sleeves with PRIDE!

Not anymore brother, slowly are the Navy tradition are being destroyed due to senior leaders worrying about the correct PC, instead of keeping the Navy traditions alive. It wouldn't surprise me, if within the next 10 yrs, earning your anchors is nothing more than having them pinned on your collar.
DKC (SW) retired, Earl Jones

I was an "Aviation Machinist Mate Reciprocating" long before I was a "Petty Officer Third Class", so your job always came first. Rank just got you more money.