Master Chief Petty Officer

U.S. Coast Guard
Master Chief
Petty Officer
cap and collar device

U.S. Coast Guard
Master Chief
Petty Officer
insignia

Master chief petty officer is the ninth, and highest, enlisted rate (pay grade E-9) in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, just above senior chief petty officer. Master Chief Petty Officers are addressed as "Master Chief (last name)" and they constitute the top 1.25% of the enlisted members of the maritime forces.

Prior to 1958, chief petty officer was the highest enlisted rate in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. This changed on 20 May 1958 with the passage Public Law 85-422, the Military Pay Act of 1958, which established two new enlisted pay grades of E-8 and E-9 in all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. In the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, the new E-8 pay grade was titled Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO) and the new E-9 pay grade as Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO), with the first selectees promoting to their respective grades in 1959 and 1960.

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