United States Navy enlisted rates

.cite web
title =Navy Ratings
work =
publisher =Bluejacket.com
url =http://www.bluejacket.com/usn_ratings.html#pay
accessdate = 2007-01-26 ] Rates are displayed on a rating badge, which is a combination of rate and rating. E-1s through E-3s have color coded group rate marks based on their career field. Personnel in pay grade E-1 do not have an insignia to wear.

Ratings are earned through "A" schools, which are attended before deployment and after undergoing initial basic training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois. Some members may undergo additional training in a "C" school either before or after a tour of duty. Upon completion, they are assigned a four-digit Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) code, which identifies a skill that is outside of their standard rating. An example is NEC 2780, which shows that the sailor is qualified as a Network Security Vulnerability Technician.

The rating symbols depicted for each rating badge listed below (except for the rating badge of the Command Master Chief) is Boatswain's Mate.cite web
title =Rate Insignia of Navy Enlisted Personnel
work =
publisher =U. S. Navy
url =http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ranks/rates/rates.html
accessdate = 2007-01-25 ]

Uniforms

:see also|Uniforms of the United States Navy The rating badge is worn on the left upper sleeve for the dress blues or "crackerjacks", the winter blues or "working blues", the dress whites, and the summer whites or "tropical whites", as well as the Navy pea coat. The background color and material of the patch matches the uniform on which it is worn. On the utility uniform (including the utility shirt and utility jacket), a rating patch, which omits the rating symbol, is worn on the upper left sleeve (see picture). On the coverall and camouflage uniforms, a pair of smaller rating patches are worn on the collar tips; as with the utility uniform, the rating symbol is left off.cite book
title =United States Navy Uniform Regulations
chapter=Enlisted Rate/Rating Insignia
publisher =BUPERS, U. S. Navy
url =http://buperscd.technology.navy.mil/bup_updt/508/unireg/chapter4/chapter_4sec2pt2.htm
accessdate = 2007-01-26 ]

Those Petty Officers and above who meet good conduct requirements are authorized to wear the gold variations of their respective rating badges.

E-1 to E-3

Sailors in pay grades E-1 through E-3 are considered to be in apprenticeships.cite web
title =Group rate marks for pay grades E-1 through E-3
work =
publisher =U. S. Navy
url =http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ranks/rates/rates2.html
accessdate = 2007-01-25 ] They are divided into five definable groups, with colored group rate marks designating the group to which they belong: Seaman, Fireman, Airman, Constructionman, and Hospitalman. One of three apprentice devices may be worn above the rank insignia, which denotes the sailor is an apprentice in a particular field and is in search of a rating to join. Sailors who have gone directly to a base, station, or ship without any specialized training are eligible to select a career field, and through correspondence courses and extensive on-the-job training, may qualify for a rating. This process is called "striking for a rate." If an enlisted member has qualified for a rate, but has not yet become a petty officer, he is called a designated striker, and is identified by a striker's badge that displays the sailor's rating, along with his group rate marks. The serviceperson is addressed by one's group designation, if known (e.g., Fireman Jones, Constructionman Apprentice Smith); by the generic appellation 'seaman'; or by one's striker designation (Boatswain's Mate Seaman Watson, Culinary Specialist Seaman Recruit Johnson).

Command Master Chief

After attaining the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer, servicemembers may choose to further their career by becoming a Command Master Chief Petty Officer (CMC). A CMC is considered to be the senior-most enlisted service member within a command, and is the special assistant to the Commanding Officer in all matters pertaining to the health, welfare, job satisfaction, morale, utilization, advancement and training of the command's enlisted personnel.cite web
title = Navy Enlisted Advancement System - Master Chief
publisher = Navy Professional Development Center, Military.com
url =http://www.military.com/MilitaryCareers/Content/0,14556,Promotions_Navy_E9,00.html
accessdate = 2007-01-28] cite web
title=Senior And Master Chiefs As Principal Enlisted Advisor
work =Military Requirements for Senior and Master Chief Petty Officer Chief
publisher = Integrated Publishing
url = http://tpub.com/content/advancement/14148/css/14148_26.htm
accessdate = 2007-01-28] CMCs can be Command level (within a single unit, such as a ship or shore station), Fleet level (squadrons consisting of multiple operational units, headed by a flag officer or commodore), or Force level (consisting of a separate community within the Navy, such as Subsurface, Air, Reserves).cite web
title =Chief of Naval Operations OPNAV Instructions 1306.2D
publisher =Navydata, U. S. Navy
url =http://www.navy.mil/navydata/mcpon/cmcinst.html
accessdate = 2007-01-28]

CMC insignia are similar to the insignia for Master Chief, except that the rating symbol is replaced by an inverted five-point star, reflecting a change in their rating from their previous rating (ie, MMCM) to CMDCM. The stars for Command Master Chief are silver, while stars for Fleet or Force Master Chief are gold. Additionally, CMCs wear a badge, worn on their left breast pocket, denoting their title (Command/Fleet/Force).

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) is the senior enlisted person in the Navy, appointed by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) to serve as a spokesperson to address the issues of enlisted personnel to the highest positions in the Navy. The MCPON is the senior enlisted advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations and Chief of Naval Personnel.cite web
title =Senior and Master Chiefs as Principal Enlisted Advisor
work = Military Requirements for Senior and Master Chief Petty Officer
page=2-1
publisher =Integrated Publishing
url =http://tpub.com/content/advancement/14148/css/14148_23.htm
accessdate = 2007-01-28] Exact duties vary, depending on the CNO, though the duties generally include traveling throughout the Navy, observing training and talking to sailors and their families. The MCPON serves on several boards concerned with enlisted members, represents the Department of the Navy at special events, and may be called upon to testify before Congress regarding enlisted personnel issues.cite web
title =Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
work = U. S. Navy Factfile
publisher = U. S. Navy
url =http://www.navy.mil/navydata/leadership/mcpon_resp.asp
accessdate = 2007-01-28]

The position was originally established as "Senior Enlisted Advisor of the Navy" in January 1967 in response to a recommendation from the Secretary of the Navy's task force on Navy personnel retention. Three months later, the title was officially changed to "Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy". The individual rating specialty marks for the MCPON was replaced by an inverted star in 1971.cite web
title =Master Chief Petty Officers of the Navy
work = Frequently Asked Questions
publisher =Naval Historical Center, U. S. Navy
url =http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq46-8.htm
accessdate = 2007-01-28]

The MCPON's current insignia is similar to Fleet or Force CMCs, with the addition of a third star above the crow or anchor.

References