U.S. Coast Guard
Senior Chief
Petty Officer
collar device
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U.S. Coast Guard
Senior Chief
Petty Officer
collar device
U.S. Coast Guard
Senior Chief
Petty Officer
insignia
In the United States Navy, enlisted members in pay grades E-4 to E-9 are authorized to wear gold rate insignia instead of red if the individual meets the requirements for good conduct service.-Gold Rating Badge and Service Stripes:...
variation
Senior Chief
Petty Officer
insignia
Senior Chief
Petty Officer
collar device
Senior Chief Petty Officer is the eighth enlisted rank in the
U.S. NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and
U.S. Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, just above
Chief Petty OfficerA chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
and below
Master Chief Petty Officer- Master Chief Petty Officer :U.S. Coast GuardMaster ChiefPetty OfficerCap & Collar deviceU.S. Coast GuardMaster ChiefPetty OfficerinsigniaGood conductRating badgeMaster ChiefPetty OfficerCap & Collar Insignia...
, and is a
non-commissioned officerA non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
. They are referred to as
Senior Chief in most circumstances, or, sometimes, referred to as the more informal "
Senior".
Advancement to Senior Chief Petty Officer is similar to that of Chief Petty Officer. It carries requirements of time in service, superior evaluation scores and peer review. It is the first promotion that is based entirely on proven leadership performance where test scores do not play a part. A Chief Petty Officer can only advance if a board of Master Chiefs approve, convened every year around March.
As with Chief Petty Officers, a Senior Chief Petty Officer takes on more administrative duties. In the Navy, their khaki uniform continues to reflect the duty; similar to that of an officer, albeit with different insignia than an officer. (In the Coast Guard, petty officers, chief petty officers, warrant officers, and commissioned officers all wear similar uniforms.)
Like Petty Officers, every chief has both a grade (rank) and rating (job, similar to an
MOSA United States military occupation code, or a Military Occupational Specialty code , is a nine character code used in the United States Army and United States Marines to identify a specific job. In the U.S. Air Force, a system of Air Force Specialty Codes is used...
in other branches). A chief's full title is a combination of the two. Thus, a Senior Chief Petty Officer, who has the rating of Machinist's Mate would properly be called a Senior Chief Machinist's Mate, the abbreviation of which would appear as "
MMCS."
Each rating has an official abbreviation, such as MM for Machinist's Mate, QM for Quartermaster, or YN for Yeoman. When combined with the petty officer level, this gives the short-hand for the Chief's rank, such as BMCS for Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate. The title of Senior Chief always precedes the rating. It is not uncommon practice to refer to the Senior Chief by this short hand in all but the most formal correspondence (such as printing and inscription on awards). They are commonly addressed as "Senior Chief" or even just "Senior" regardless of rating.
The rating insignia for a Senior Chief is an eagle with spread wings above three chevrons. The chevrons are topped by a rocker that goes behind the eagle (or "crow," as it is commonly called). An inverted star (a reference to the stars used on the sleeves of line officers) is placed above the eagle. This is used on the Dress Blue uniform. On all other uniforms, the insignia used is the one that has become universally accepted as the symbol of the Chief Petty Officer. This is a fouled (entwined in the anchor chain) gold anchor superimposed with a silver "USN" in the Navy or a silver shield in the Coast Guard. Like the dress blue insignia, this is capped by an upside-down star.
In the Navy, officers and chiefs are referred to as "khakis." This is a reference to the color of their most common uniforms, and is a direct contrast to those in paygrades E-6 and below (or, blueshirts).
Command Senior Chief Petty Officer
As of 2005 and after a pilot program taking place on three mine countermeasures ships, the Navy started appointing senior chiefs to command senior chief. Until this time, senior chiefs had a senior enlisted leadership role in the submarine force as
Chiefs of the BoatChief of the Boat is an enlisted sailor on board a U.S. Navy submarine or Cyclone Class Coastal Patrol Ships, who serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the commanding officer and executive officer, and assists with matters regarding the good order and discipline of the crew. The Chief of the...
. This new effort works to formalize leadership at the senior chief level.
Irish Naval Service
Senior Chief Petty Officer is also a rank in the
Irish Naval ServiceThe Naval Service is the navy of Ireland and is one of the three standing branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its main base is in Haulbowline, County Cork....
(Irish:
Ard-Mhion-Oifigeach Sinsearach). The rank is deemed equivalent to a member of the NATO armed forces ranked E-8, making it the equivalent of a Senior Chief Petty Officer in the
US NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
or a Warrant Officer Class 2 in the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The rank is one grade below an Irish
Warrant OfficerA warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
.
See also
- Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
- U.S. Navy enlisted rate insignia
- Comparative military ranks
This article is a list of various states' armed forces ranking designations. Comparisons are made between the different systems used by nations to categorize the hierarchy of an armed force compared to another. Several of these lists mention NATO reference codes. These are the NATO rank reference...