Chief Petty Officer (Royal Navy)

A senior rate of the Royal Navy, NATO OR-7, equivalent to a staff or colour sergeant in the Army.

Overview

Chief Petty Officer sits between petty officer and warrant officer in the Royal Navy and is the senior rate at which sailors take charge of entire departments or sections aboard ship. CPOs are experienced technicians and leaders, supervising maintenance, operations, and training in fields from marine engineering to warfare specialisms, and they are expected to advise junior officers. They live and dine in the senior rates mess, a strong institutional tradition. The Royal Navy's career structure means many CPOs go on to become warrant officers or commissioned officers. Equivalent rates exist in navies across the Commonwealth, and the US Navy chief petty officer grew from the same tradition.