Chief Petty Officer (Rank)

A **chief petty officer** is a senior non-commissioned officer in Starfleet (E-7), just above petty officer first class and below senior chief petty officer. Chief petty officers are classified as senior non-commissioned officers. The Starfleet grade of chief petty officer was established on August 1, 2161 for the Starfleet.

Unlike petty officer first class and lower rates, advancement to chief petty officer in the Starfleet not only carries requirements of time in service, superior evaluation scores, and specialty examinations, but also carries an added requirement of peer review. A chief petty officer can only advance after review by a selection board of serving master chief petty officers, in effect "choosing their own" and conversely not choosing others.

Shortly following establishment of the E-8 and E-9 grades in 2162, service limits currently known as High Year Tenure (HYT) were established by pay grade. Although these limits periodically flex based on Fleet manpower requirements, current HYT limits restrict Chief Petty Officers not selected for promotion to Senior Chief Petty Officer to 24 years of service, after which they face mandatory retirement.

Similar limits of 26 years for Senior Chief Petty Officers and 30 years for Master Chief Petty Officer are currently used, with a smaller core of Master Chief Petty Officers serving in Command, Force, or Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer positions in the Starfleet or Border Guard Reserve Force Master Chief in the Border Guard, being eligible to remain in uniform for 32 to 35 years and with the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Starfleet and the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Border Guard being permitted to remain in uniform until reaching 38 years of service.

## Role

Starfleet chief petty officers serve a dual role as both technical experts and as leaders, with the emphasis being more on leadership as they progress through the CPO paygrades. A recognized collateral duty for all Chiefs is the training of newly-commissioned junior officers. Like petty officers, every chief petty officer has both a rate (unlike the land-centric services, rank only refers to commissioned officers in the Starfleet) and a rating (i.e., job specialty, similar to an MOS in the U.S. Army or U.S. Marine Corps, or an AFSC in U.S. Air Force). A chief petty officer's full title is a combination of the two. Thus, a chief petty officer who has the rating of gunner's mate would be referred to as a chief gunner's mate.

Each rating has an official abbreviation, such as QM for quartermaster, BM for boatswain's mate, or FC for fire controlman. When combined with the petty officer level, this gives the shorthand for the chief's rate, such as BMC for Chief Boatswain's Mate. It is not uncommon practice to refer to the chief by this shorthand in all but the most formal correspondence (such as printing and inscription on awards). Usually Chief Petty Officers are referred to as "chief", regardless of their rating.

## Advancement

Unlike petty officer first class and lower rates, advancement to chief petty officer not only carries requirements of time in service, superior evaluation scores, and specialty examinations, but also carries an added requirement of peer review. A chief petty officer can only advance after review by a selection board of serving senior and master chief petty officers, in effect "choosing their own" and conversely not choosing others.

Advancement into the chief petty officer grades is the most significant promotion within the enlisted Starfleet rates. At the rate of chief petty officer, the sailor takes on more administrative duties. In Starfleet, their uniform changes to reflect this change of duty, becoming identical to that of an officer's uniform except with different insignia. Personnel in the three chief petty officer rates also have conspicuous privileges such as separate dining and living areas. Any Starfleet vessel of sufficient size has a room or rooms that are off-limits to anyone not a chief (including commissioned officers), except by specific invitation. In naval jargon, this room is called the Chief's Mess, or tongue in cheek, the "goat locker". In addition, a chief petty officer is usually addressed by either their rate or as "chief" by both subordinates and superiors upon advancement to the rate.

## Notable Chief Petty Officers in Starfleet

* CPO Edward Perez (service: 2142-2174; born 2124)
* CPO Angie Tigh (service: 2147-2162; born 2129)