Showing posts with label US Navy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Navy. Show all posts

Naval Expeditionary Combat Command

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), established in January 2006, serves as the single functional command for the Navy's expeditionary forces and as central management for the readiness, resources, manning, training and equipping of those forces.

NECC consolidates, aligns and integrates diverse expeditionary capabilities and combat support elements to create consistent expeditionary practices, procedures, requirements and logistics in the battle space. NECC’s enterprise approach will yield improved efficiencies and effectiveness through economies of scale and common processes.

NECC is a command element and force provider for integrated maritime expeditionary missions. NECC is a core expeditionary force providing effective waterborne and ashore anti-terrorism, force protection, theater security cooperation and engagement, and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief contingencies. Upon request, NECC supplements Coast Guard homeland security requirements while training and equipping forces to support mission requirements.

NECC capabilities include; Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Maritime Expeditionary Security, Riverine, Diving Operations, Naval Construction, Maritime Civil Affairs, Expeditionary Training, Expeditionary Logistics, Expeditionary Intelligence, Combat Camera, Expeditionary Combat Readiness, and Maritime Expeditionary Security.

The Maritime Expeditionary Security Force’s (MESF) (formerly known as Naval Coastal Warfare) primary mission is force protection conducted through fleet support with operations around the world. Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection missions include harbor and homeland defense, coastal surveillance, and special missions. Specialized units work together with MESF squadron staffs providing intelligence and communications. MESF units deploy worldwide to detect, deter, and defend an area, unit, or High Value Asset. Recent locations include the United States, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.

Two Maritime Expeditionary Security Groups in San Diego and Portsmouth, Va. provide centralized planning, control, training, coordination, equipping, and integration of coastal warfare assets trained to operate in high density, multi-threat environments. Units conduct force protection of strategic shipping and naval vessels operating in the inshore and coastal assets, anchorages and harbors, from bare beach to sophisticated port facilities.

Coastal and harbor defense and protection of naval assets are placed under the jurisdiction of two Naval Coastal Warfare Groups: one for the Pacific Fleet and one for the Atlantic Fleet. Within these groups are Mobile Security Squadrons and Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons. MSSs deploy Mobile Security Detachments that provide force protection for high value naval targets in ports and harbors where U.S. shore infrastructure is limited or does not exist. Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons provide surveillance and security in harbors, coasts, and inshore areas. They comprise Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Units (MIUWUs) and Inshore Boat Units (IBUs). MIUWUs are charged with security, observation, and communications support for commanders operating in an inshore/coast environment, including anchorages and harbors. In the same operating environment, IBUs manage water craft for security, interdiction and surveillance.

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command
Active 2006 - present
Country United States of America
Branch United States Navy Seal United States Navy
Size 40,000
Garrison/HQ NAB Little Creek
Engagements Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Current
commander
Rear Admiral Michael P. Tillotson

Purpose

NECC aligns disparate expeditionary capabilities to clearly articulate consistent and coordinated expeditionary practices, procedures and requirements in the joint battlespace. NECC integrates all warfighting requirements for expeditionary combat and combat support elements, consolidating and realigning the Navy’s expeditionary forces under a single command to improve fleet readiness. NECC’s enterprise approach intends to improve efficiencies and effectiveness through economies of scale.

NECC changed how the U.S. Navy organizes, trains and equips its forces to meet the Maritime Security Operations and Joint contingency operations requirements. NECC is not a standalone or combat force, but rather a protection force that fills the gaps in the joint warfare arena and complements capabilities of foreign military partners. As an asset to operational commanders, NECC is designed to provide an array of capabilities that are unique to the expeditionary maritime environment as opposed to the blue water and land warfare environments.

NECC seamlessly operates with the other services and coalition partners to provide cooperative assistance as requested. This redistribution of support places naval forces where they are needed the most and establishes new capabilities in support of Maritime Security Operations.

Functions

NECC components offer functions such as command and control of expeditionary warfare operations, training, maritime civil affairs, maritime and port security, logistics support, construction, littoral and coastal warfare and patrol, riverine warfare, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), expeditionary diving and combat salvage, and combat photography.

Individual training and qualifications

Members of most NECC Commands are generally expected to seek qualification for the Enlisted Expeditionary Warfare Specialist Insignia unless they belong to specialized communities which require them to qualify for the Seabee Combat Warfare Badge, Navy Diving Badge or Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge.

Component commands of the NECC

NECC component commands include:

  • 1st Naval Construction Division or "Seabees"
  • Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1 & 2
  • Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training Command
  • Maritime Expeditionary Security Group 1 & 2
  • Commander Task Force 56, United States Fifth Fleet
  • NECC Detachment Combat Camera, Norfolk
  • Navy Expeditionary Intelligence Command (NEIC)
  • Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (United States)
  • Maritime Expeditionary Security Force
  • Expeditionary Logistics Support Group
  • Riverine Squadron Group One
  • Mobile Diving and Salvage Units

Other entities sharing allied functions or similarities independent from NECC

Conventional United States Marine Corps and US Navy entities:

  • Fleet Marine Force (FMF), a component maritime military force that provides expeditionary and amphibious warfare (ship-to-shore beach landings), supported by appropriate U.S. Navy operational forces. Subordinate commands of the FMF, comprising the Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF)—and its subordinate Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU)—are responsible in conflicts pertaining to littoral, and its adjacent areas (green-water naval support); the MEFs no longer provides conventional riverine missions (brown-water naval support), as it handed this function on to NECC.

Unconventional Naval Special Warfare entities:

  • Special Boat Squadron (USN), who share the Navy's Coastal Warfare heritage
  • Special Boat Teams, who share the Navy's coastal, littoral, and riverine warfare heritage
    • Special Boat Team 12 and SBT-20, who share the Navy's Coastal and littoral warfare heritage
    • Special Boat Team 22, who share the Navy's riverine warfare heritage

US Navy Reserve

The United States Navy Reserve is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are enrolled in the Selected Reserve (SELRES), the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), the Full Time Support (FTS), or the Retired Reserve program.

The largest cohort, the SELRES, have traditionally drilled one weekend a month and two weeks of annual training during the year, receiving base pay and certain special pays (i.e., flight pay, dive pay, etc.) when performing inactive duty (i.e., IDT, aka "drills") and full pay and allowances while on active duty for Annual Training (AT), Active Duty for Training (ADT), Active Duty for Operational Support (ADOS), Active Duty for Special Work (ADSW), or under Mobilization (MOB) orders or otherwise recalled to full active duty.

Those SELRES assigned to front-line operational units, such as Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers, Naval Flight Surgeons and enlisted personnel assigned to Navy Reserve or Active-Reserve Integrated (ARI) aviation squadrons and wings, or personnel assigned to major combatant command, Fleet and other major staff positions, are typically funded for far more duty than the weekend per month/2 weeks per year construct, often well in excess of 100 man-days per year. SELRES have also performed additional duty in times of war or national crisis, often being recalled to full-time active duty for one, two or three or more years and deploying to overseas locations or aboard warships, as has been recently seen during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom .

FTS, previously known as TAR (Training and Administration of the Reserve) serve in uniform all year round and provide administrative support to SELRES and operational support for the Navy. They are full-time career active duty personnel, but reside in the Reserve Component (RC), and perform a role similar to Active Guard and Reserve (AGR), Air Reserve Technician (ART) and Army Reserve Technician in the Air Force Reserve Command, the Air National Guard, the U.S. Army Reserve and the Army National Guard.

The IRR do not typically drill or train regularly, but can be recalled to service in a full mobilization (requiring a Presidential order). Some IRR personnel who are not currently assigned to SELRES billets, typically senior commissioned officers in the ranks of commander or captain for whom SELRES billets are limited, will serve in Volunteer Training Units (VTU) or will be support assigned to established active duty or reserve commands while in a VTU status. These personnel will drill for points but no pay and are not eligible for Annual Training with pay. However, they remain eligible for other forms of active duty with pay and mobilization.

The mission of the US Navy Reserve is to provide strategic depth and deliver operational capabilities to the US Navy and Marine Corps team, and Joint forces, in the full range of military operations from peace to war.

Reservists are called to active duty, or mobilized, as needed and are required to sign paperwork acknowledging this possibility upon enrollment in the reserve program.

After the 11 September attacks of 2001, Reservists have been mobilized to support combat operations. The War on Terrorism has even seen the activation of a Reserve squadron, the VFA-201 Hunters, flying F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, which deployed onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). Additionally, more than 52,000 Navy Reservists have been mobilized and deployed to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, including more than 8,000 who have done a second combat tour. They have served alongside Army, Marine, Air Force and service personnel from other countries, performing such missions as countering deadly improvised explosive devices, constructing military bases, escorting ground convoys, operating hospitals, performing intelligence analysis, guarding prisoners, and doing customs inspections for units returning from deployments.

The Reserve consists of approximately 66,700 (55,600 SELRES and 11,100 FTS) officers and enlisted personnel who serve in every state and territory as well as overseas. There are an additional 50,000 members of the IRR.

US Navy Reserve benefits

Medical
  • Under the new system, drilling reservists will pay $49 a month for self-only coverage, or $197 a month for self and family coverage. This replaces the complex qualification rules previously in place for Reservists receiving Tricare coverage. With the new rule, the only requirement is being in SelRes, meaning the Sailor drills one weekend each month.Tricare Handbook
Education
  • Navy Reservists qualify for the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which covers graduate and undergraduate degrees, vocational and technical school training offered by an institute for higher learning that has been approved for G.I. Bill benefits, tutorial assistance, and licensing and certification testing reimbursement. On-the-job training, apprenticeship, correspondence, flight, and preparatory courses might also be covered.
Insurance
  • Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (FSGLI) is a program extended to the spouses and dependent children of members insured under the SGLI program. FSGLI provides up to a maximum of $100,000 of insurance coverage for spouses, not to exceed the amount of SGLI the insured member has in force, and $10,000 for dependent children. Spousal coverage is issued in increments of $10,000.
Tax benefits
  • The Heroes Earning Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008 (HEART) makes permanent two important tax code provisions contained in the Pension Protection Act of 2006. The first provision created an exception for mobilized Reservists to make early withdrawals from retirement plans without triggering an early withdrawal tax. The second provision allows a Reservist who received a qualified distribution to contribute the funds to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), during the two-year period beginning after the end of his or her active duty period. The IRA dollar limitations will not apply to any contribution made following this special repayment rule.
Job security
  • The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) is a federal law intended to ensure that persons who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, Reserves, National Guard or other "uniformed services" are not disadvantaged in their civilian careers because of their service; are promptly reemployed in their civilian jobs upon their return from duty; and are not discriminated against in employment based on past, present, or future military service. The federal government is to be a "model employer" under USERRA.
Promotions
  • Reservists receive the same promotion opportunities as active duty Sailors except they compete against other Reservists.
Retirement
Retired Navy Reservists qualify for Veterans Preference if mobilized under US Code, Title 10 or if they have completed more than 180 days of continuous active duty.

US Navy Bases

The size, complexity, and international presence of the United States Navy require a large number of navy installations to support its operations. While the majority of bases are located inside the United States itself, the Navy maintains a significant number of facilities abroad, either in U.S.-controlled territories or in foreign countries under a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

US Navy Bases: Eastern United States

The second largest concentration of installations is in Hampton Roads, Virginia, where the Navy occupies over 36,000 acres (146 km²) of land. Located in Hampton Roads are NS Norfolk, homeport of the Atlantic Fleet, NAS Oceana, a Master Jet Base, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, as well as a number of Navy and commercial shipyards that service Navy vessels. The state of Florida is the location of three major bases, Naval Station Mayport, the Navy's fourth largest, near Jacksonville, Florida, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, a Master Air Anti-submarine Warfare base, and Naval Air Station Pensacola, home of the Naval Education and Training Command, the Naval Air Technical Training Center that provides specialty training for enlisted aviation personnel, and the primary flight training base for Navy and Marine Corps Naval Flight Officers and enlisted Naval Aircrewmen. The main U.S. Navy submarine bases on the east coast are located in Groton, Connecticut and Kings Bay, Georgia. There are also naval bases in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Brunswick, Maine. Naval Station Great Lakes, north of Chicago, Illinois is the home of the navy's boot camp for enlisted sailors.

US Navy Bases: Western United States and Hawaii

The Navy's largest complex is China Lake, California, which covers 1.1 million acres (4500 km²) of land, or approximately 1/3 of the United States Navy's total land holdings.

Naval Base San Diego, California is principal home to the Pacific Fleet (although the headquarters is located in Pearl Harbor). NAS North Island is located on the north side of Coronado, and is home to Headquarters for Naval Air Forces and Naval Air Force Pacific, the bulk of the Pacific Fleet's helicopter squadrons, and part of the West Coast aircraft carrier fleet. The Naval Special Warfare Center is the primary training center for SEALs, and is also located on Coronado. The other major collection of naval bases on the west coast is in Puget Sound, Washington. Among them, Naval Station Everett is one of the newer bases and the Navy states that it is its most modern facility. NAS Fallon, Nevada serves as the primary training ground for Navy Strike aircrews, and is home to the Naval Strike Air Warfare Center. Master Jet Bases are also located at NAS Lemoore, California and NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, while the carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft community and major air test activities are located at NAS Point Mugu, California. The naval presence in Hawaii is centered on Pearl Harbor Naval Base, which hosts the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet and many of its subordinate commands.

US Navy Bases: United States territories

Guam, an island strategically located in the Western Pacific Ocean, maintains a sizable U.S. Navy presence, including Naval Base Guam. The westernmost U.S. territory, it contains a natural deep water harbor capable of harboring even aircraft carriers in emergencies. Its naval air station was deactivated in 1995 and its flight activities transferred to nearby Andersen Air Force Base. Puerto Rico in the Caribbean formerly housed Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, which was shut down in 2004 shortly after the controversial closure of the live ordnance training area on nearby Vieques Island.

US Navy Bases: Foreign countries

The largest overseas base is in Yokosuka, Japan, which serves as the homeport for the Navy's largest forward-deployed fleet and is a significant base of operations in the Western Pacific. European operations revolve around facilities in Italy (Sigonella and Naples), Spain and Greece with Naples as the homeport for the Sixth Fleet and CNRE Command Naval Region Europe, which are based in Gaeta. In the Middle East, naval facilities are located almost exclusively in countries bordering the Persian Gulf, with Manama, Bahrain serving as the headquarters of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet. Guantánamo Bay in Cuba is the oldest overseas facility and has become known in recent years as the location of a detention camp for suspected al-Qaeda operatives. Other installments outside the US include forces in the Gulf of Aden. These naval forces stop Somali pirates from terrorizing passing cargo ships.

US Navy Uniforms

The uniforms of the United States Navy are designed "to combine professionalism and naval heritage with versatility, safety, and comfort". The Navy currently incorporates many different styles that are specific for a variety of uses and occasions. In most cases, distinctions are made to distinguish officers and enlisted men in their uniformed appearance. U.S. Navy uniforms can generally be divided into three categories: dress uniforms, service uniforms, and working uniforms.

US Navy Dress Uniforms
Dress uniforms are worn during military-related formal occasions, such as ceremonies and other official functions. Many types of dress uniforms are used in the Navy with the full range of formal requirements represented. Service dress is the least formal dress uniform, full dress is one step higher in formality, and mess dress is the most formal dress available.





US Navy Service Uniforms
Service uniforms are designed for daily wear and are most often worn in office or classroom-type settings, as well as other occasions in which physical activity is at a minimum. The most visible distinction between officers and enlisted personnel are the color of the service uniform. Only officers and chief petty officers are authorized to wear Service Khaki or Service White; all other personnel must wear the Navy Service Uniform (which will eventually replace Winter Blue and Summer White).





US Navy Working Uniforms
Working uniforms prioritize comfort and safety first and thus are the most utilitarian of the Navy uniforms. They are intended for use in underway ships and in occasions that involve dirty, physical labor. Many working uniforms are variations of the service uniforms except with less formal requirements. This category includes Navy coveralls, which are authorized to be worn by members of all ranks.













Recently, the Navy completed a project named "Task Force Uniform" to streamline Navy uniforms. Among the changes are that enlisted personnel from Seaman Recruit to Petty Officer First Class (E1–E6) will have one year-round service uniform instead of winter blues and summer whites. All personnel from Seaman Recruit to Admiral will also have new working uniforms dubbed Navy Working Uniform (NWU) to replace the wash khakis, coveralls, utilities, and aviation working greens currently in use. The uniform is a digital patterned camouflage in predominantly haze gray and blue hues.

Grooming for both male and female sailors is regulated to a high degree, with exact standards in regards to hair, facial hair, use of cosmetics, and jewelry. New male recruits are given the military crew cut and are prohibited from having hair longer than four inches (102 mm) while in the service. Men are required to be clean shaven at all times, although mustaches are allowed. Women do not have a hair length regulation, however hair cannot fall past the bottom edge of the uniform collar and the style of hair is strictly controlled. Multicolored hair, body piercing, and tattoos on the head, neck, and hands are banned for both sexes.

US Navy officer rank insignia

In the United States Navy, officers have various ranks, called rates in the USN. Equivalency between services is by pay grade.

US Navy Rank categories

In the U.S. Navy, pay grades for officers are:

  • W-2 to W-5 for Chief Warrant Officers. Chief Warrant Officers (CWO2-CWO5) are Commissioned Officers; only Warrant Officer (W-1) is not a commissioned officer and that pay grade is not currently in use
  • O-1 to O-10 for Unrestricted Line, Restricted Line, or Staff Corps Officers:
    • O-1 through O-4 are junior officers - Ensign, Lieutenant (junior grade), Lieutenant, and Lieutenant Commander
    • O-5 and O-6 are senior officers - Commander and Captain
    • O-7 through O-10 are flag officers - Rear Admiral (lower half) (one star), Rear Admiral (two star), Vice Admiral (three star), and
      Admiral (four star).
    • An additional flag officer is the rank of Fleet Admiral (five star). It is a wartime rank only and since 1945, there have been no additional Fleet Admirals appointed in the U.S. Navy. However, the rank of Fleet Admiral still remains listed on official rank insignia precedence charts and, if needed, this rank could be reestablished at the discretion of Congress and the President. All five-star officers are, technically, unable to retire from active duty. The last living Fleet Admiral in the U.S. Navy, FADM Chester W. Nimitz, died in 1966.

US Navy Rank and promotion system

In the event that officers demonstrate superior performance and prove themselves capable of performing at the next higher pay grade, they are given an increase in pay grade. The official Navy term for this process is a promotion. Above the rank of Admiral is the rank of Fleet Admiral. The rank was held by four officers during World War II and not been held by any officer since. It is reserved for wartime use. The rank of Admiral of the Navy was an earlier equivalent to Fleet Admiral. It was awarded to only one person in the history of the U.S. Navy, that being, George Dewey in 1899. Efforts to resurrect the rank in the 20th century (as an O-12 grade outranking Fleet Admirals) failed, making it very unlikely that it will ever be used again.

Commissioned officers originate from the United States Naval Academy, Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC), Officer Candidate School (OCS), and a host of other commissioning programs such as the Seaman to Admiral-21 program and the Limited Duty Officer/Chief Warrant Officer (LDO/CWO) Selection Program. There are also a small number of Direct Commissioned Officers (DCO), primarily staff corps officers in the medical, dental, nurse, chaplain and judge advocate general career fields.

Commissioned officers can generally be divided into line officers and staff corps:

  • Line officers (or officers of the line) derive their name from the 18th-century British tactic of employing warships in a line of battle to take advantage of cannon on each side of the ship. These vessels were dubbed ships of the line and those who commanded them were likewise called "line officers." Today, all United States Navy unrestricted line and restricted line officers denote their status with a star located above their rank devices on the shoulder boards and sleeves of their white, blue and aviation winter working green uniforms, metal rank insignia on both collarpoints of khaki shirts/blouses, and cloth equivalents on both collarpoints of utility uniforms. Officers of the Staff Corps replace the star (or the left collarpoint on applicable shirts/blouses) with different insignias to indicate their field of specialty. Line officers can be categorized into unrestricted and restricted communities.
    • Unrestricted Line Officers are the most visible and well-known, due to their role as the Navy's war-fighting command element. They receive training in tactics, strategy, command and control, and actual combat and are considered unrestricted because they are authorized to command ships, aviation squadrons, and special operations units at sea or combat aviation squadrons or special operations units deployed ashore.
    • Restricted Line Officers concentrate on non-combat related fields, which include marine engineering, aeronautical engineering, ship and aircraft maintenance, meteorology and oceanography, and naval intelligence. They are not qualified to command combat units, but can command organizations in their respective specialized career fields. In certain shipboard environments, many unrestricted line officers fill what might be considered restricted line duties, such as the officers in a ship's engineering department. Because they maintain their general shipboard duties, instead of completely specializing in one career area, they maintain their unrestricted line command career path.
  • Staff corps officers are specialists in fields that are themselves professional careers and not exclusive to the military, for example health care, law, civil engineering and religion. There are eight staff corps: Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Nurse Corps, Medical Service Corps, Chaplain Corps, Navy Supply Corps, Judge Advocate General's Corps, and Civil Engineer Corps. They exist to augment the line communities and are able to be assigned to both line and staff commands. (The exception to this is the case of Civil Engineering Corps officers, who serve as the officers for Seabee units. This requires them to serve in a command capacity for ground combatants when the Seabees are deployed to combat areas.)

See also Commodore (United States) - today a title for selected Captains (O-6), and formerly a rank (O-7).

US Navy Ranks: Commissioned Officer

Commissioned Officer Rank Structure of the United States Navy
Fleet Admiral Admiral Vice Admiral Rear Admiral Rear Admiral
(lower half)
Special O-10 O-9 O-8 O-7
US Navy O11 insignia.svg US Navy O10 insignia.svg US Navy O9 insignia.svg US Navy O8 insignia.svg US Navy O7 insignia.svg
FADM ADM VADM RADM RDML
Captain Commander Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Lieutenant
(junior grade)
Ensign
O-6 O-5 O-4 O-3 O-2 O-1
US Navy O6 insignia.svg US Navy O5 insignia.svg US Navy O4 insignia.svg US Navy O3 insignia.svg US Navy O2 insignia.svg US Navy O1 insignia.svg
CAPT CDR LCDR LT LTJG ENS

US Navy Rank: Commissioned Warrant Officer Ranks

Commissioned Warrant Officer Rank Structure of the United States Navy

Pay grade W-5 W-4 W-3 W-2
Insignia WO5 USN CWO5.jpg WO4 USN CWO4.jpg WO3 USN CWO3.jpg WO2 USN CWO2.jpg
Title Chief Warrant Officer Five Chief Warrant Officer Four Chief Warrant Officer Three Chief Warrant Officer Two
Abbreviation CWO-5 CWO-4 CWO-3 CWO-2

Enlisted sailors

Enlisted members of the Navy have pay grades from E-1 to E-9, with E-9 being the highest. All enlisted sailors with paygrades of E-4 and higher are considered Petty Officers while those at E-7 and higher are further named Chief Petty Officers. Those who demonstrate superior performance are given an increase in paygrade; the official Navy term is to be advanced. Two notable advancements are from Seaman to Petty Officer Third Class (E-3 to E-4) and from Petty Officer First Class to Chief Petty Officer (E-6 to E-7). Advancement to Chief Petty Officer is especially significant and is marked by a special induction ceremony.

Enlisted members are said to be "rated," meaning that they possess a rating, or occupational specialty. Members of grades E-1 to E-3 can become "strikers," meaning they have rating designations like Petty Officer (example: a BM3 is a Petty Officer Third Class rated as a Boatswain's Mate; BMSN is a Seaman designated as a Boatswain's Mate striker), but the striker is doing on the job training to become a rated petty officer rather than attending a school to become rated. There are more than 50 ratings covering a broad range of skills and subspecialties. However most sailors in today's navy with grades E-1 through E-6 obtain their rating through its respective "A" school. An "A" school is a rating specific school where sailors are trained as experts in their field. Upon completion of their training they are considered "Rated," regardless of their pay-grade.

For example, SA SMITH, MARY, would be considered a Seaman Apprentice. Prior to her rank of SA a rating would be placed. Therefore, her entire title would be ITSA SMITH, MARY. IT indicating that she is an Information Systems Technician. As for ENFN THOMPSON, JOHN. EN specifying that he is an Engineman and FN as Fireman.

Non-Commissioned Officer and Enlisted Rate Structure of the United States Navy
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Fleet/Force Master Chief Petty Officer Command Master Chief Petty Officer Master Chief Petty Officer Senior Chief Petty Officer Chief Petty Officer
E-9 E-8 E-7
MCPON collar.png
MCPON.png
MCPO collar.png
FMCPO.png
MCPO collar.png
CMCPO.png
MCPO collar.png
MCPO GC.png
SCPO collar.png
SCPO GC.png
CPO collar.png
CPO GC.png
Petty Officer First Class Petty Officer Second Class Petty Officer Third Class Seaman Seaman Apprentice Seaman Recruit
E-6 E-5 E-4 E-3 E-2 E-1
PO1 collar.png
PO1 NOGC.png
PO2 collar.png
PO2 NOGC.png
PO3 collar.png
PO3 NOGC.png
USN - Seaman.png
E3 SM USN.png
USN - Seaman Apprentice.png
E2 SM USN.png
No insign

US Navy Rank: Officer Corps

Navy Officers serve either as a line officer (with a star above the stripes on the sleeve or shoulderboards), or in one of the staff corps:

Staff Corps Medical Corps Dental Corps Nurse Corps Medical Service Corps Judge Advocate General's Corps Musician
Insignia USN Med-corp.gif USN Dental.gif USN Nurse.gif USN Msc.gif USN Jag-corp.gif Rating Badge MU.jpg
Designator1 210X 220X 290X 230X 250X ?
Staff Corps Chaplain Corps
(Christian Faith)
Chaplain Corps
(Jewish Faith)
Chaplain Corps
(Muslim Faith)
Chaplain Corps
(Buddhist Faith)
Supply Corps Civil Engineer Corps
Insignia USN Chapchr.gif USN Chap-jew.gif USN Chap-mus.gif BuddhistChaplainBC.gif United States Navy Supply Corps insignia.gif USN Ce-corp.gif
Designator1 410X 410X 410X 410X 310X 510X

1An officer designator describes their general community or profession. The final (fourth) digit (X) denotes whether the officer has a Regular (0), Reserve (5), or Full Time Support (7) commission.