Chief Petty Officer

<Petty Officer - Senior Chief Petty Officer>

## Background

**Chief Petty Officer** (**CPO**) is the seventh Enlisted rank (with the paygrade E-7) in the United States Navy[1] and U.S. Coast Guard, just above petty officer first class and below senior chief petty officer. The term “rate” is used to identify enlisted “ranks” in the sea services versus the term “rank”. Chief Petty Officer is the rate. Gunners Mate is a rating. E7 is a pay grade. Only officers hold rank. The term **rating** is used to identify the career field of a Chief Petty Officer. For example the rate of Master-at-Arms in the rank of Chief Petty Officer would be spoken as Master-at-Arms, Chief Petty Officer or Chief Master-at-Arms. Additionally it would be officially written MAC (Person's name), USN/R. The grade of Chief Petty Officer was established on 1 April 1893 for the United States Navy.[2] The United States Congress first authorized the Coast Guard to use the promotion to Chief Petty Officer on 18 May 1920.[3] Chief petty officer is also the final cadet grade in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps.

Prior to 1958, Chief Petty Officer was the highest enlisted grade in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. This changed with the passage of Pub.L. 85–422, the Military Pay Act of 1958, which established two new 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 paygrade was called senior chief petty officer (**SCPO**) and the new E-9 paygrade master chief petty officer (**MCPO**),[4] with the first selectees promoting to their respective grades in 1959 and 1960.

Prior to establishment of the E-8 and E-9 grades, Chief Petty Officers could typically serve in uniform for 30 or more years.

Shortly following establishment of the E-8 and E-9 grades, service limits currently known as high year of 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 Officer and 30 years for Master Chief Petty Officer are currently used, with a smaller core of Master Chief Petty Officers serving in command, force, and fleet Master Chief Petty Officer positions in the Navy, and area Master Chief or the Coast Guard Reserve Force Master Chief in the Coast Guard, being eligible to remain in uniform for 32 to 35 years and with the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy and the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard being permitted to remain in uniform until reaching 38 years of service.[5]

## Role

Navy 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. Like petty officers, every chief petty officer has both a rate (unlike the land and air services, rank only refers to commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard) and a rating (i.e., job specialty, similar to an MOS in the U.S. Army and 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 (GMC).[6]

Each rating has an official abbreviation, such as QM for quartermaster, BM for boatswain's mate, and FC for fire controlman. When combined with the Petty Officer level, this gives the short-hand 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 in conversation as "Chief", regardless of their rating.

In the U.S. Navy, both commissioned officers and Chief Petty Officers are often colloquially referred to as "Khakis". In the past, commissioned officers and Chief Petty Officers wore khaki-colored uniforms both while onboard seagoing vessels and ashore, as opposed to petty officers and seamen, who were referred to as deckplate sailors, or blueshirts. However, since 2009, while the khaki service uniform is still occasionally worn ashore, the U.S. Navy has progressed to utilizing a green/tan/black camouflage working uniform (NWU Type IIIs); replacing the daily wear of khaki service unfiorms while onboard vessels and ashore. During this time, a newly adopted service uniform for Sailors in pay grades E-6 and below, consisting of a khaki shirt and black trousers was implemented. The latter has caused some discontent among some Chief Petty Officers and commissioned officers as a result.[7][8][9] In the U.S. Coast Guard, petty officers, Chief Petty Officers, Warrant Officers, and commissioned officers all wear similar uniforms.

### Advancement

Unlike petty officer first class and lower grades, 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".[11]

Advancement into the chief petty officer grades is the most significant promotion within the enlisted naval grades. At the grade of chief petty officer, the Sailor takes on more administrative duties. In the Navy, 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 naval 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. 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 grade.

## History

The origins of the rank chief petty officer can be traced to Earth, where the title was used by the United States Navy. (*Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home*)

In Starfleet, though chiefs were subordinate to all commissioned officers, they had far more experience and practical knowledge than ensigns and lieutenants, and were expected to act as mentors to them and to the junior enlisted assigned. (DS9: "Starship Down", "The Ship") As such, chiefs were often among the actual leaders in a Starfleet organization, and could even hold the authoritative position of Chief of Operations. Chiefs served with distinction in most Starfleet branches and specialties, but were particularly visible in engineering and other technical trades. (DS9: "Hippocratic Oath")

During the late 23rd century Starfleet chief petty officers were also defined as **senior chief petty officer** and **master chief petty officer**. (*Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan*–*Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country*)

When Sergey Rozhenko spied Miles O'Brien as the transporter chief aboard the USS *Enterprise*-D in 2367, Rozhenko was excited to meet another chief petty officer. When O'Brien introduced himself, he acknowledged Rozhenko as "sir", to which Rozhenko told him not to call him "sir," as he used to work for a living. Sergey's wife, Helena, then told O'Brien that he was just joking and that Sergey's proudest moment was when their son, Worf, had earned his commission. Sergey then added, "*Imagine. An old enlisted man like me raising a boy to be an officer!*" (TNG: "Family")

Several years later, O'Brien was identified by a Jem'Hadar as the rank of "chief petty officer," or "*what Starfleet refers to as a "noncom,"*" adding "*you must have a great deal of experience […] that makes you a priority target.*" (DS9: "Hippocratic Oath")

In 2374, Cadet Dorian Collins of the USS *Valiant* introduced herself to Nog and Jake Sisko as "acting chief petty officer." (DS9: "Valiant")