These charts represents the United States Coast Guard enlisted rate insignia. Rates are used to describe an enlisted sailor's pay-grade. Rates aren't to be confused with "ratings"[1], which describe the Coast Guards enlisted occupations. (The rating symbol of crossed anchors depicted in the graphics below are for a boatswain's mate).

E-1 to E-3 [edit]

Junior enlisted personnel are broken up into five definable groups with colored insignia stripes designating with which group they belong. A speciality mark may be worn above the rank insignia, which denotes training in a particular field: either as an apprentice (one that is in search of a rating to join), or as a designated striker (one that has found a rating but is not yet a petty officer). The serviceperson is addressed by his group designation, if known (i.e. Fireman Jones, Airman Apprentice Smith); by the generic appellation 'seaman;' or by her striker designation (SNBM Watson, FNMK Johnson).

Sleeve Insignia	Rate title	Pay grade	Abbreviation	NATO code
	Seaman Recruit	E-1	SR	OR-1
	Seaman Apprentice	E-2	SA	OR-2
	Fireman Apprentice	E-2	FA	OR-2
	Airman Apprentice	E-2	AA	OR-2
	Seaman	E-3	SN	OR-3
	Fireman	E-3	FN	OR-3
	Airman	E-3	AN	OR-3

E-4 to E-6 [edit]

E-4 to E-6 are considered to be non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and are specifically called petty officers in the Coast Guard. Their sleeve insignia is a perched eagle with spread wings (also referred to as a 'crow') atop a rating mark (a rating mark, or 'rate' is a symbol denoting their job category, similar to U.S. Army and U.S. Marines' MOS), with red chevron(s) denoting their relative rank below. The Coast Guard does not follow the Navy practice of awarding gold chevrons for twelve years good conduct; rather, all Petty Officer rank chevrons and service hash marks are red, while gold is reserved for Chief Petty Officers.

Onboard ships, the First Class Petty Officers become members of the First Class Mess which serves as a recognition of their status at the top of the junior enlisted ranks. This manifests itself on small ships as a few reserved tables in the galley, but may be a separate seating area or space on board a large ship. The food is the same as that in the galley from which the other junior ranks eat. It also is a precursor to the Chief's mess. All ranks from E-4 on also have the ability to perform a federal arrest while on duty.

Sleeve Insignia	Collar device	Rate title	Pay grade	Abbreviation	NATO code
		Petty Officer Third Class	E-4	PO3	OR-4
		Petty Officer Second Class	E-5	PO2	OR-5
		Petty Officer First Class	E-6	PO1	OR-6

E-7 to E-9 [edit]

E-7 to E-9 are still considered NCOs, but are considered a separate community within the Coast Guard, much like the U. S. Navy. They have separate berthing and dining facilities (where feasible). They serve as the day to day leaders and managers of the enlisted workforce, and routinely serve in command cadre positions. Their dress blue insignia consists of a perched eagle with spread wings atop a rating mark, with three gold chevrons and one 'rocker' below; inverted five-point stars above the crow denote the rank of Senior Chief (one star) or Master Chief (two stars). However, all other uniforms use the fouled anchor device to denote rank. It consists of a fouled anchor with the Coast Guard Shield (in silver) superimposed, with stars above the anchor to indicate higher paygrades, similar to the dress blue insignia.

The proper form of address to a Chief Petty Officer is simply "Chief". In the US Coast Guard, the Chief is specifically tasked in writing with the duty of training Junior Officers (Ensign, Lieutenant (j.g.), Lieutenant, and Lieutenant Commander). This is one of the major differences between a Chief in the Coast Guard and his counterparts in the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

Sleeve Insignia	Collar device	Rate title	Pay grade	Abbreviation	NATO code
		Chief Petty Officer	E-7	CPO	OR-7
		Senior Chief Petty Officer	E-8	SCPO	OR-8
		Master Chief Petty Officer	E-9	MCPO	OR-9

Command Master Chief [edit]

Upon obtaining Master Chief Petty Officer, the servicemember may choose to further his career by becoming a Command Master Chief (CMC). These personnel are considered to be the senior-most enlisted servicemember within their command, and are the special assistant to the Commanding Officer in all matter pertaining to the health, welfare, job satisfaction, morale, utilization, advancement, and training of the command's enlisted personnel. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Force wears the same rating badge as the Command Master Chief, except that two stars and shield are gold.

Sleeve Insignia	Collar device	Rate title	Pay grade	Abbreviation	NATO code
		Command Master Chief Petty Officer	E-9	CMC	OR-9
		Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Force	E-9		OR-9

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard [edit]

The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard (MCPOCG) is the senior enlisted person in the Coast Guard. The MCPOCG serves as the senior enlisted leader of the Coast Guard, and as an advisor to the Commandant of the Coast Guard in matters dealing with enlisted personnel and their families. The MCPOCG is also an advisor to the many boards dealing with enlisted personnel issues; may be called upon to testify on enlisted personnel issues before Congress; and maintains a liaison with enlisted spouse organizations.

Sleeve Insignia	Collar device	Rate title	Pay grade	Abbreviation	NATO code
		Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard	E-10	MCPOCG	OR-9

See also [edit]

United States Coast Guard portal

External links [edit]

• Coast Guard graphics page

References [edit]

v t e United States Coast Guard Portal:United States Coast Guard Category:United States Coast Guard Leadership Secretary of Homeland Security Commandant of the Coast Guard Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Organization Missions Reserve Intelligence Investigative Service Legal Division Deployable Operations Group Areas Districts Sectors Stations Air Stations Radio stations National Ice Center Research & Development Center Coast Guard Auxiliary Personnel and training Personnel Officer ranks Enlisted ranks Ratings Coast Guard Academy Training Center Cape May Training Center Petaluma Training Center Yorktown Maritime Law Enforcement Academy Joint Maritime Training Center Ancient Order of the Pterodactyl Chaplain of the Coast Guard Uniforms and equipment Uniforms Awards Badges Cutters List of cutters Ship commissioning Ship decommissioning Equipment History and traditions History Coast Guard Act Life-Saving Service Revenue Cutter Service Lighthouse Service Steamboat Inspection Service Bureau of Navigation "Semper Paratus" Flag Ensign Racing Stripe Band Fleet Week Coast Guard service numbers Coast Guardsman's Creed Battles and operations Quasi-War War of 1812 West Indies Anti-Piracy Operations Capture of the Bravo Ingham Incident Amistad Incident Great Lakes Patrol Mexican–American War American Civil War Battle of Fort Sumter Battle of Pig Point Battle of Galveston Harbor Battle of Portland Harbor Overland Relief Expedition Spanish–American War Battle of Manila Bay Battle of Cárdenas Ice Patrol World War I 1st Battle of the Atlantic Great Mississippi Flood Rum Patrol World War II 2nd Battle of the Atlantic Battle of Guam Operation Overlord Korean War Vietnam War Coast Guard Squadron One Operation Market Time Operation Sealords Action of 1 March 1968 Persian Gulf War War on Terrorism Afghanistan War Iraq War Operation Enduring Freedom HOA

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