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ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN (ET)

The electronics maintenance rating — radar, navigation, communications, and (for the Nuclear sub-track) submarine reactor electronics.

Rating Badge

Rating Code

Community

General Surface & Combat

Paygrade Range

E-1 to E-9

ASVAB Minimum

AR+MK+EI+GS=222

A-School

Surface Warfare Officers School Detachment, Great Lakes, IL (Surface) / Nuclear Power Training Command, Goose Creek, SC (Nuclear) · ~26 weeks (Surface) / ~12 months Nuclear pipeline

Clearance

Secret

Obligation

6 years

OVERVIEW

Electronics Technician (ET) is the U.S. Navy's enlisted electronics-maintenance rating. Surface ETs maintain navigation radars, satellite-communications terminals, electronic charts, IFF, and underwater telephone gear. Nuclear-track ETs (ETN) operate and maintain the reactor electronics — neutron monitoring instrumentation and reactor-protection systems — on submarines and aircraft carriers. A separate ET (Submarine Communications), or ETV, sub-track maintains submarine VLF/ELF radio gear.

The ET rating shares lineage with the Information Systems Technician (IT) and Fire Controlman (FC) ratings — all three trace back to the legacy Electronics Technician's Mate and Radioman ratings of the early 20th century.

The general community covers the U.S. Navy's traditional shipboard ratings — deck, engineering, weapons, and combat-systems Sailors who keep surface combatants and amphibious ships in the fight. Sailors in this community typically rotate between sea and shore tours and are eligible for a wide range of NECs, instructor billets, and enlisted commissioning programs.

A-school for the rating runs ~26 weeks (Surface) / ~12 months Nuclear pipeline at Surface Warfare Officers School Detachment, Great Lakes, IL (Surface) / Nuclear Power Training Command, Goose Creek, SC (Nuclear), where Sailors complete the technical foundation needed to report to their first fleet command. Entry requires the ASVAB line score AR+MK+EI+GS=222 and an enlistment obligation of 6–6 years. ETs advance through the standard enlisted paygrade structure (E-1 through E-9), competing in the Navy-Wide Advancement Examination (NWAE) at E-4 through E-6 and via the Selection Board at E-7 through E-9. Senior ETs typically serve as Leading Petty Officer (LPO), Work Center Supervisor, Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO), or Command Master Chief (CMC), and may pursue Limited Duty Officer (LDO), Chief Warrant Officer (CWO), or commissioning programs such as STA-21, MECP, or OCS.

Across the active force, ET Sailors are essential to the Navy's mission readiness, and the rating remains an in-demand career field with strong reenlistment bonuses (SRB), advancement opportunities, and pathways into Navy Reserve, civilian DoD, and industry careers after service.

WHAT ETs DO

Surface ETs maintain the SPS-67 surface-search radar, the SPS-73 navigation radar, the SAS-1 sonar, the SLQ-32 electronic-warfare suite (in coordination with FCs), the WSC-3 satellite-communications terminal, and the underwater telephone (UWT). Nuclear ETs operate reactor neutron-monitoring instrumentation, reactor-protection circuitry, and main steam-plant control systems on every U.S. Navy submarine and on Nimitz/Ford-class aircraft carriers.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Surface ETs maintain the SPS-67 surface-search radar, the SPS-73 navigation radar, the SAS-1 sonar, the SLQ-32 electronic-warfare suite (in coordination with FCs), the WSC-3 satellite-communications terminal, and the underwater telephone (UWT). Nuclear ETs operate reactor neutron-monitoring instrumentation, reactor-protection circuitry, and main steam-plant control systems on every U.S. Navy submarine and on Nimitz/Ford-class aircraft carriers.
Stand watches and qualify on the rating's Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS), maintain training jackets, and mentor junior ETs as required by the chain of command.
Lead the ET work center as Leading Petty Officer or Work Center Supervisor — managing maintenance documentation in 3M/MFOM, parts ordering, and personnel qualifications.
Support general military training (GMT), damage control, force protection, and watch-bill assignments common to every Sailor regardless of rating.

HISTORY

The Electronics Technician rating was established in 1948 from the wartime Radio Technician (RT) and Electronics Technician's Mate (ETM) ratings created during World War II to maintain the explosion of radar, sonar, and radio gear that defined the modern naval war. Early ETs maintained the SG and SK air-search radars, the QC sonar, and the TBS short-range voice radio that organized fleet operations in the Pacific and Atlantic.

Through the Cold War the rating expanded to cover satellite communications, electronic navigation (LORAN, OMEGA, GPS), and submarine-specific communications gear. The Nuclear Power Program established the ETN (Nuclear) sub-track in the late 1950s to operate reactor electronics aboard nuclear-powered submarines and surface ships, beginning with USS Nautilus (SSN-571).

In 1999 the rating spun off the Information Systems Technician (IT) for shipboard networking and shore communications, leaving the modern ET focused on radar, navigation, satcom, and reactor-plant electronics. ET remains one of the broadest and most technically demanding enlisted ratings in the U.S. Navy.

TRAINING PIPELINE

1. Recruit Training (Boot Camp)~10 weeks
Naval Station Great Lakes, IL
Initial entry training for all U.S. Navy enlisted Sailors at the Navy's only boot camp.
2. Electronics Technician A-School~26 weeks (Surface) / ~12 months Nuclear pipeline
Surface Warfare Officers School Detachment, Great Lakes, IL (Surface) / Nuclear Power Training Command, Goose Creek, SC (Nuclear)
Initial rating-skills training for ET accessions.
3. Fleet / Operational TourFirst sea or operational tour
Every U.S. Navy commissioned surface ship
On-the-job training and qualifications in the ET rating with a fleet unit.

TYPICAL CAREER PATH

E-1/E-3
Apprentice Electronics Technician
A-school at Great Lakes; first tour in CIC or ESM space; Nuclear ETs run the ~12-month NPS+Prototype pipeline.
E-4/E-6
Petty Officer ET
Qualify as electronics maintainer; serve as work-center supervisor or reactor operator.
E-7+
Chief Electronics Technician
Combat Systems or Reactor Department LCPO, or instructor at NPS / Aegis Training and Readiness Center.

TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS

Every U.S. Navy commissioned surface ship
Aircraft carriers (CVN-68 / CVN-78) — Nuclear ETs
Every U.S. Navy submarine — Nuclear ETs and ETV
Naval Computer and Telecommunications Stations

EXAMPLE NECs

ET-1493 Surface Search Radar Maintenance
ET-3373 Nuclear Reactor Electronics

How to address

As an enlisted Sailor by paygrade and last name (e.g. "Petty Officer Smith" for E-4–E-6, "Chief Smith" for E-7+). The rating abbreviation "ET" is appended to the paygrade in writing — e.g., ET1 Smith for ET Petty Officer First Class.

Prerequisites

U.S. citizenship and minimum ASVAB AR+MK+EI+GS=222
High school diploma or equivalent
Pass the Navy physical and medical screening
Secret security clearance eligibility

Common assignments

Every U.S. Navy commissioned surface ship
Aircraft carriers (CVN-68 / CVN-78) — Nuclear ETs
Every U.S. Navy submarine — Nuclear ETs and ETV
Naval Computer and Telecommunications Stations

RELATED RATINGS

RELATED BASES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

There are three ET sub-tracks: ET (Surface), ET (Nuclear) — known as ETN — and ET (Submarine Communications), known as ETV. ETN and ETV operate exclusively on nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers.

Surface ET A-school is approximately 26 weeks at Great Lakes. The Nuclear ET pipeline runs roughly 12 months through Nuclear Power School and a prototype reactor.

Surface ETs typically require a Secret clearance; Nuclear ETs and ETV ETs require additional reactor and SCI access.

SOURCES

Last updated 2026-05-02

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