Reviewed by Jonathan Teplitsky · Updated August 2026
Navy Rates: The Enlisted Job Specialties
A Navy rate is an enlisted job specialty — the trade a sailor works in, such as Boatswain's Mate or Machinist's Mate. The Navy maintains several dozen active enlisted ratings across deck, engineering, aviation, cryptology, and support communities, making it one of the largest rating systems of any U.S. armed service.
Rate is not the same as rank. Your rate is your job; your rank is your pay grade. Combined, they form your full title, like Machinist's Mate Second Class (MM2). For pay grades and the full rank order, see the Navy ranks guide.
Navy Rates List by Community
The Navy groups its enlisted ratings into broad communities. Each rating carries an official two- or three-letter abbreviation worn as a rating badge on the uniform.
Deck, Operations, and Weapons
- BM — Boatswain's Mate (deck operations, seamanship, small-boat handling)
- OS — Operations Specialist (combat information center, radar, navigation support)
- GM — Gunner's Mate (weapons systems and ordnance)
- FC — Fire Controlman (weapons targeting and fire-control systems)
- MA — Master-at-Arms (shipboard law enforcement and security)
- QM — Quartermaster (navigation, chart plotting, shiphandling support)
Engineering, Hull, and Seabee (Construction)
- MM — Machinist's Mate (engines, propulsion, ship mechanical systems)
- EM — Electrician's Mate
- ET — Electronics Technician
- HT — Hull Maintenance Technician (hull repair, piping, firefighting systems)
- DC — Damage Controlman (firefighting, damage control, chemical/biological defense)
- MR — Machinery Repairman
- BU / CE / CM / EA / EO / SW / UT — Seabee construction ratings: Builder, Construction Electrician, Construction Mechanic, Engineering Aide, Equipment Operator, Steelworker, Utilitiesman
Aviation
- AT — Aviation Electronics Technician
- AM — Aviation Structural Mechanic
- AE — Aviation Electrician's Mate
- AO — Aviation Ordnanceman
- AS — Aviation Support Equipment Technician
- AC — Air Traffic Controller
- AB — Aviation Boatswain's Mate (carrier flight/hangar deck operations)
- PR — Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (parachutes, survival gear, ejection seats)
- AW — Naval Aircrewman (multiple specialties; includes the sailors who complete rescue-swimmer qualification)
Cryptology, Intelligence, and Cyber
- CT — Cryptologic Technician (several specialties: Interpretive, Maintenance, Networks, Collection, Technical)
- IS — Intelligence Specialist
- IT — Information Systems Technician
- CWT — Cyber Warfare Technician (one of the Navy's newer ratings)
Medical, Administrative, and Supply
- HM — Hospital Corpsman
- YN — Yeoman (administration and personnel)
- PS — Personnel Specialist
- LS — Logistics Specialist
- CS — Culinary Specialist
- MC — Mass Communication Specialist
- RP — Religious Program Specialist
- NC — Navy Counselor
Special Warfare, EOD, and Diving
- SO — Special Warfare Operator (Navy SEAL)
- SB — Special Warfare Boat Operator (SWCC)
- EOD — Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician
- ND — Navy Diver
- MT — Missile Technician (submarine force)
This list covers the Navy's major, widely recognized ratings — it is not exhaustive, and the Navy periodically adds or consolidates ratings (several engineering ratings merged into Machinist's Mate in 2013, for example). For the current, complete official list, see navy.com/careers or MyNavyHR.
Rate vs Rank in the Navy
New sailors often mix up rate and rank. The difference is simple: rate is what you do, rank is your pay grade.
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | Job specialty | Machinist's Mate (MM) |
| Rank | Pay grade and authority | Petty Officer Second Class (E-5) |
| Combined title | Rate + rank | Machinist's Mate Second Class (MM2) |
For the full enlisted-to-officer rank order and pay grades, see the Navy ranks guide.
How You Get a Navy Rating
Most sailors select a rating during the enlistment process at a recruiting station, guided by their ASVAB score and which school seats are open that cycle. After boot camp, sailors ship to an "A" School — formal initial technical training in their rating — before reporting to their first unit.
Some sailors enter the Navy in a general, undesignated status and train toward a rating once at their first command, but most modern enlistment contracts assign a rating before boot camp is complete.
Rating and Your Pay
Your rating does not change your basic pay — pay grade does. All six armed services share one DoD basic pay table, so a Navy E-5 earns the same base pay as an E-5 in any other branch at the same years of service. See the Navy pay chart for 2025 and 2026 basic pay by rank.
Some ratings do affect pay indirectly: submarine, aviation, and sea-duty ratings can qualify for sea pay, submarine pay, or flight-related special pays on top of basic pay.
Navy Rates vs Coast Guard Rates
The Navy and Coast Guard share several rating names and abbreviations — both have a Boatswain's Mate (BM) and a Machinist's Mate (MM), for example — but the Navy's rating system is much larger, reflecting its bigger and more specialized fleet, air wings, submarine force, and cryptologic/cyber commands. The Coast Guard runs a smaller, roughly two-dozen-rating system built around cutter operations, law enforcement, and search and rescue; see the Coast Guard rates guide for that list.
Choosing a Navy Rating
The right rating depends on the kind of work and lifestyle a recruit wants. A few simple criteria narrow the field.
| If you want… | Consider these ratings |
|---|---|
| Sea duty and shipboard operations | BM, OS, GM, MM |
| Aviation and flight operations | AT, AM, AO, AW, AC |
| Technical, cyber, or intelligence work | ET, IT, CT, IS, CWT |
| Special warfare or elite selection | SO, SB, EOD, ND |
| Healthcare, admin, or supply | HM, YN, PS, LS, CS |
Sources
Navy.com enlisted careers, List of United States Navy ratings.