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Chief
Petty Officer
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Chief Petty Officer is the seventh enlisted rank in the U.S. Navy, just above Petty Officer First Class and below Senior Chief Petty Officer, and is a non-commissioned officer. They are referred to as Chief in most circumstances.
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 if the existing chiefs approve.
Advancement into the Chief Petty Officer grades is the most significant promotion within the enlisted Navy ranks. At the rank of Chief, the sailor takes on more administrative duties. Their uniform changes to reflect this change of duty, becoming similar to that of an officer, albeit with different insignia. Sailors in the three Chief Petty Officer ranks also have conspicuous privileges such as separate dining areas. Any Navy ship of sufficient size has a room or rooms that are off-limits to anyone not a Chief (including officers) except by specific invitation. In Navy jargon, this room is called the "goat locker."
In some contexts, Chief Petty Officer can refer to the class of non-commissioned ranks of this rank and higher:
Royal Navy
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.
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