United States Navy enlisted rates

A United States Navy enlisted rate indicates where an enlisted Sailor stands within the chain of command, and also defines one's pay grade. An enlisted sailor's rate is similar conceptually to a naval officer's rank. Only Naval Officers carry the term "rank". The word rate refers to an enlisted sailor's pay grade, while the word rating refers to one's area of occupational specialization within the enlisted Navy. Associated with the enlisted pay grades is a numbering system from the most junior enlisted sailor ("E-1") to the most senior enlisted sailor ("E-9"). This enlisted numbering system is the same across all five branches of the U.S. Military. All E-1 through E-3 are known as Seamen. E-4 through E-6 are called Petty Officers. All E-7s are called Chief Petty Officer, E-8s Senior Chief Petty Officer, and E-9s Master Chief Petty Officer. Rates are displayed on a rating badge, which is a combination of rate and rating. E-2s and E-3s have color-coded group rate marks based on their career field. Personnel in pay grade E-1, since 1996, 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, Great Lakes, Illinois, or (less commonly) by "striking" for a rating through on-the-job training (OJT) in the Fleet. 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 specific skill within their standard rating. This defines what jobs they are qualified to do. For example, some billets might not only require a Corpsman First Class, but might specify that he/she has NEC 8402 (Submarine Force Independent Duty), NEC 8403 (Fleet Marine Forces Reconnaissance Independent Duty Corpsman), or any other of several NECs depending upon the billet's requirements.

On September 29, 2016, the United States Navy discontinued enlisted ratings after 241 years of use. Service members were thereafter to be referred to solely by their rank and would hold a Navy Operations Specialty (NOS) instead of a rate. The rating symbols depicted for each rating badge listed below (except for the rating badge of the Command Master Chief) is Boatswain's Mate. However, the rating system was restored in December 2016.

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