From the very first day of recruit training, Navy men and women are being trained for leadership and given the skills that will help set them on a path to enrich their lives as they work their way through the Navy Enlisted Ranks.  It all starts with the Navy Enlisted Ranks as a Seaman’s Recruit (SR), this position carries no insignia and is the first stage of development for the Navy.  Recruits will learn their skill set as either Seaman recruit (SR), Hospitalman Recruit (HR), Airman Recruit (AR), Fireman Recruit (FR), or Constructionman Recruit (CR).  Next promotion advancement for the Navy Enlisted Ranks would be that of a Seaman’s Apprentice (SA).  This is where Navy men and women further their skill set training as they begin their initial assignments and start crafting and honing their specialty skill set.  Seaman’s Apprentice, or similar variation depending on community and career skill set are the first to receive an insignia designating their particular community to show their Navy Rank and rate.  The next promotion in the first tier advancement is to a Seaman (SN).  Seaman have honed their skill set and hold the highest non-rated Navy Enlisted Ranks.

Navy Enlisted Ranks – Petty Officer

The next tier of promotional advancement in the Navy Enlisted Ranks is that of Petty Officer, beginning with Petty Officer Third Class (PO3).  Petty Officer Third Class is the first and most junior rank of Petty Officer’s and as such are still learning and mastering their skill set while learning leadership skills to further them in their career.  All Petty officers are subject to evaluations and rate examinations by their superiors and promotion is considered based on these as well as the time spent in the service.  The next in line is Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) as they further their career and technical skill set with leadership and Managerial knowledge and experience.  The next in line of Navy Enlisted Ranks is Petty Officer First Class (PO1) where they will serve as lead petty officer for a work center, commanding the division in the absence of the next promotion of Navy Enlisted Ranks as that of Chief Petty Officer (CPO).  Chief Petty Officer is a big jump in responsibility for the Navy Enlisted Ranks as they take on more responsibility and demand.  With these extra responsibilities also comes certain privileges like separate dining and living quarters.  They will be charged with training junior officers and must maintain not only their leadership skill set but that of their technical skills a swell.

Navy Enlisted Ranks – Master Chief

Each Promotion in the Chief Petty Officer ranks requires greater responsibility and demands and advancement in the Navy Enlisted Ranks is dependent on more difficult factors than just evaluations and time spent in service and must now come under the scrutiny of Master Chief board members for their next promotion.  The next promotions are that of Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO), Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO).  Command Master Chief Petty Officer (CMC) is typically the highest of the Navy Enlisted Ranks and they have command of fleets with the senior advisor position.  Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) is a special title only selected by the Chief of Naval Operations as senior advisor to the entire Navy.

The Navy SEAL Ranks carry with them a fierce reputation that is well deserved.  They operate as a small force of elite soldiers that comprise a mere one percent of the entire Navy personnel.  There are nearly two thousand five hundred Navy SEALs in active duty.  Each platoon operates in different numbers depending on the situation either as an eight man group or they can split forces for a fire team of four men, and then for reconnaissance missions there is the two man sniper unit.  Being of such few number the Navy SEALs can move into dangerous areas undetected to gather intel and can be deadly when necessary by sneaking into enemy territory to deal a swift and silent operation.  Their efficiency for getting the job done has prompted the United States military to offer more bonuses to SEALs that have completed BUD/S training and enlisting to a service of at least four years in order to increase the number of active duty SEALs to help the war effort by up to 25%.  Recently, the long awaited capture of Osama Bin Laden by Navy SEALs has helped to further the lore and legend of the Navy SEAL Ranks.

Navy Seal Ranks – Proud History of Combat

The Navy SEALs proud history of combat puts them in high demand for operations in need of their expertise.  They performed over 200 missions without a single casualty during Desert Storm in Iraq and had a 200 to 1 kill ratio in Vietnam.  They have performed numerous successful missions throughout their history and have proven to be one of the most elite special forces units in the United States military by showing poise and vigilance in the face of danger while performing their given task.

Navy SEAL Ranks – A Specialized Community

The Navy SEAL Ranks follow in the same chain of command as the traditional ratings of the Navy but are distinguished with their own specialized community and career path.  Navy SEAL Ranks consist mainly of Navy Enlisted Personnel between the pay grade scale rates of E-4 to E-9 numbering over two thousand under the command of five hundred officers at the pay grade rates of O-1 to O-10 with a very small force of specialized Warrant Officers.  Most Enlisted Navy SEALs are well rounded with general skills in many areas to be able to tackle any operation successfully.  Warrant officers within the Navy SEAL Ranks are very specialized with a certain technical skill set and offer invaluable services to the Navy SEAL teams.  Navy SEAL officers make the tough decisions that affect all Navy SEALs as well as the safety of the United States of America.  Only one SEAL has achieved a four star rank of Admiral, Eric T. Olson who became Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.

SEALs no longer wear the ratings within the Navy ranks earned before becoming part of the Naval Special Warfare Command and wear their own insignia as a Navy SEAL.  The NSW rating became Special Warfare Operator in 2006 to distinguish its own career path within the Navy.

Navy Ranks and rates show the chain of command as well as what each sailor has achieved and earned by proving their leadership skills with each promotion they are given.  With each advance in rank the duties and responsibilities increase with the demands of the job.  Enlisted Navy men in categories E-1 to E-3 in the Seaman Category of the Navy Ranks are in the beginning of their training to determine their specialty skills during their initial assignment as recruits and apprentices.  Their title may be shown differently depending on their specific core skill set in the military and to which community they belong.  Petty Officers Navy Rank advancement is determined by rate examinations and evaluations by their superiors as they learn leadership skills.

E-1 Seaman Recruit (SR)

E-2 Seaman Apprentice (SA)

E-3 Seaman (SN)

E-4 Petty Officer 3^rd Class (PO3)

E-5 Petty Officer 2^nd Class (PO2)

E-6 Petty Officer 1^st Class (PO1)

E-7 Chief Petty Officer (CPO)

E-8 Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO)

E-9 Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO)

E-9 Fleet/Command Master Chief Petty Officer

E-9 Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)

Navy Ranks – Warrant Officer

Only enlisted personnel with a pay grade of E-6 or above and at least thirteen years of experience may submit application for the Warrant Officer Program to advance in the Navy Ranks.  They provide expertise within their specified military skill to oversee repairs and project assignments with leadership skills earned and learned in their time with the Navy.  They also help with communication in all levels of command.

W-1 Warrant Officer 1 (WO1) *No longer in use by the Navy*

W-2 Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2)

W-3 Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CWO3)

W-4 Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4)

W-5 Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CWO5)

Navy Ranks – Commissioned Officer

Commissioned Officers are college graduates of Commission source schools such as the United States Naval Academy (USNA) and their advancement in Navy Ranks as an officer must be confirmed by the Senate.  Officers must take on a greater responsibility and will work to advance their leadership skills as well as their specific staff specialties or to serve as a division officer.  As their rank advances so does the responsibility and demand of the officer as they advance to lead more men and teams and plan operations.  They may eventually take command of submarines, cruisers, squadrons, and other vehicles or SEAL teams as they continue to be promoted in rating and rank and take on more demanding responsibility.  Admiral is the highest rank afforded in the Navy, except in wartime where the Fleet Admiral is then used with a five star Navy Rank that has not been awarded since World War II.

O-1 Ensign (ENS)

O-2 Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG)

O-3 Lieutenant (LT)

O-4 Lieutenant Commander (LCDR)

O-5 Commander (CDR)

O-6 Captain (CAPT)

O-7 Rear Admiral, Lower Half (RDML)

O-8 Rear Admiral, Upper Half (RADM)

O-9 Vice Admiral (VADM)

O-10 Admiral Chief of Naval operations/ Commandant of the CG (ADM)

O-10 Fleet Admiral (FADM) *Only Used in wartime.  Last used in World War II.*

There is a chain of command in the Navy and as each man or woman increases in rank they take on more responsibility starting from Seaman Recruit as they advance through the Navy ranks in order.  It all starts with the enlisted navy ranks.  In the Navy, the recruitment ladder starts with Seaman Recruit as sailors begin their training and find their particular military specialty skill.  As they advance in their training they are then promoted to the Navy rank of Seaman Apprentice and receive their first insignia proving they have what it takes to be in the Navy.  Seaman apprentices will further their training and hone in their specialty skill in any number of fields.  The term seaman apprentice may change depending on their particular community, for example they could be called hospitalman apprentice or airman apprentice.  The Seaman Apprentice is then promoted to the rank of Seaman as they continue their journey through the Navy Ranks in Order.

Navy Ranks in Order – Petty Officer

The first step in leadership as sailors continue through the Navy Ranks in Order comes with the promotion to Petty Officer beginning with Petty Officer Third Class.  They continue to specialize in their particular field as they learn the leadership skills required to command.  Petty officer Second Class is next up the ladder.  Petty Officer Second Class rate promotion is determined by evaluations and examinations from their superiors and time spent in service.  Petty officer First Class is next in the Petty Officer Class of the Navy Ranks in Order.  Each promotion is more demanding than the last as responsibility increases with each rank up.  As Sailors reach for the top of the Petty Officer Class they will then be promoted to Chief Petty Officer and then Senior Chief Petty Officer as they climb the Navy Ranks in Order.  After that is the coveted position of Master Chief Petty Officer often referred to simply as “Master Chief.”  The top of the enlisted class ends with Command Master Chief Petty Officer and is the senior enlisted command officer.  The only Navy rank higher for enlisted men is the specialty rank of Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy that is chosen by the Chief of Naval Operations and serves as advisor over the entire Navy.

Navy Ranks in Order – Officers

Officers are commissioned by the President of the United States and are college graduates of commissioned schools such as the United States Naval Academy to become officers as they are promoted through the Navy ranks in Order.  Warrant Officers provide technical leadership and supervise on repairs and projects and their ranks range from Chief Warrant Officer 2 to Chief Warrant Officer 5.  Commissioned Officers begin their training as Division Officers or continue schooling in a specific staff specialty.  The first of the Officer Class is that of Ensign.  Next is Lieutenant Junior Grade, Lieutenant, and Lieutenant Commander.  Officers take on even more responsibility as they continue up the Navy Ranks in Order to Commander and then to Captain.  Next is the Admiral Class that is signified with the Star Insignia.  First in this class is Rear Admiral Lower Half then Rear Admiral Upper Half.  Three star rank is at Vice Admiral.  Four Star Rank of Admiral is the senior most command in the Navy.  The Navy Ranks in Order end with the only rank higher at the Five Star Rank of Fleet Admiral that is only given during war time and there has not been a five star Fleet Admiral since World War II.

The first tier of Navy officer Ranks consists of Warrant Officers.  Only Enlisted personnel with senior authority may apply and they are required to have at least thirteen years of experience prior to becoming commissioned.  These factors guarantee the Warrant officer is proficient in their respective field and technical expertise as they must use leadership skills to manage and oversee teams responsible for repair and maintenance during long deployments.  Their supervision is vital as well as the work being done to ensure the safety of the men on board and to keep operations running smoothly.  The first of the Navy Officer Ranks for warrant officer is Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2).  The Rank of warrant officer is no longer used by the Navy making this the junior most rank of Commissioned Officers.  Every promotion means greater responsibility as well as a jump in pay grade.  The next rates of warrant officers are: Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CWO3), Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4), and finally Chief warrant officer 5 (CWO5).

Navy Officer Ranks – Commissioned Officer

Navy Officer Ranks are Commissioned Officers that face great responsibilities and are college graduates of commissioned school sources such as the United States Naval Academy (USNA), Officer candidate School (OCS), or other commissioned source or ROTC program.  The first rank of graduates is the Navy Officer Rank of Ensign (ENS).  Most Ensigns are still in school preparing for their particular staff specialty or wartime skill set or they serve as Division Officers.  Next in the line of Navy Officer Ranks is that of the Lieutenant grade beginning with Lieutenant, Junior Grade (LTJG).  This advancement usually happens within two years of becoming a Commissioned Officer as an Ensign.  Next is Lieutenant (LT) who are typically SEAL Team platoon leaders, Division officers, or department heads on ships or submarines.  Last of Lieutenant grade is Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) who are primarily the executive officer for ships and SEAL teams.

Navy Officer Ranks – To the Top

Next in the line of promotion for Navy Officer Ranks and rates is Commander (CDR) who will command smaller ships as senior officer.  Then there is Captain (CAPT) commanding larger ships and operations as senior officer.  Rear Admiral Lower Half (RDML) is the first of the star rankings coming in at a one star rank and will command groups of ships or teams.  Rear Admiral Upper Half (RADM) is a two star ranking with similar responsibilities but higher demands.  Next is the three star Navy Officer Rank of Vice Admiral (VADM) commanding entire fleets.  Then there is the final stage of command within the Navy, except as reserved for wartime, with the position of Admiral (ADM).  The Admiral is the prime authority in the Navy .  A five star ranking is reserved for war time and has not been designated since World War II with the position of Fleet Admiral (FADM).  Each step in the Navy Officer Ranks requires great leadership and responsibility as they make decisions that affect not only the men under their charge but the safety and well being of the entire nation as well.