Commonly-used Navy Acronyms

  • ADM – Admiral.
  • CAPT – Captain.
  • CDR – Commander.
  • CPO – Chief Petty Officer.
  • CWO2 – Chief Warrant Officer Second Class.
  • CWO3 – Chief Warrant Officer Third Class.
  • CWO4 – Chief Warrant Officer Fourth Class.
  • ENS – Ensign.

Similarly, How do you address Navy ranks?


How to greet each rank

  1. Commissioned officers: rank (general, admiral, colonel, captain (Navy and Coast Guard), commander (Navy and Coast Guard), lieutenant commander (Navy and Coast Guard), major, captain, lieutenant, ensign (Navy and Coast Guard) + last name.
  2. Warrant officers: Mr./Ms.

Additionally, What does XO mean in the Navy? By Captain Kevin Eyer, U.S. Navy (Retired) September 2017. For the most part, executive officers, or XOs, are actually captains-in-waiting. They have been selected for command, and when an incumbent commanding officer (CO) departs, an XO ascends.

What does DD stand for on Navy ships?

DD = Destroyer Ship. DE = Destroyer Escort. DDG = Destroyer, Guided Missile. FF = Frigate. FFG = Frigate, Guided Missile.

What does USS stand for?

The prefix “USS,” meaning “United States Ship,” is used in official documents to identify a commissioned ship of the Navy. It applies to a ship while she is in commission. Before commissioning, or after decommissioning, she is referred to by name, with no prefix.

How do you address military ranks in email?

Address the officer by name in the greeting of the email. In professional or formal correspondence, you should always use the full title of the officer’s rank (example: Dear Lieutenant Colonel Smith). Do not abbreviate rank.

How do you address a Navy chief in an email?

The correct way to address a Chief Petty Officer named Mr. Williams is “Chief Williams”, or written as CPO Williams. In addition to their rank, all Navy senior noncommissioned officers have a rating (job) such as Gunner’s Mate.

Do you call a Colonel Sir?

Referring to an officer as “Captain”, “Major”, or “Colonel” is not correct. The correct term when speaking to an officer without using his/her last name is “Sir” or “Ma’am”.

Who is higher rank XO or CO?

“In many militaries, an Executive Officer (XO) is the second-in-command, reporting to the Commanding Officer (CO). The XO is typically responsible for the management of day-to-day activities, freeing the commander to concentrate on planning the unit’s next move.

How much does an XO in the Navy make?

Average U.S. Navy Executive Officer yearly pay in the United States is approximately $62,847, which is 27% below the national average.

What is XO slang for?

Hugs and kisses, abbreviated in North America as XO or XOXO, is an informal term used for expressing sincerity, faith, love, or good friendship at the end of a written letter, email or text message.

Why are destroyers called DD?

It is important to understand that hull number-letter prefixes are not acronyms, and should not be carelessly treated as abbreviations of ship type classifications. Thus, “DD” does not stand for anything more than “Destroyer”. “SS” simply means “Submarine”. And “FF” is the post-1975 type code for “Frigate.”

What does SS stand for on submarines?

In the Navy hull classification “SSBN,” the letters “SS” stand for submersible ship, B denotes ballistic missiles, and the N indicates it is nuclear powered.

Why are battleships called BB?

Chief of Staff. Battleships are designated BB because (Insert corny EU2 Joke here) they are the bad-boy’s of the sea.

Why are Star Trek ships called USS?

Officially, the designator means “United Star Ship (Federation of Planets).” The creator of the show, Gene Roddenberry, was a US Navy man and his vision of Star Trek was of a Naval vessel in space. … It’s usage dates back to the seafaring days when the US Navy used U.S.S. to mean “United States Ship.”

Why are Navy ships called USS?

The names of commissioned ships of the United States Navy all start with USS, for United States Ship. Non-commissioned, primarily civilian-manned vessels of the U.S. Navy under the Military Sealift Command have names that begin with USNS, standing for United States Naval Ship.

What does USS and HMS stand for?

Historically, the most significant navy was Britain’s Royal Navy, which has usually used the prefix “HMS”, standing for “His/Her Majesty’s Ship”. … 549 of 1907 which made “United States Ship” (USS) the standard signifier for USN ships on active commissioned service.

How do you write military ranks?

Without a name, a title is spelled out and lowercased: the general, the private. When a military rank is used with a title of nobility or royalty, spell out the military rank: Admiral Lord Mountbatten.

How do you write an email to a superior officer?


Follow these steps to assist you in writing an email to your supervisor:

  1. Decide on your reason for writing the email. …
  2. Add a relevant subject line. …
  3. Include a greeting. …
  4. State your reason for the email. …
  5. Provide an explanation. …
  6. List actions you need your supervisor to complete. …
  7. Add a closing. …
  8. Include a signature.

How do you address a brigadier general in an email?

What is the proper way to address a Brigadier General? The correct way to address a Brigadier General named Mr. Smith is “General Smith”, or written as BG Smith. In formal situations, a Brigadier General should always be addressed by their full rank.

How do I write an email to the Navy?


Ex-U.S. Navy officer: How to write emails with military precision and command

  1. Use subjects with keywords. The subject line should always be clear and succinct. …
  2. ‘FOCUS’ your message. …
  3. Use the ‘BLIND’ or ‘BLUF’ method. …
  4. Use an active voice.

Is a Navy Chief an officer?

A Chief Petty Officer is considered a Senior Noncommissioned Officer, with a paygrade of E-7. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-6 under the federal government’s General Schedule payscale.

What ranks are called sir?

If not specifically using their rank or title, ‘sir’ is used in the United States Armed Forces to address a male, senior commissioned officer or civilian. Privates and non-commissioned officers, such as corporals and sergeants, are addressed using their ranks.

Do military call civilians sir?

It is quite common among Army civilians to use first names, regardless of position, but senior personnel should always initiate this practice. … Generally, when speaking directly to an officer, it is customary to refer to him or her simply as “Sir” or “Ma’am,” rather than by rank and last name.

Who do you address as sir in the army?

4 Answers. The U.S. Army Field Manual FM 7-21.13 Section 4.18 states: 4-18. A soldier addressing a higher ranking officer uses the word sir or ma’am in the same manner as a polite civilian speaking with a person to whom he wishes to show respect.