Ranks by service

Navy ranks in order

Seaman recruit to admiral: petty officers, chiefs, warrant officers and officers, their abbreviations, the insignia and the 2026 pay of each grade.

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Used for the 2026 basic pay only.

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Navy, E-6 · Enlisted

Petty Officer First Class (PO1)

Petty officer

Navy Petty Officer First Class insignia
Petty Officer First Class
ArmyStaff Sergeant (SSG)
Marine CorpsStaff Sergeant (SSgt)
Air ForceTechnical Sergeant (TSgt)
Space ForceTechnical Sergeant (TSgt)
Coast GuardPetty Officer First Class (PO1)
2026 basic pay, over 4 years$4,068.90 a month

Same pay grade means the same basic pay in every service. Basic pay only: housing, food and special pays are not included.

Everything about E-6

The Navy has 26 rank titles on the Department of War chart: enlisted sailors from seaman recruit (SR) at E-1 to master chief petty officer (MCPO) at E-9, plus the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy; warrant officers from warrant officer 1 to chief warrant officer 5; and officers from ensign (ENS) to admiral (ADM). The Navy uses its own officer titles, shared with the Coast Guard and set out in title 37 of the US Code: an ensign is the equivalent of a second lieutenant, a lieutenant of an Army captain, and a Navy captain of an Army colonel. Enlisted sailors become petty officers at E-4 and chief petty officers at E-7. The Navy calls an enlisted job a rate, shown by a specialty mark in the center of the rating badge, and the chart notes that gold stripes mark twelve or more years of good conduct.

What is this rank called in another service?

Navy Chief Petty Officer (CPO) in the Army

Sergeant First Class

Pay gradeE-7
GroupSenior noncommissioned officer
AbbreviationSFC

Equivalence follows the pay grade, the rule the services use between them.

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Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

Rank, rate and rating

The Department of War chart uses two naval words. The Navy's counterpart of the Army's military occupational specialty "is known as a rate", and the specialty mark in the center of a petty officer's rating badge "indicates the wearer's particular rating". The chevrons of the badge give the grade. The Department of War chart groups the Navy's officers as junior grade (O-1 to O-3), mid-grade (O-4 to O-6) and flag (O-7 and up), where the Army speaks of company grade, field grade and general officers.

What is this rank called in another service?

Navy Captain (CAPT) in the Army

Colonel

Pay gradeO-6
GroupField grade officer
AbbreviationCOL

Equivalence follows the pay grade, the rule the services use between them.

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Three uniforms, three insignia

The chart explains that naval officers wear "distinctively different rank devices" by uniform: collar pins on khakis, stripes on shoulder boards with whites, and stripes on the lower coat sleeves of blues. The officer images in the tables are the collar versions. The rear admiral splits in two, lower half at O-7 with one star and upper half at O-8 with two, both addressed as rear admiral.

Navy enlisted ranks, E-1 to E-9

U.S. Navy, Department of War chart read on November 1, 2026; pay from the DFAS 2026 tables at the first length of service with a rate.
Pay gradeRankAbbreviationInsignia2026 starting basic pay
E-1Seaman RecruitSR$2,407.20
E-2Seaman ApprenticeSANavy Seaman Apprentice$2,697.90
E-3SeamanSNNavy Seaman$2,836.80
E-4Petty Officer Third ClassPO3Navy Petty Officer Third Class$3,142.20
E-5Petty Officer Second ClassPO2Navy Petty Officer Second Class$3,342.90
E-6Petty Officer First ClassPO1Navy Petty Officer First Class$3,401.10
E-7Chief Petty OfficerCPONavy Chief Petty Officer$3,932.10
E-8Senior Chief Petty OfficerSCPONavy Senior Chief Petty Officer$5,656.50
E-9Master Chief Petty OfficerMCPONavy Master Chief Petty Officer$6,910.20
E-9Fleet/Command Master Chief Petty Officer (position)Navy Fleet/Command Master Chief Petty Officer$6,910.20
E-9Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (one person)MCPONNavy Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy$6,910.20

Navy warrant officer ranks

U.S. Navy, Department of War chart read on November 1, 2026; pay from the DFAS 2026 tables at the first length of service with a rate.
Pay gradeRankAbbreviationInsignia2026 starting basic pay
W-1Warrant Officer 1WO1Navy Warrant Officer 1$4,056.60
W-2Chief Warrant Officer 2CWO2Navy Chief Warrant Officer 2$4,621.80
W-3Chief Warrant Officer 3CWO3Navy Chief Warrant Officer 3$5,223.30
W-4Chief Warrant Officer 4CWO4Navy Chief Warrant Officer 4$5,719.80
W-5Chief Warrant Officer 5CWO5Navy Chief Warrant Officer 5$10,169.70

Navy officer ranks, O-1 to O-10

U.S. Navy, Department of War chart read on November 1, 2026; pay from the DFAS 2026 tables at the first length of service with a rate.
Pay gradeRankAbbreviationInsignia2026 starting basic pay
O-1EnsignENSNavy Ensign$4,150.20
O-2Lieutenant Junior GradeLTJGNavy Lieutenant Junior Grade$4,782.00
O-3LieutenantLTNavy Lieutenant$5,534.10
O-4Lieutenant CommanderLCDRNavy Lieutenant Commander$6,294.60
O-5CommanderCDRNavy Commander$7,295.40
O-6CaptainCAPTNavy Captain$8,751.30
O-7Rear Admiral Lower HalfRDMLNavy Rear Admiral Lower Half$11,540.10
O-8Rear Admiral Upper HalfRADMNavy Rear Admiral Upper Half$13,888.50
O-9Vice AdmiralVADMNavy Vice Admiral$18,999.90
O-10AdmiralADMNavy Admiral$18,999.90
O-11 (wartime)Fleet AdmiralNavy Fleet Admiralno table

Questions people ask

Is a Navy captain higher than an Army captain?

Yes, by three pay grades. A Navy captain is an O-6, the equivalent of an Army colonel; an Army captain is an O-3, the equivalent of a Navy lieutenant. In 2026 their starting basic pay differs accordingly: $8,751.30 against $5,534.10 a month.

How many ranks does the Navy have?

The Department of War chart lists 26 Navy titles from E-1 to O-10, counting positions that share a pay grade, such as Master Chief Petty Officer and Fleet/Command Master Chief Petty Officer at E-9. 5 of them are warrant officer grades (W-1 to W-5). Each title is in the tables on this page with its abbreviation.

What is the highest enlisted rank in the Navy?

Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) at pay grade E-9, and above it a single post, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, the senior enlisted leader of the service, paid a flat $11,166.90 a month in 2026. Below it comes Senior Chief Petty Officer at E-8. Since rank between services follows the pay grade, the top enlisted grade is E-9 in every service, with the same basic pay table.

Does the Navy pay differently from the other services?

No. Basic pay comes from the same DFAS tables in all six services and depends only on pay grade and years of service. A Navy petty officer first class at E-6 with four years of service earns $4,068.90 a month in 2026, exactly what any other E-6 with four years earns. Allowances and special pays can differ by job and location.

Look up next

Rank lookup

Pick a service and a pay grade: the rank title, its insignia, its equivalents and its 2026 basic pay.

Rank equivalents

One table, six services: the rank each service gives to every pay grade from E-1 to O-10.

Rank insignia and quiz

Chevrons, rockers, bars, leaves, eagles and stars: how to read an insignia, with a quiz on all six services.

2026 pay chart

Every 2026 basic pay rate, E-1 to O-10, by years of service, with the calculator and the DFAS notes.

Army ranks

Private to General: the insignia, abbreviations, unit sizes and 2026 pay of every Army rank.

Marine Corps ranks

Private to General: LCpl, Cpl, GySgt, MGySgt, warrant officers and officers, with insignia and pay.

Official pages behind this page

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Independent publisher of a rank, insignia and basic pay reference for the six US armed forces, built on the Department of War rank chart and the DFAS pay tables

Ranks and pay tables checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

Military ranks and basic pay 2026, read on the Department of War chart and the DFAS tables, last checked on