ENSIGN (ENS) — U.S. NAVY O-1
The Navy's entry-grade commissioned officer — newly commissioned division officers and student aviators.
OVERVIEW
Ensign (ENS) is the most junior commissioned officer rank in the U.S. Navy, paygrade O-1, and the entry point for nearly every commissioning source — the U.S. Naval Academy, NROTC, Officer Candidate School (OCS), and direct commissions in restricted line and staff communities. New Ensigns typically report aboard ship or to flight school within months of commissioning and are expected to begin learning the practical art of leading Sailors in their first division-officer tour.
The rank insignia is a single gold bar worn on the collar or shoulder boards (one half-inch gold stripe on dress uniforms). Aboard ship, an Ensign is addressed verbally as "Mister" or "Miss" followed by their last name; in writing, the rank "Ensign" is spelled out. Ensigns are commissioned by the President of the United States and serve at the pleasure of the President under Title 10 of the U.S. Code.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Serve as a Division Officer aboard ship, leading 10–40 enlisted Sailors
- Stand watch as Officer of the Deck (Underway) qualified after qualification
- Complete community-specific qualifications — Surface Warfare, Submarine, Aviation, etc.
- Manage division training, maintenance, and administrative readiness
HISTORY
The rank of Ensign in the U.S. Navy was authorized in 1862, replacing the older grade of Passed Midshipman. The title is borrowed from the British military, where an "ensign" was historically the most junior commissioned officer assigned to carry the unit's colors — its ensign — into battle. In the modern Navy, the rank is the universal entry grade for newly commissioned officers from every accession source.
Ensigns commissioned through the U.S. Naval Academy and NROTC are obligated to serve a minimum active-duty service commitment that varies by community — typically five years for surface and submarine officers, eight or more years for aviators after winging. Most Ensigns who continue to perform satisfactorily promote to Lieutenant (Junior Grade) after approximately two years of commissioned service.
PAY
- U.S. citizenship and accession via USNA, NROTC, OCS, or direct commission
- Bachelor's degree (waivable for some staff-corps direct commissions)
- Satisfactory completion of officer indoctrination/commissioning training
- Division Officer aboard a surface combatant or amphibious ship
- Student Naval Aviator or Student Naval Flight Officer at NAS Pensacola or NAS Whiting Field
- Submarine Officer Basic Course student at Naval Submarine School, Groton, CT
- Junior staff-corps officer (Supply, Civil Engineer Corps, Medical Service Corps)