Navy Reserve: About the Reserve: Rate/Rank Insignias

Navy Reservists serve as both Enlisted personnel and Officers, depending on their qualifications and interests. To become an Officer in the Navy Reserve, you need a college degree, to become an Enlisted member; you need a minimum of a high school diploma.

Enlisted Rates
E-1 through E-3 have color-coded group rate marks based upon their occupational field. Group rate marks for E-2 and E-3 are worn on dress uniforms only. Personnel in pay grade E-1 do not wear group rate marks.

The rating badge, a combination of rate (pay grade) and rating (specialty), is worn on the left upper sleeve of all uniforms in grades E-4 through E-6.

Chief Petty Officers (E-7 through E-9) wear collar devices on their white and khaki uniforms and rate badges on their Service Dress Blues.

Officer Ranks
Navy Officers wear their rank devices in different places on their uniforms depending upon the uniform.

The three basic uniforms and the type of rank devices are khakis (a working uniform) – pins on the collar; whites – stripes on shoulder boards and blues – stripes sewn on the lower sleeve.

Chief Warrant Officers
Chief Warrant Officers hold warrants from the Secretary of the Navy and are specialists and experts in certain military technology or capabilities.

Chief Warrant Officers wear an individual insignia in place of the Officer’s star.