QUARTERMASTER (QM)
The U.S. Navy general surface and combat quartermaster rating — QM.
OVERVIEW
Quartermaster (QM) is the U.S. Navy's shipboard navigation rating. QMs run the ship's bridge as the Quartermaster of the Watch (QMOW), maintain navigation charts and electronic chart displays (ECDIS-N and VMS), shoot celestial sights, plot fixes by visual bearings and GPS, and serve as the Navigator's senior enlisted assistant on every U.S. Navy ship and submarine.
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 ~10 weeks at Center for Surface Combat Systems Detachment, 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+AS=210 and an enlistment obligation of 4–6 years. QMs 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 QMs 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, QM 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 QMs DO
QMs operate and maintain electronic navigation systems (VMS, ECDIS-N, GPS, AIS, fathometer), maintain the chart portfolio and navigation publications, plot the ship's intended movement and actual track, prepare navigation briefs for sea-and-anchor and special evolutions, and stand the bridge watch as Quartermaster of the Watch.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- QMs operate and maintain electronic navigation systems (VMS, ECDIS-N, GPS, AIS, fathometer), maintain the chart portfolio and navigation publications, plot the ship's intended movement and actual track, prepare navigation briefs for sea-and-anchor and special evolutions, and stand the bridge watch as Quartermaster of the Watch.
- Stand watches and qualify on the rating's Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS), maintain training jackets, and mentor junior QMs as required by the chain of command.
- Lead the QM 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
Quartermaster is one of the original U.S. Navy ratings, dating to the founding of the Continental Navy in 1775. The rating's symbol — the ship's wheel — and its responsibility for the ship's chronometers and sextants have been carried into the GPS and electronic-chart era.
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 Quartermaster (QM) rating is overseen by the Enlisted Community Management (ECM) office at My Navy HR and the Center for Personal and Professional Development. Modern QMs 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 QMs 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. Quartermaster A-School~10 weeksCenter for Surface Combat Systems Detachment, Great Lakes, ILInitial rating-skills training for accessions
- 3. Fleet / Operational TourFirst sea or operational tourEvery commissioned U.S. Navy ship and submarineOn-the-job training and qualifications in the QM rating with a fleet unit.
TYPICAL CAREER PATH
- E-1/E-3Apprentice QMA-school in the general pipeline; first tour with a fleet unit.
- E-4/E-6Petty Officer QMLead a Quartermaster work-center, qualify in core watchstations and platform-specific tasks.
- E-7+Chief QuartermasterSenior enlisted leader of the rating in the command; instructor, detailer, or department leading chief assignments.
TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS
- Every commissioned U.S. Navy ship and submarine
- The ship's bridge and chartroom
EXAMPLE NECs
- QM-0319 Voyage Management System (VMS) Operator/Maintainer
- U.S. citizenship and minimum ASVAB VE+AR+MK+AS=210
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Pass the Navy physical and medical screening
- Every commissioned U.S. Navy ship and submarine
- The ship's bridge and chartroom