The Navy Rate
In the Navy, rates identify Sailors occupationally by pay grades E-1 through E-9 and they reflect levels of aptitude, training, experience, knowledge, skill, and responsibility. Enlisted rates are divided into three groups: general rates (E-1 through E-3 apprenticeships), Petty Officers (E-4 through E-6), and Chief Petty Officers (E-7 through E-9).
General rates are apprenticeships assigned to personnel at paygrades E-1 through E-3 to indicate their eligibility for entry into various ratings. These apprenticeships are: Airman (AN), Fireman (FN), and Seaman (SN).
- Non-designated strikers are personnel in paygrades E-1 through E-3 who are not yet designated to enter a specific rating.
- Designated strikers are personnel in paygrades E-1 through E-3 who are identified as apprentices for a specific rating. Striker designation identifies the rating in which an apprentice has significant skills as a result of on-the-job experience or formal classroom training, and indicates basic occupational skills on a par with the minimum skills for paygrade E-4 in the rating for which identified. A rating abbreviation is added to an apprentice's general rate abbreviation to indicate the rating for which the individual is designated (e.g., a SN who demonstrates significant skills in the Information System Technicians (IT) rating would be designated by the rating abbreviation, ITSN).
Petty Officers ( E-4, E-5, and E-6) are the technicians and work managers within Navy ratings who possess increasing degrees of skill responsibility and authority as they advance in paygrade. Petty officers are capable of accomplishing tasks normal to their rating and paygrade and they provide the "hands on" skills required to maintain, repair, and operate systems and subsystems.
The Chief Petty Officer (CPO) (E-7) is the technical authority, expert, and supervisor within a rating. The CPO is capable of accomplishing all tasks normal to a rating using technical supervision, instruction, and training of lower rated personnel.
The Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO) (E-8) is the senior technical supervisor within a rating or occupational field with primary responsibilities for supervising and training enlisted personnel oriented to system and subsystem maintenance, repair, and operation. Based on wide ranging experience and specialized training, the SCPO provides the command with a higher level of technical and managerial expertise than is expected at the E-7 level.
The Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) (E-9) is the senior enlisted petty officer in the United States Navy. As such, the MCPO is vested with special command trust and confidence extending to administrative and managerial functions involving enlisted personnel. Based upon experience, proven performance, and technical knowledge necessary for advancement to the grade of MCPO, individuals of that rate within a command hold the senior enlisted positions and contribute to forming as well as implementing policy within their occupational field or across the full Navy rating spectrum.
Military Enlisted Pay-Grade and Ranks Comparison Chart
| Enlisted Ranks and Paygrades | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay grade | Navy Coast Guard |
Marines | Army | Air Force |
| E-9 | Master Chief Petty Officer |
SGT Major Master Gunnery SGT |
SGT Major Command SGT Major |
Chief Master SGT |
| E-8 | Senior Chief Petty Officer |
1st SGT Master SGT |
First SGT Master SGT |
Senior Master SGT |
| E-7 | Chief Petty Officer |
Gunnery SGT | SGT 1st Class | Master SGT |
| E-6 | 1st Class Petty Officer |
Staff SGT | Staff SGT | Technical SGT |
| E-5 | 2nd Class Petty Officer |
Sergeant | Sergeant | Staff SGT |
| E-4 | 3rd Class Petty Officer |
Corporal | Corporal SPEC. 4 |
Senior Airman |
|
| ||||
| E-3 | Seaman | Lance Corporal |
Private First Class |
Airman First Class |
| E-2 | Seaman Apprentice |
Private First Class |
Private | Airman |
| E-1 | Seaman Recruit |
Private | Private | Basic Airman |