The US Navy is ending the historic use of rating titles for Sailors, according to a NAVADMIN released Thursday.
Effective immediately, enlisted Navy Sailors will be addressed by rank instead of rating.
E1 through E3 Sailors will be addressed as “Seaman,” E4 through E6 will be called “Petty Officer Third/Second/First Class” as appropriate, and senior enlisted paygrades of E7 through E9 will be called “Chief, Senior Chief, or Master Chief” as appropriate.
There will also be no designation between “Airman, Fireman, or Seaman.” They will all be referred to as “Seaman.”
The Navy says the change is a result of a review of Navy rating titles completed this year by the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy and his leadership mess. The change is the first step to providing Sailors with the opportunity to move back and forth between occupations.
As a result, the Navy plans to develop a new approach to enlisted ratings that provides greater detailing flexibility, training and credentialing opportunities in the hopes that it will ultimately make it easier for Sailors to transition out of the military and into the civilian workforce.
