Chief Petty Officer

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Chief Petty Officer is a non-commissioned officer or equivalent in many naval services and coast guards.

Contents 1 Canada 2 United Kingdom 3 United States 3.1 Punitive reduction in rank 3.2 Indoctrination and initiation 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Canada

Chief Petty Officer refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy. Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class (CPO2) (Première maître de deuxième classe or pm2 in French) is equivalent to a Master Warrant Officer, and Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1) (Première maître de première classe or pm1) is equivalent to a Chief Warrant Officer.

Chief Petty Officers are normally addressed as "Chief Petty Officer Bloggins" or "Chief Bloggins", thereafter as "Chief". The "1st Class" and "2nd Class" designations are normally only used when such a distinction needs to be made, such as on a promotion parade or to distinguish two Petty Officers with similar names but different ranks. Despite their equivalence to the senior warrant officer ranks of the other elements, Chief Petty Officers are never addressed as "Sir" or "Ma'am".

[edit] United Kingdom

In the Royal Navy, the rank of Chief Petty Officer comes above that of Petty Officer and below that of Warrant Officer Class 2. It is the equivalent of Colour Sergeant in the Royal Marines, Staff Sergeant in the Army, and Flight Sergeant in the Royal Air Force.

	Ratings and Other Ranks of the British Armed Forces
	OR-1	OR-2	OR-3	OR-4	OR-5/OR-6	OR-7	OR-8	OR-9
Royal Navy:		AB		LH	PO	CPO	WO2	WO1
Royal Marines:		Mne	LCpl	Cpl	Sgt	CSgt	WO2	WO1
Army:	Pte	Pte	LCpl	Cpl	Sgt	SSgt / CSgt	WO2	WO1
Royal Air Force:	AC	LAC - SAC - Jnr Tech		Cpl	Sgt	Chf Tech - Flt Sgt		WO / MAcr

[edit] United States

Chief Petty Officer is the seventh enlisted rank in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, just above Petty Officer First Class and below Senior Chief Petty Officer, and is a senior non-commissioned officer. The Grade of Chief Petty Officer was established on April 1, 1893.^[1]

Unlike Petty Officer First Class and lower ranks, 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 Petty Officer First Class can only advance after review by a selection board of serving Senior and Master Chief Petty Officers, in effect "choosing their own" and conversly not choosing others.

Advancement into the Chief Petty Officer grades is the most significant promotion within the enlisted naval ranks. At the rank of Chief, the sailor takes on more administrative duties. In the Navy, their uniform changes to reflect this change of duty, becoming similar to that of an officer albeit with different insignia. (In the Coast Guard, petty officers, chief petty officers, warrant officers, and commissioned officer all wear similar uniforms.) Sailors in the three Chief Petty Officer ranks 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 officers) except by specific invitation (if one is invited to eat in the Chief's Mess, it is customary to eat everything on the plate no matter what condiments are added by members of the Chief's Mess to enhance one's dining experience). In Navy jargon, this room is called the Chief's Mess, or tongue in cheek, the "goat locker." In addition, a Chief Petty Officer, no matter how much he was on "first name" basis with other petty officers before promotion, is always addressed as "Chief" by subordinates and superiors.

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 ranks. A recognized, collateral duty for all chiefs is the training of Junior Officers. Like Petty Officers, every chief has both a rate (rank) and rating (job, similar to an MOS in other branches). A chief's full title is a combination of the two. Thus, a Chief Petty Officer, who has the rating of Gunner's Mate would properly be called a Chief Gunner's Mate.

Each rating has an official abbreviation, such as QM for Quartermaster, BM for Boatswain's Mate, or GM for Gunner's Mate. When combined with the petty officer level, this gives the short-hand for the chief's rank, such as BMC for Chief Boatswain's Mate. It is not uncommon practice to refer to the chief by this short hand in all but the most formal correspondence (such as printing and inscription on awards). Mostly, though, they are simply called "Chief," regardless of rating.

The rating insignia for a CPO is an eagle with spread wings above three chevrons. The chevrons are topped by a rocker that goes behind the eagle. This is used on the Dress Blue and Aviation Working Green uniforms. 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.

In the Navy, officers and chiefs are referred to as "khakis." This is a reference to the color of their most common shipboard "working" uniforms, and is a direct contrast to those in paygrades E-6 and below (deckplate sailors or, blueshirts). In the Coast Guard, petty officers, chief petty officers, warrant officers, and commissioned officer all wear similar uniforms.

[edit] Punitive reduction in rank

Chief, Senior Chief and Master Chief Petty Officers can only be punitively reduced in rank following conviction by a court-martial, or Flag NJP. A common myth states that a chief can only be reduced in rank by an Act of Congress. This myth was probably invented to create an aura of invincibility for chiefs.

[edit] Indoctrination and initiation

Previously, once selected for advancement to Chief, the selectee was made to endure a period of instruction and screening by his or her cognizant Chief's Quarters. The selectee was assigned a "Sponsor" who supervises the selectee's indoctrination. A "charge book", decorated in the manner dictated by the Sponsor, was presented for signature to every Chief, Senior Chief and Master Chief in the local area. These chiefs would provide written tasks, ask questions or provide guidance to the selectee. The chiefs would also access fines and levee "criminal charges" written in the selectee's charge book in the case of the selectees performance being subpar. The charge book would be taken into evidence at the end of this Indoctrination Period. The Indoctrination Period would culminate with the Initiation Ceremony.

Initiation typically would begin midnight of the day of frocking and would last through the night and until midday. Schedules vary depending on command policy and mission availability. Selectees were ordered to muster in their dungaree uniforms with the "Dixie Cup" sailor's hat. Initiation rites are similar to the old U.S. Navy tradition of Shellback initiation but tailored for the chief's community. At some point during the initiation, the selectee's Dixie Cup is laid to rest and usually eulogized by the selectee. This represents the transition into the chief's community.

Initiations were attended only by previously initiated active duty and retired chiefs. During initiation the Selectee would stand before "The Kangaroo Court" and be judged of his crimes as read from his charge book. The sentences varied by the severity of the crimes. "Punishment" was carried out as part of the initiation. A selectee may, at any time after selection results are posted, elect to forgo the initiation process. Participation in the initiation ceremony is purely voluntary.

After initiation, the selectees were then recognized by their peers as fellow Chief Petty Officers and welcomed into the "Chief's Mess" (goat locker). The selectees were then allowed to bathe and don their new Khaki uniforms, sans collar devices and Combination Covers.

Due to the Navy's policy governing hazing and harassment, the Indoctrination Period has been replaced, over the last few years, with formal classroom and physical training. The same applies to the Initiation.

Most "Old Chiefs" look at the new Indoctrination and Initiation Period as a watered-down version.

Frocking of the new Chief was, and is, conducted by their Commanding Officer where their "Anchors" are pinned on and they are presented with their Combination Cap by the Chief's Mess.

In some contexts, a Chief Petty Officer can refer to the class of non-commissioned ranks of this rank and higher:

• Chief Petty Officer
• Senior Chief Petty Officer
• Master Chief Petty Officer

v • d • e U.S. military enlisted ranks
	E-1	E-2	E-3	E-4	E-5	E-6	E-7	E-8	E-9	Senior Enlisted Advisor
Air Force:	AB	Amn	A1C	SrA	SSgt	TSgt	MSgt	SMSgt	CMSgt - CCM	CMSAF
Army:	PV1	PV2	PFC	SPC - CPL	SGT	SSG	SFC	MSG - 1SG	SGM - CSM	SMA
Marine Corps:	Pvt	PFC	LCpl	Cpl	Sgt	SSgt	GySgt	MSgt - 1stSgt	MGySgt - SgtMaj	SgtMajMarCor
Navy:	SR	SA	SN	PO3	PO2	PO1	CPO	SCPO	MCPO - CMDCM - FORCM - FLTCM	MCPON
Coast Guard:	SR	SA	SN	PO3	PO2	PO1	CPO	SCPO	MCPO - CMCPO	MCPOCG

[edit] See also

• Petty Officer
• U.S. Navy enlisted rate insignia
• Comparative military ranks

[edit] References

• The Chief Petty Officer's Guide / John Hagan and Jack Leahy. - Naval Institute Press, 2004. ISBN 1591144590

[edit] External links

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