List of United States Coast Guard ratings

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United States Coast Guard ratings are general occupations that consist of specific skills and abilities. Each rating has its own specialty badge, which is typically worn on the left sleeve of their service dress uniform by all enlisted personnel in that particular field. On Operational Dress Uniforms, they wear generic rate designators that exclude the rating symbol. Commissioned Officers do not have ratings.

Ratings should not be confused with "rates", which describe the Coast Guard's enlisted pay-grades.

Enlisted Coastguardsmen are referred to by their rating and rate. For example, if someone's rate is Petty Officer 2nd Class and his rating is Boatswain's Mate; when combined, Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class (BM2) defines both.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Rating structure 2 Aviation Group 2.1 Notes 3 Administrative and Scientific Group 3.1 Notes 4 Deck & Weapons Group 4.1 Notes 5 Engineering & Hull Group 5.1 Notes 6 Reserve Specific Group 6.1 Notes 7 Obsolete Ratings 7.1 Notes 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

[edit] Rating structure

The pay grades E-4 (Petty Officer Third Class) through E-9 (Master Chief Petty Officer) fall within the rating structure.

[edit] Aviation Group

Insignia	General rating	Abbreviation	Service rating	Abbreviation
	Aviation Maintenance Technician	AMT
	The AMT inspects, services, maintains, troubleshoots and repairs aircraft power plant, power train and structural systems. The AMT maintains metal, composite and fiberglass materials, fabricates cables, wire harnesses and structural components; and performs aircraft corrosion control, nondestructive testing, basic electrical troubleshooting and record keeping. Additionally AMTs also hold an aircrew position in specific Coast Guard aircraft
	Avionics Electrical Technician	AET
	Inspects, services, maintains, troubleshoots and repairs aircraft power, communications, navigation, auto flight and sensor systems. AETs perform minimum performance checks, system alignments, avionics corrosion control and record keeping. Additionally, AETs hold an aircrew position in specific Coast Guard aircraft.
	Aviation Survival Technician	AST
	The Aviation Survival Technician inspects, services, maintains, troubleshoots and repairs aircraft and aircrew survival equipment and rescue devices. Additionally, ASTs perform the duties of a rescue swimmer and provide aircrew survival training to all aviators.

[edit] Notes

[edit] Administrative and Scientific Group

Insignia	General rating	Abbreviation	Service rating	Abbreviation
	Health Services Technician	HS
	Administers medicine; applies first aid; assists in operating room; nurses patients; and assists dental officers
	Marine Sciences Technician	MST
	Makes visual/instrumental weather and oceanographic observations; conducts chemical analysis; enters data on appropriate logs, charts and forms; analyzes/interprets weather and sea conditions
	Musician	MU
	The musician rating in the Coast Guard is restricted to members of the Coast Guard Band which is located at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. The United States Coast Guard Band recruits only the most highly skilled musicians, and the audition process is extremely competitive. The Director makes the final decision to award the position to the winner(s) who then enlist in the United States Coast Guard for a period of four years at the rank of Musician First Class (E-6). Reference: http://www.uscg.mil/band/careers.asp
	Public Affairs Specialist	PA
	Reports and edits news; publishes information about service members and activities through newspapers, magazines, radio and television; and shoots and develops film and photographs
	Storekeeper	SK
	Orders, receives, stores, inventories and issues clothing, food, mechanical equipment and other items; and serves as a payroll clerk.
	Food Service Specialist	FS
	Cooks and bakes; prepares menus; keeps cost accounts; assists in ordering provisions; and inspects food.
	Yeoman	YN
	Performs typing and filing duties; operates office equipment; prepares and routes correspondence and reports; and maintains personnel records and publications.

[edit] Notes

[edit] Deck & Weapons Group

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Insignia	General rating	Abbreviation	Service rating	Abbreviation
	Boatswain's Mate	BM
	Operates small boats; stores cargo; handles ropes and lines; and directs work of deck force. Performs navigation of ship's steering; lookout supervision, ship control, bridge watch duties, visual communication and maintenance of navigational aids. The most versitile rating in the Coast Guard, and the only rating that can lead to a command position.
	Gunners Mate	GM
	Operates and performs maintenance on guided missile launching systems, rocket launchers, guns and gun mounts; inspects/repairs electrical, electronic, pneumatic, mechanical and hydraulic systems
	Operations Specialist	OS
	Operates telecommunications equipment and sensors and controls operations in Rescue Coordination Centers, cutters and stations
	Intelligence Specialist	IS
	Intelligence Specialists are involved in collecting and interpreting intelligence, especially about enemies or potential enemies. They analyze photographs and prepare charts, maps, and reports that describe in detail the strategic situation all over the world.

[edit] Notes

[edit] Engineering & Hull Group

Insignia	General rating	Abbreviation	Service rating	Abbreviation
	Damage Controlman	DC
	Fabricates, installs and repairs shipboard structures, plumbing and piping systems; uses damage control in fire fighting; operates nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological defense equipment; construction work. [1]
	Electrician's Mate	EM
	Tests, maintains and repairs aviation electronics equipment including navigation, identification, detection, reconnaissance, special purpose equipment; operates warfare equipment.
	Electronics Technician	ET
	Maintains all electronic equipment used for communications, detection ranging, recognition and countermeasures, worldwide navigational systems, computers and sonars.
	Machinery Technician	MK
	Operates, maintains and repairs ship's propulsion, auxiliary equipment and outside equipment such as steering, engineer, refrigeration/air conditioning and steam equipment
	Information Systems Technician	IT
	Operates communication equipment; transmits, receives and processes all forms of military record and voice communications. Installs and maintains telecommunications equipment ranging from towers, antennas, pole lines and underground cables to computer-based data communications and processing systems, telephone and data switching systems and networks, and public address, security and remote control systems

[edit] Notes

Wrong insignia for IT rate. Should be telephone on top and globe underneath.

IT insignia is correct. The globe with a phone on top is the Navy Rate for an IC (Interior Communications)

[edit] Reserve Specific Group

Insignia	General rating	Abbreviation	Service rating	Abbreviation
	Port Securityman	PS
	Support of Department of Defense national-defense operations overseas as a member of a Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron, or a Coast Guard Port Security Unit. Work at a Sector to ensure the physical security of a major U.S. port, or be a member of a maritime safety and security team (MSST). MSSTs are capable of being deployed throughout the United States to provide heightened waterside and shoreside security in support of maritime homeland security operations. [1]
	Investigator	IV
	Provide support to Coast Guard law-enforcement and intelligence missions. Conduct both criminal and personal background checks and investigations, collect and analyze intelligence information and provide personal protection services to high-ranking Coast Guard officials and other VIPs.

[edit] Notes

These two ratings are only used in the USCG Reserve.

[edit] Obsolete Ratings

Insignia	General rating	Abbreviation	Service rating	Abbreviation
	Fire Control Technician	FT
	This rating no longer exists in the Coast Guard. Members were moved to other ratings, including Electronics Technician.
	Quartermaster	QM
	This rating no longer exists in the Coast Guard. It was merged with Boatswain's Mate. Some Quartermasters moved to the Operations Specialist rating when it was established.
	Radarman	RD
	This rating no longer exists in the Coast Guard. Members were moved to other ratings, including Operations Specialist
	Data Processing Technician	IT
	This rating was reported to have been a reserve only rating.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Coast Guard.

[edit] See also

• United States Coast Guard officer rank insignia
• United States Coast Guard enlisted rate insignia
• Badges of the United States Coast Guard

[edit] External links

• USCG Ratings
• History of USCG Ratings marks

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