 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2013) |
These charts represents the United States Coast Guard enlisted rank insignia. Ranks are used to describe an enlisted sailor's pay-grade. Ranks are not to be confused with "ratings", [1] which describe the Coast Guard's enlisted occupations. (The rating symbol of crossed anchors depicted in the graphics below are for a boatswain's mate.)
Junior enlisted personnel are broken up into three definable groups with colored insignia stripes designating with which group they belong. A specialty mark may be worn above the rank insignia, which denotes training in a particular field: either as an apprentice (one that is in search of a rating to join), or as a designated striker (one that has found a rating but is not yet a petty officer). The Coast Guardsman is addressed by his group designation, if known (e.g. Fireman Jones, Airman Apprentice Smith); by the generic appellation "seaman"; or by her striker designation (SNBM Watson, FNMK Johnson).
| Sleeve insignia | Rank title | U.S. DoD Pay grade | Abbreviation | NATO code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Seaman recruit | E-1 | SR | OR-1 |
 | Seaman apprentice | E-2 | SA | OR-2 |
 | Fireman apprentice | E-2 | FA | OR-2 |
 | Airman apprentice | E-2 | AA | OR-2 |
 | Seaman | E-3 | SN | OR-3 |
 | Fireman | E-3 | FN | OR-3 |
 | Airman | E-3 | AM | OR-3 |
E-4 to E-6 are considered to be non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and are specifically called petty officers in the Coast Guard. Their sleeve insignia is a perched eagle with spread wings (also referred to as a "crow") atop a rating mark (a rating mark, is a symbol denoting their job category, with red chevron(s) denoting their relative rank below. The Coast Guard does not follow the Navy's practice of awarding gold chevrons for twelve years of good conduct, rather all petty officer rank chevrons and service hash marks are red, whereas gold is reserved for chief petty officers. However, the rank insignia worn on collars have yellow chevrons.
Onboard cutters, the first class petty officers become members of the First Class Mess which serves as a recognition of their status at the top of the junior enlisted ranks. This manifests itself on small cutters as a few reserved tables in the galley, but may be a separate seating area or space on board a large cutter. The food is the same as that in the galley from which the other junior ranks eat. It also is a precursor to the Chief's mess. All ranks from petty officer third class and above (Including warrant and commissioned officers) also have the ability to perform an arrest while on duty.
| Sleeve insignia | Collar device | Rank title | U.S. DoD Pay grade | Abbreviation | NATO code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | Petty officer third class | E-4 | PO3 | OR-4 |
 |  | Petty officer second class | E-5 | PO2 | OR-5 |
 |  | Petty officer first class | E-6 | PO1 | OR-6 |
E-7 to E-9 are still considered NCOs, but are considered a separate community within the Coast Guard, much like the U.S. Navy. They have separate berthing and dining facilities (where feasible). They serve as the day to day leaders and managers of the enlisted workforce, and routinely serve in command cadre positions. Their dress blue insignia consists of a perched eagle with spread wings atop a rating mark, with three gold chevrons and one "rocker" above; inverted five-point stars above the crow denote the rank of senior chief (one star) or master chief (two stars). However, all other uniforms use the fouled anchor device to denote rank. It consists of a fouled anchor with the Coast Guard Shield (in silver) superimposed, with stars above the anchor to indicate higher paygrades, similar to the dress blue insignia.
The proper form of address to a chief petty officer is simply "Chief". In the U.S. Coast Guard, the Chief is specifically tasked in writing with the duty of training junior officers (ensign, lieutenant (j.g.), lieutenant, and lieutenant commander). This is one of the major differences between Chiefs in the Coast Guard and their counterparts in the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
| Sleeve insignia | Collar device | Rank title | U.S. DoD Pay grade | Abbreviation | NATO code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | Chief petty officer | E-7 | CPO | OR-7 |
 |  | Senior chief petty officer | E-8 | SCPO | OR-8 |
 |  | Master chief petty officer | E-9 | MCPO | OR-9 |
Upon obtaining the rank of master chief petty officer, the service member may choose to further their career by becoming a command master chief (CMC). These personnel are considered to be the senior-most enlisted servicemember within their command, and are the special assistant to the commanding officer in all matters pertaining to the health, welfare, job satisfaction, morale, utilization, advancement, and training of the command's enlisted personnel. In total, the USCG has 27 CMCs and 7 gold badge CMCs. As of April 2020, these 7 are:
| Sleeve insignia | Collar device | Rank title | U.S. DoD Pay grade | Abbreviation | NATO code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | | Command master chief petty officer | E-9 | CMC | OR-9 |
 | | Gold badge master chief petty officer | E-9 | CMC | OR-9 |
The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard (MCPOCG) is the senior enlisted person in the Coast Guard. The MCPOCG serves as the senior enlisted leader of the Coast Guard, and as an advisor to the Commandant of the Coast Guard in matters dealing with enlisted personnel and their families. The MCPOCG is also an advisor to the many boards dealing with enlisted personnel issues; may be called upon to testify on enlisted personnel issues before Congress; and maintains a liaison with enlisted spouse organizations.
| Sleeve insignia | Collar device | Rank title | US DoD Pay grade | Abbreviation | NATO code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard | Special grade | MCPOCG | OR-9 |
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who does not hold a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, officer training corps (OTC) or reserve officer training corps (ROTC), or officer candidate school (OCS) or officer training school (OTS), after receiving a post-secondary degree.
Senior Chief Petty Officer(SCPO) is an enlisted rank in the navies of some countries.
Master chief petty officer (MCPO) is an enlisted rank in some navies. It is the ninth enlisted rank in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, just above Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO). Master chief petty officers are addressed as "Master Chief " in colloquial contexts. They constitute the top 1.25% of the enlisted members of the maritime forces.
Command master chief petty officer (CMDCM) is an enlisted rating in the United States Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, as well as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The master chief petty officer of the Navy is a unique non-commissioned rank and position of office of the United States Navy, which is designated as a special paygrade above E-9. The holder of this position is the most senior enlisted member of the U.S. Navy, equivalent to the sergeant Major of the Army, chief master sergeant of the Air Force, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, master chief petty officer of the Coast Guard, and chief master sergeant of the Space Force. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted sailor in the Navy, unless an enlisted sailor is serving as the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman. The current MCPON is James Honea.
A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as a chief petty officers.
The chart below represents the current enlisted rank insignia of the United States Air Force.
The chart below shows the current enlisted rank insignia of the United States Army, with seniority, and pay grade, increasing from right to left. The enlisted ranks of corporal (E-4) and higher are considered non-commissioned officers (NCOs). The rank of specialist is also in pay grade E-4, but does not hold non-commissioned officer status; it is common that a soldier may never hold the rank of corporal, and instead be promoted from specialist to sergeant, attaining junior NCO status at that time.
A Petty officer third class is a non-commissioned officer in some navies and coast guards.
Petty officer second class (PO2) is a rank found in some navies and maritime organizations.
Petty officer first class (PO1) is a rank found in some navies and maritime organizations.
A chief master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries.
The Military ranks of Finland are the military insignia used by the Finnish Defence Forces. The ranks incorporates features from Swedish, German, and Russian armed forces. In addition, the system has some typically Finnish characteristics that are mostly due to the personnel structure of the Finnish Defence Forces. The ranks have official names in Finnish and Swedish languages and official English translations. The Swedish forms are used in all Swedish-languages communications in Finland, e.g. in Swedish-speaking units of Finnish Defence Force. The system of ranks in the Swedish Armed Forces is slightly different.
Before Unification as the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the Canadian military had three distinct services: the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Canadian Army. All three services had a Regular (full-time) component and a reserve (part-time) component. The rank structure for these services were based on the services of the British military, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and the British Army. The change to a "Canadian" rank structure meant that many of the traditional (British) rank titles and insignia were removed or changed.
Specialist is a military rank in some countries' armed forces. Two branches of the United States Armed Forces use the rank. It is one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the United States Army, above private (PVT), private (PV2), and private first class and is equivalent in pay grade to corporal; in the United States Space Force, four grades of specialist comprise the four junior enlisted ranks below the rank of sergeant.
The Military ranks of Nicaragua are the military insignia used by the Nicaraguan Armed Forces.
The Kriegsmarine was the navy of Nazi Germany prior to and during World War II. Kriegsmarine uniform design followed that of the preexisting Reichsmarine, itself based on that of the First World War Kaiserliche Marine. Kriegsmarine styles of uniform and insignia had many features in common with those of other European navies, all derived from the British Royal Navy of the 19th century, such as officers' frock coats, sleeve braid, and the "sailor suit" uniform for enlisted personnel and petty officers.
Chief Petty Officer (CPO) is the seventh enlisted rank in the United States Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, is above Petty Officer First Class and below Senior Chief Petty Officer. The term "rating" is used to identify enlisted job specialties. In this way, enlisted personnel are segregated into three segments containing different enlisted ranks. Furthermore, rates are broken down into three levels: non-rated members without a designated occupation. Advancement to E-4 and above is dependent on graduating from a specialty school that define what the enlisted is rated for. Petty officers and chief petty officers are part of the rated force and considered extremely knowledgeable about their particular rating. Examples include Culinary Services Chief and Aviation Maintenance Chief. The Chief Petty Officer is the rank. Gunners Mate is a rating. E7 is a pay grade. The term rating is used to identify the career field of a chief petty officer. For example, the title of a chief petty officer in the Master-at-Arms rating would be spoken or spelled out as Chief Master-at-Arms. The title would be abbreviated MAC. The grade of chief petty officer was established on 1 April 1893 in the United States Navy. The United States Congress first authorized the Coast Guard to use the promotion to Chief Petty Officer on 18 May 1920. Chief petty officer is also the final cadet grade in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps.
| |||||||||||
| Leadership |
| ||||||||||
| Organization |
| ||||||||||
| Structure | |||||||||||
| Operations and history |
| ||||||||||
| Personnel |
| ||||||||||
| Equipment |
| ||||||||||
United States enlisted ranks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
