Petty officer , first class Petty officer , first class is the sixth enlisted rate in the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard , just above petty officer , second class and below that of chief petty officer . A non - commissioned officer rate , petty officer , first class is also the sixth enlisted rate in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps . Overview . In the United States Navy , each rating has an official abbreviation , such as ET for electronics technician , STS for sonar technician submarines , or FT for fire control technician . When combined with the petty - officer level , this gives the shorthand for the petty officer ' s rank , such as ET1 for electronics technician , first class . It is common practice to refer to the petty officer by this shorthand in all but the most formal correspondence ( such as printing and inscription on awards ) . Often , the petty officer is just referred to by the shorthand designation , without using the surname . Thus ET1 Jones would just be called " ET1 " . A first - class petty officer may be generically referred to as PO1 when the sailor ' s rating is not known , although some prefer to be called simply " Petty Officer ( last name ) " . To address a petty officer , one would say , " Petty Officer Smith " , " Smith " , or " Sailor " ( the latter two forms being acceptable for use by those equal or greater in rank than the petty officer ) . It is uncommon to address a petty officer as simply , " Petty Officer " the way one might address an NCO in the Marine Corps as " Sergeant " . Also acceptable , but archaic , would be to address a petty officer or chief petty officer of any grade as " Mister Smith " or " Ms . Smith " . The use of " Ms . " or " Mister " is commonly only in reference to junior commissioned officers or warrant officers . Similar to petty officer , second class and third class , advancement to petty officer , first class is contingent upon the following conditions : The advancement cycle is currently every 6 months ( March and September ) . Only second - class petty officers that achieve a passing score on the biannual advancement examination are eligible to be advanced to first - class petty officer . Once the examination is complete , a quota is established based upon the needs of the Navy with respect to the specific rating the sailor holds . Using the rating ET ( electronics technician ) as an example : The Navy ' s current high year tenure policy imposes a maximum enlistment of 20 years ( total active service ) to a petty officer first class . If a petty officer first class is not selected to the paygrade of chief petty officer within those 20 years , the petty officer is honorably retired from active service in the United States Navy , and placed in Fleet Reserve ( inactive service ) for a period of ten years . Should there be no recall of the sailor to active duty due to war or national emergency , the sailor will then transition to a " retired " status after a combined total of 30 years of service . The rate insignia for a petty officer , first class is a perched eagle above three chevrons . On more formal uniforms ( dress white and dress blue uniform ) , the symbol for the petty officer ' s rating will be placed between the eagle and the chevrons . On white uniforms , the eagle , rating , and chevrons are dark blue ( almost black - this has led to the eagle being referred to as the " crow " in common practice , and often the entire rating badge is simply referred to as the crow ) . On navy blue ( black ) uniforms , the eagle and rating are white , and the chevrons are red , unless the sailor has served in the Navy for 12 years or more with good conduct - then that sailor wears gold chevrons on the dress blue uniform . Gold chevrons are also worn on the collars of the Navy blue coveralls uniform , and on the black garrison cap ( only ) worn with the Navy service working uniform ( often called " peanut butters " or " black and tans " ) . The Coast Guard does not use golden chevrons . Working uniforms ( all variations of the camouflage uniform ) and metal rank devices do not have the rating badge symbol . First class petty officers normally serve as a leading petty officer of a division , and direct the activities of a division . There are situations when there are more than one first class petty officers in a division , due to the demands for highly experienced or skilled Sailors in technical areas . Leading petty officer experience for a first - class petty officer is not officially required for advancement to chief petty officer ( E7 ) ; however , it is generally accepted that at least one documented tour as an LPO ( preferably at sea ) is a vital step for advancement . First - class petty officers often form associations at their commands . Membership in these associations are voluntary . On larger ships and some shore commands , PO1s may have their own mess , although unlike the CPO mess and wardroom mess , which have their own galleys and cooks , the first class " mess " is merely a separate compartment for eating meals from the general crew mess . Petty officers ( E4 - E6 ) serve a dual role as both technical experts and as leaders . Unlike the sailors below them , there is no such thing as an " undesignated petty officer . " Every petty officer has both a rate ( rank ) and rating ( job , similar to a Military Occupation Specialty ( MOS ) in other services ) . A petty officer ' s full title is a combination of the two . Thus , a petty officer , first class , who has the rating of electronics technician would properly be called an electronics technician petty officer , first class , or ET1 . The term " petty officer " is typically only used in the general sense when referring to a group of petty officers of different ratings , when the petty officer ' s rating is unknown , or when someone who is E - 3 or below addresses a petty officer while in basic training or " A " school .