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The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States.[1] The U.S. Navy is the largest, most capable navy in the Earth Forces with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage.

History

The U.S. Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was effectively disbanded as a separate entity shortly thereafter. It played a major role in the American Civil War by blockading the Confederacy and seizing control of its rivers. It played the central role in the World War II defeat of Imperial Japan. The 21st century U.S. Navy maintains a sizable presence, deploying in strength in the solar system and in interstellar space.

The U.S. Navy has the ability to project force by engaging in forward deployments during peacetime and rapidly responding to crises across the galaxy, making it a frequent actor in U.S. foreign and military policy.[2]

Chig War

The U.S. Navy, along with the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army, are major components of the Earth Forces fighting the aliens in the Chig War. The USN is deployed to all areas of the galaxy where Earth has forces trying to eradicate the threat of the Chigs.

U.S. Navy Organizational Structure

The Navy is administratively managed by the Department of the Navy, which is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Navy. The Department of the Navy is itself a division of the Department of Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of Defense. The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is a four-star admiral and the senior naval officer of the Department of the Navy.

The United States Navy has six active numbered fleets – Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Tenth Fleets are each led by a vice admiral.

Shore establishments exist to support the mission of the fleet through the use of facilities on land and in space. Among the commands of the shore establishment, are the Naval Education and Training Command, the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, the Naval Supply Systems Command, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, the Bureau of Naval Personnel, the United States Naval Academy, the Naval Safety Center, the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, and the United States Naval Observatory.

Rank Structure

Navy ranks fall into one of three categories: commissioned officer, warrant officer, and enlisted, in decreasing order of authority.

Usnranks

USN Ranks

Commissioned Officers

The commissioned officer ranks of the U.S. Navy are divided into three categories: junior officers, senior officers, and flag officers. Junior officers are those officers in pay grades O-1 to O-4, while senior officers are those in pay grades O-5 and O-6, and flag officers are those in pay grades of O-7 and above.

Warrant Officers

Warrant officers are primarily former enlisted experts who had attained the Rank of Chief Petty Officer in a specific specialized field and provide leadership generally only within that specialty.

Enlisted Personnel

Sailors in pay grades E-1 through E-3 are considered to be in apprenticeships. They are divided into five definable groups, with colored group rate marks designating the group to which they belong: Seaman, Fireman, Airman, Constructionman, and Hospitalman. E-4 to E-6 are non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and are specifically called Petty Officers in the Navy. Petty Officers perform not only the duties of their specific career field but also serve as leaders to junior enlisted personnel. Chief Petty Officers (E-7 to E-90 are considered a separate community of senior leaders within the Navy. They have separate berthing and dining facilities (where feasible), wear separate uniforms, and perform separate duties.

Relationships with other service branches

In 1834, the United States Marine Corps came under the Department of the Navy. Historically, the Navy has had a unique relationship with the USMC, partly because they both specialize in expeditionary operations. Together the Navy and Marine Corps form the Department of the Navy and report to the Secretary of the Navy. However, the Marine Corps is a distinct, separate service branch with its own uniformed service chief – the Commandant of the Marine Corps, a four-star general.

The Marine Corps depends on the Navy for medical support (dentists, doctors, nurses, medical technicians known as corpsmen) and religious support (chaplains). Thus Navy officers and enlisted sailors fulfill these roles. When attached to Marine Corps units deployed to an operational environment they generally wear Marine camouflage uniforms, but otherwise they wear Navy dress uniforms unless they opt to conform to Marine Corps grooming standards.

List of Classes of Space Ships

List of Naval Bases

References

  1. Wikipedia - Unigted States Navy[1]
  2. Pilot
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