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Navy Petty Officer First Class

E-6 Noncommissioned Officer, U.S. Navy
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Navy Ranks » Petty Officer First Class RankPO1 PayPO1 Rank HistoryPromotion Information

How to get promoted to Petty Officer First Class Navy Promotion to E-6 Petty Officer First Class

A Petty Officer First Class is a Noncommissioned Officer in the United States Navy at DoD paygrade E-6. This page describes how the Navy determines who is eligible for the promotion list to Petty Officer First Class.

All promotions past E-3 require approval from a board. To promote to E-6, a sailor must take another rating exam and must meet the minimum schooling and qualification requirements for his or her rate. At this stage, awards and Collateral Duties are more likely to make the difference in their promotions. The sailor must have been an E-5 for a minimum of 36 months, and must have completed additional leadership indoctrination courses.

The percentage of those who will promote to the next rank varies wildly by rating -- some have a 100% promotion rate each year, while others have close to 0%. Highly technical rates are more likely to promote than non-technical rates. "Passed but Not Advanced" (PNA) points are awarded to sailors each year who meet all the requirements for promotion but are not selected. PNA points stack up each year the sailor applies for the same promotion, so sailors with more time in rate have a higher chance of promoting than those with equal merit but less time in.

If the sailor repeatedly fails to promote, they will hit "high year tenure" and are presented with the options of separation or switching rates. High year tenure for 1st Class Petty Officers is 20 years, or normal retirement time-in-service.

Truly exceptional sailors have an opportunity "CAPped" (Command Advanced Promotion) by their Commanding Officer. COs are limited to two CAPs per year.

Want to learn more? Read about the Navy's Petty Officer First Class rank on Military-Ranks.org.