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LOGISTICS SPECIALIST (LS)

The Navy's supply, storeroom, and material-management rating — every nut, bolt, and spare part on a Navy ship comes through an LS.

Rating Badge

Rating Code

Community

Admin & Logistics

Paygrade Range

E-1 to E-9

ASVAB Minimum

VE+AR=104

A-School

Naval Technical Training Center, Meridian, MS · ~7 weeks

Clearance

Standard

Obligation

4 years

OVERVIEW

Logistics Specialist (LS) is the U.S. Navy's enlisted supply and material-management rating. LSs manage shipboard storerooms, run the supply department's requisition and receipt cycle, operate the postal services on every ship and shore command, manage Defense Logistics Agency wholesale stocks ashore, and run the disbursing-and-pay support office on smaller ships.

The LS rating was created in 2009 by merging the Storekeeper (SK) and Postal Clerk (PC) ratings. The Logistics Specialist (Submarine), or LSS, sub-track handles submarine-force supply.

The administrative and logistics community keeps the Navy running — pay, personnel, legal, public affairs, religious ministry, retail services, and supply support. Admin-community Sailors serve in nearly every shore command and ship and are essential to readiness, retention, and quality of life for the entire force.

A-school for the rating runs ~7 weeks at Naval Technical Training Center, Meridian, MS, where Sailors complete the technical foundation needed to report to their first fleet command. Entry requires the ASVAB line score VE+AR=104 and an enlistment obligation of 4–6 years. LSs 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 LSs 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, LS 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 LSs DO

Logistics Specialists manage shipboard storerooms and stock-control records; submit requisitions through Navy ERP and the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) supply system; receive, inspect, and stow incoming material; process the ship's and command's postal mail (packages, official mail, FPO/APO operations); operate the disbursing office on smaller ships (pay, travel claims, cash collection); manage Defense Logistics Agency wholesale stocks at shore depots; and serve as the supply department's leading petty officers.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Logistics Specialists manage shipboard storerooms and stock-control records; submit requisitions through Navy ERP and the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) supply system; receive, inspect, and stow incoming material; process the ship's and command's postal mail (packages, official mail, FPO/APO operations); operate the disbursing office on smaller ships (pay, travel claims, cash collection); manage Defense Logistics Agency wholesale stocks at shore depots; and serve as the supply department's leading petty officers.
Stand watches and qualify on the rating's Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS), maintain training jackets, and mentor junior LSs as required by the chain of command.
Lead the LS 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.

THIS RATING ABSORBED

The LS rating's mission today includes work that flowed from the following decommissioned U.S. Navy ratings:

HISTORY

Logistics Specialist was established on 1 October 2009 by merging the Storekeeper (SK) rating, which dated to 1797, with the Postal Clerk (PC) rating, which dated to 1908. The merger consolidated Navy supply, storeroom, and postal duties into a single integrated logistics rating aligned with the modern integrated supply chain.

LSs deploy with every U.S. Navy ship, support every shore command, and provide the operational logistics backbone of the fleet.

The Navy's administrative ratings trace to the 19th-century Yeoman of the Watch and Ship's Writer billets and were progressively restructured through the 1948 enlisted-rating consolidation, the 1972 Zumwalt-era reforms, and the 21st-century rating modernization initiatives that merged, split, and renamed several legacy specialties.

Today the Logistics Specialist (LS) rating is overseen by the Enlisted Community Management (ECM) office at My Navy HR and the Center for Personal and Professional Development. Modern LSs 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 LSs remain central to the warfighting mission.

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. Logistics Specialist A-School~7 weeks
Naval Technical Training Center, Meridian, MS
Initial rating-skills training for LS accessions.
3. Fleet / Operational TourFirst sea or operational tour
Every U.S. Navy commissioned ship — supply department
On-the-job training and qualifications in the LS rating with a fleet unit.

TYPICAL CAREER PATH

E-1/E-3
Apprentice Logistics Specialist
A-school at NTTC Meridian; first tour in a ship's supply department or a shore Fleet Logistics Center.
E-4/E-6
Petty Officer LS
Qualify as storeroom records keeper, postal clerk, and supply department LPO; on small ships, serve as Disbursing Clerk.
E-7+
Chief Logistics Specialist
Supply Department LCPO, Postmaster of a fleet hub, or instructor at NTTC Meridian.

TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS

Every U.S. Navy commissioned ship — supply department
Naval Supply Systems Command and Fleet Logistics Centers
Defense Logistics Agency depots and distribution centers
Submarines (LSS sub-track)

EXAMPLE NECs

LS-2810 Postal Clerk
LS-2820 Disbursing Clerk

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 "LS" is appended to the paygrade in writing — e.g., LS1 Smith for LS Petty Officer First Class.

Prerequisites

U.S. citizenship and minimum ASVAB VE+AR=104
High school diploma or equivalent
Pass the Navy physical and medical screening

Common assignments

Every U.S. Navy commissioned ship — supply department
Naval Supply Systems Command and Fleet Logistics Centers
Defense Logistics Agency depots and distribution centers
Submarines (LSS sub-track)

RELATED RATINGS

RELATED BASES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

LS was created on 1 October 2009 by merging the Storekeeper (SK) rating with the Postal Clerk (PC) rating into a single supply-and-postal rating.

Yes — LSs operate the postal services on every U.S. Navy ship and at every Navy fleet post office (FPO) ashore and afloat.

LS A-school is at the Naval Technical Training Center on NAS Meridian, MS.

SOURCES

Last updated 2026-05-02

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