Chief petty officer

Common military ranks in English
Navies	Armies	Air forces
Commissioned officers
Admiral of the fleet	Marshal or Field marshal	Marshal of the air force
Admiral	General	Air chief marshal
Vice admiral	Lieutenant general	Air marshal
Rear admiral	Major general	Air vice-marshal
Commodore	Brigadier or Brigadier general	Air commodore
Captain	Colonel	Group captain
Commander	Lieutenant colonel	Wing commander
Lieutenant commander	Major or Commandant	Squadron leader
Lieutenant	Captain	Flight lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant	Lieutenant or First lieutenant	Flying officer
Ensign	Second lieutenant	Pilot officer
Midshipman	Officer cadet	Officer cadet
Enlisted grades
Warrant officer or Chief petty officer	Warrant officer or Sergeant major	Warrant officer
Petty officer	Sergeant	Sergeant
Leading seaman	Corporal	Corporal
Seaman	Private	Aircraftman

A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.

Canada

Royal Canadian Navy chief petty officer 2nd class insignia

"Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (premier maître de deuxième classe or pm2 in French) is equivalent to a master warrant officer in the Army and Air Force, and chief petty officer 1st class (CPO1) (premier maître de première classe or pm1) is equivalent to a chief warrant officer in the Army and Air Force. In spoken references, chief petty officers may be addressed as "chief" but are never addressed as "sir".

United Kingdom

Royal Navy CPO badge

In the Royal Navy, the rank of chief petty officer comes above that of petty officer and below that of warrant officer class 2, which is being phased out. It is the equivalent of colour sergeant in the Royal Marines, staff sergeant in the Army, and flight sergeant in the Royal Air Force.

United States

Chief petty officer is the seventh enlisted rate in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, just above petty officer first class and below senior chief petty officer. Chief petty officers are classified as senior non-commissioned officers. The grade of chief petty officer was established on April 1, 1893 for the U.S. Navy.^[1] The U.S. Congress first authorized the U.S. Coast Guard to use the promotion to chief petty officer on 18 May 1920.^[2]

Unlike petty officer first class and lower rates, advancement to chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy 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.^[3]

See also

• Petty officer
• List of United States Navy enlisted rates
• Comparative military ranks
• List of United States Coast Guard enlisted rates

References

1. Campa, Joe R., Jr. (2007-03-30). "MCPON Reflects on 114 Years of Deckplate Leadership". Retrieved 2008-05-10. ...commemorating the establishment of the rate of Chief Petty Officer (CPO) in 1893.
2. The Coast Guardsman's Manual, ninth ed.,George E. Krietemeyer, Naval Institute Press, 2000, ISBN 1-55750-468-7
3. The Chief Petty Officer's Guide / John Hagan and Jack Leahy. - Naval Institute Press, 2004. ISBN 1-59114-459-0

External links

• History of the Chief Petty Officer Grade
• The internets virtual Chief's Mess - Goatlocker.org