Navy Enlisted Rating Modernization Announcement

“Tradition” might not be the best answer to everything; but in this case we’re talking about a tradition so old that it predates navies’ version of NCOs. Petty Officer only became important once there were more enlisted authorities than just ‘The Boatswain’.
To illustrate the significance: let’s just start calling Marines ‘sailors’. If your job isn’t important and they work for the Department of the Navy, what’s the difference?

Ratings are a long standing tradition in the Navy, so old we carried it over from the Royal Navy. There are still a few ratings: Gunner's Mate, Boatswain's Mate, Quatermaster, which have been around from the beginning. Sailors take great pride in their ratings.

I guess the best analogy I can come up with is imagine if the army said those in infantry can no longer wear crossed rifles, wear your blue cord and oh and you can't call yourself infantry anymore just a number.

It really is about identity in very large organization. During daily routine, we already call Sailors by their Rank; Seaman, Petty Officer, Chief, Senior or Master Chief followed by their last name. Occasionally, one might call someone by their rate to get their attention. For example, "CTR1, could you help me with this please?" The Rating is the speciality code that identifies the specific career field. I've worked in the joint environment my entire career and realize the other services may not understand why Sailors are so frustrated by this change. Soldiers would never address someone by their job code, ie 35N Smith or a Marine would not address a peer as 2631 Smith. In the other services, your rank is how you are addressed all the time. In the Navy, it really does come down to Tradition, Identity and honoring those that have "gone before us." Unfortunately, change is the only constant in life and their are those in "higher circles" who want to take our identity away and make us all the same. Each of us have specific services related differences that we take great pride in, they are the things that make us unique from the other services. With this change, there may come a time when Military service is just Military service and not specified by branch. Keep in mind, there are many politicians who don't care for the military and think we spend to much on "Defense." As things continue to change, what's next . . . .