INTERIOR COMMUNICATIONS ELECTRICIAN (IC)
The U.S. Navy general surface and combat interior communications electrician rating — IC.
OVERVIEW
Interior Communications Electrician (IC) maintains the U.S. Navy ship's internal communications, alarms, and gyro-navigation systems — the 1MC general-announcing system, sound-powered telephone circuits, dial telephones, video-distribution, the ship's master gyrocompass, magnetic-compass binnacles, and engine-order telegraph systems. ICs are organic to every U.S. Navy ship's Engineering or Combat Systems department.
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 ~16 weeks at Surface Warfare Engineering School Command, Great Lakes, IL, where Sailors complete the technical foundation needed to report to their first fleet command. Entry requires the ASVAB line score VE+AR+MK+EI=218 and an enlistment obligation of 4–6 years. ICs 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 ICs 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, IC 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 ICs DO
ICs install, troubleshoot, and repair shipboard interior-communication circuits, the master gyrocompass and repeaters, the 1MC general announcing system, dial-telephone exchanges, the IVCS shipboard intercom, alarm and warning circuits, ship-control consoles, and the closed-circuit-television (SITE-TV) entertainment-and-training system.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- ICs install, troubleshoot, and repair shipboard interior-communication circuits, the master gyrocompass and repeaters, the 1MC general announcing system, dial-telephone exchanges, the IVCS shipboard intercom, alarm and warning circuits, ship-control consoles, and the closed-circuit-television (SITE-TV) entertainment-and-training system.
- Stand watches and qualify on the rating's Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS), maintain training jackets, and mentor junior ICs as required by the chain of command.
- Lead the IC 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 IC rating dates to 1921 when the Navy created the Electrician (Interior Communications) specialty to manage the explosion of telephone, alarm, and signaling systems that came with battleships and the early aircraft carriers. The rating was redesignated Interior Communications Electrician in 1948.
Like all surface-Navy general ratings, the rating evolved alongside the U.S. Navy's transition from sail to steam, then steam to gas-turbine and electric-drive propulsion, and continues to adapt to today's distributed maritime operations and integrated combat systems.
Today the Interior Communications Electrician (IC) rating is overseen by the Enlisted Community Management (ECM) office at My Navy HR and the Center for Personal and Professional Development. Modern ICs benefit from the Sailor 2025 personnel-system reforms, the Ready Relevant Learning (RRL) training continuum, and credentialing through the Navy COOL program — turning rating qualifications into industry-recognized certifications and licenses.
The rating's structure, training pipeline, and operational employment continue to evolve alongside the Navy's transition to Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), Project Overmatch, and the Force Design 2045 fleet architecture, ensuring ICs remain central to the warfighting mission.
TRAINING PIPELINE
- 1. Recruit Training (Boot Camp)~10 weeksNaval Station Great Lakes, ILInitial entry training for all U.S. Navy enlisted Sailors at the Navy's only boot camp.
- 2. Interior Communications Electrician A-School~16 weeksSurface Warfare Engineering School Command, Great Lakes, ILInitial rating-skills training for accessions
- 3. Fleet / Operational TourFirst sea or operational tourEvery commissioned U.S. Navy shipOn-the-job training and qualifications in the IC rating with a fleet unit.
TYPICAL CAREER PATH
- E-1/E-3Apprentice ICA-school in the general pipeline; first tour with a fleet unit.
- E-4/E-6Petty Officer ICLead a Interior Communications Electrician work-center, qualify in core watchstations and platform-specific tasks.
- E-7+Chief Interior Communications ElectricianSenior enlisted leader of the rating in the command; instructor, detailer, or department leading chief assignments.
TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS
- Every commissioned U.S. Navy ship
- Shipboard gyrocompass rooms and IC switchboards
EXAMPLE NECs
- IC-4767 Shipboard 1MC and Alarm Systems Maintainer
- U.S. citizenship and minimum ASVAB VE+AR+MK+EI=218
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Pass the Navy physical and medical screening
- Every commissioned U.S. Navy ship
- Shipboard gyrocompass rooms and IC switchboards
RELATED RATINGS
RELATED BASES
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
SOURCES
- Navy Interior Communications Electrician (navy.com)
- My Navy HR — Enlisted Community Management
- Navy COOL — Rating Detail