Someone you love just made Chief. There’s a date circled on the calendar, and maybe a few questions you haven’t wanted to ask.
That’s normal. A Chief Petty Officer pinning ceremony is packed with Navy tradition, and nobody hands guests a manual.
Here’s what happens, step by step, plus who pins the anchors, what to wear, and how to get on base without a scramble at the gate.
The short answer
A CPO pinning ceremony is the day Sailors selected for Chief Petty Officer officially become Chiefs. Family or friends pin a gold anchor on each collar, and a mentoring Chief places the combination cover (the Chief’s hat).
Most of the Navy pins on the same day, usually in September, and the ceremony runs one to two hours.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| When is it? | One Navy-wide day, usually in September (Sept. 16 in 2025 and 2026) |
| How long does it last? | One to two hours, depending on how many Sailors are pinned |
| What should guests wear? | Business casual is a safe choice unless the invitation or command provides different guidance. |
| Who pins the anchors? | Whoever the new Chief chooses, often a spouse, parent, child or mentor |
| Who places the cover? | Usually their sponsor, the Chief who mentored them through initiation |
| What ID do guests need? | Usually a REAL ID-compliant ID or U.S. passport if you don’t have a military ID. Confirm visitor requirements with the installation before you go. |
Afterward, the anchors, the advancement certificate and the photos are what your family keeps.
What is a CPO pinning ceremony?
A CPO pinning ceremony marks the moment a First Class Petty Officer officially becomes a Chief Petty Officer. Chief is the Navy’s E-7 paygrade and the first of its three senior enlisted rates (the Navy’s word for an enlisted rank).
It isn’t a routine promotion. The Navy calls it the most significant promotion of an enlisted Sailor’s career. Chiefs are the technical experts and hands-on leaders other Sailors turn to first. That’s why there’s a saying in the Navy: “Ask the Chief.”
The ceremony also closes out Chief Petty Officer Initiation, the roughly six-week stretch of training selectees complete after results come out. Many Sailors and families still call it Chief Season.
Pinning day is also when new Chiefs are frocked. They take the title and wear the anchors, even if the E-7 pay starts later.
The Coast Guard has Chiefs too, and their pinning days work a little differently. More on that below.
When is CPO pinning? Chief Season dates
Most of the Navy pins new Chiefs on the same day each year, usually in September. It was September 16 in both 2025 and 2026. The date does move, though. In 2021, pinning day fell on November 19.
So don’t guess. Each spring the Navy publishes an official message, called a NAVADMIN, that sets the season’s calendar. Here’s how 2026 played out:
| Date (2026) | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 22 to July 17 | Active-duty Chief selection board met |
| August 4 | Results reached commands, and initiation began |
| August 5 | Results announced Navy-wide |
| September 15 | Capstone event, the last step of initiation |
| September 16 | Pinning ceremonies |
Navy Reserve selectees get their results earlier, in mid-July, but pin on the same September day.
Planning travel for 2027? The 2026 calendar came out May 21, so look for next year’s dates in late spring. Your Sailor can confirm the time and place once their command sets them.
CPO pinning ceremony order of events
Every command runs its own ceremony, so the order shifts a little. The printed program is your map. Here’s what you’ll see at most of them.
1. The selectees march in
The Chief selects walk in together, usually singing “Anchors Aweigh,” the Navy’s service song. Look at their collars. They’re in khakis with no anchors yet, and the ceremony finishes the uniform.
2. Colors, the national anthem and the invocation
Guests stand as the color guard presents the flag and the national anthem plays. Many ceremonies keep everyone standing for the invocation, a short opening prayer. Veterans in civilian clothes may salute during the anthem. Everyone else places a hand over the heart.
3. The guest speaker
A senior leader, often a Master Chief, speaks to the selectees and their families about what being a Chief really means.
4. Traditional readings
Many ceremonies include a few short readings:
- The Fouled Anchor. It explains the anchor on the collar. In this reading, the U, S and N stand for unity, service and navigation.
- The frocking letter. It makes the new title official. Guests are often asked to stand for it.
- The donning of the cover. It explains why the hat matters so much. Before Chiefs wore khakis, the combination cover was how you told a Chief apart.
5. The pinning
Selectees are called front and center, often in small groups. For each one, the emcee announces who will pin the anchors and who will place the cover.
Family or friends pin a gold anchor on each collar, and a mentoring Chief places the cover. Some commands do the cover first. This is usually when guests are invited forward for photos and asked to hold applause until everyone has been pinned.
6. Piped aboard
Two bells ring, and the emcee announces each new Chief by rating and name, ending with “United States Navy, arriving!” The new Chief salutes and walks between two rows of side boys, a shipboard honor usually given to senior officers and dignitaries. For your Sailor, it’s the first time being piped aboard as a Chief.
7. The Chief Petty Officer’s Creed
Every Chief in the room, past and present, stands while the Chief Petty Officer’s Creed is read. If you’re not a Chief, stay seated. This part is theirs. Some commands read it before the pinning, others after. Our guide to the Chief Petty Officer’s Creed explains what it says and where it came from.
8. “Anchors Aweigh” one more time
The ceremony usually closes with remarks, a closing prayer called the benediction, and every Chief in the room, known together as the Chiefs Mess, singing “Anchors Aweigh,” new Chiefs included. Listen for the shout at the end: “Navy Chief, Navy Pride!”
9. Photos and the reception
New Chiefs often pose for a group photo with the Chiefs Mess before finding their families. Many commands host a reception afterward. Now’s the time for hugs, pictures, and thanking the Chiefs who got your Sailor here.
Who pins the anchors and who places the cover?
The new Chief chooses. Spouses, parents and children are the most common picks, along with mentors and fellow Chiefs. Because there are two collars, two people often share the honor, and sometimes three.
At one 2023 ceremony in Naples, Italy, new Chiefs were pinned by spouses, children, parents, a cousin, best friends, mentors and retired Chiefs.
The cover usually goes to the selectee’s sponsor, the Chief who guided them through initiation, passing the tradition from one Chief to the next. Some Sailors ask family to do it instead. At that same Naples ceremony, one new Chief’s father, a retired Senior Chief, placed his son’s cover.
If you’ve been asked to pin:
- Ask for a practice run. The pin backs are tiny and easy to drop.
- Dress to move. You’ll walk up front, often onto a stage, with a crowd watching.
- Let the Chiefs guide you. The sponsor will show you exactly where the anchor sits.
- Kids can help. A young child can pin with an adult guiding their hands, and it makes a great photo.
- Bring tissues. Pinning day gets emotional fast, for guests and brand-new Chiefs alike.
What to wear to a CPO pinning ceremony
Business casual. One Navy base’s official notice for its pinning ceremony lists exactly that for civilian guests.
Think of what you’d wear to a nice dinner or a church service. If the ceremony is aboard a ship or in a hangar, wear flat, closed-toe shoes.
You’ll see plenty of uniforms, too. Chiefs and officers wear khakis with the combination cover, and junior Sailors wear the uniform of the day.
Guest tips: base access, timing, kids and photos
Sort out base access first. Everything else here is easy.
| Question | What to know |
|---|---|
| How do I get on base? | Without a military ID, bring a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, state ID or U.S. passport. First-time visitors usually fill out a base access form and check in at the Visitor Control Center, so ask your Sailor to start that early. |
| When should I arrive? | Early. Leave time for the gate, parking and the visitor center, and be seated before the selectees march in. |
| How long does it last? | Usually one to two hours. One 2023 ceremony that pinned 40 Sailors ran just under an hour and a half. |
| Can kids come? | Yes. Pinnings are family events, and children often help pin. |
| Can I take photos? | Usually, yes. Many ceremonies invite guests forward to take pictures during the pinning. Follow the emcee’s lead. |
| When do I clap? | If the emcee asks, hold applause until every selectee has been pinned. Then cheer. |
| When do I stand? | For the colors, the national anthem and whenever the emcee asks. Only Chiefs stand for the Creed. |
| Should I bring a gift? | It’s not expected. If you’d like to, our guide to gifts for military promotions has ideas for every budget. |
How is a Coast Guard Chief pinning different?
Coast Guard Chiefs share the khakis, the combination cover and the fouled anchor. Their collar device adds the Coast Guard shield to the anchor.
The big difference is timing. Coast Guard members advance from a service-wide list throughout the year, not in one Navy-style season. Since 2021, units can hold the ceremony on a date that works for the member, their family and the unit’s schedule.
So Coast Guard pinnings tend to be smaller and more personal, often one new Chief or a few at their own unit. Coast Guard selectees serving alongside the Navy are sometimes pinned at Navy ceremonies, as one was at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas on September 16, 2026.
The unit sets the details, so ask your Coast Guard member what to expect.
How to remember pinning day
The ceremony lasts an hour or two. The pieces worth keeping from it last a whole career:
- The advancement certificate. Our Gold Embossed Navy Rank Insignia Frame for Chief Petty Officer shows it off with the CPO insignia embossed in gold.
- The pinning photo. Ask someone to stand where they can catch the anchors going on. It’s usually the photo everyone wants later.
- The words read that day. Our Chief Petty Officer’s Creed frame keeps the Creed on the wall where your Chief will actually see it.
Celebrating a Coast Guard Chief? Browse our Coast Guard frames. For more ways to display a new rank, see our guide to military rank frames.
CPO pinning ceremony FAQs
When is CPO pinning in 2027?
The Navy hasn’t announced it yet. Each year’s dates come out in an official message, which arrived on May 21 in 2026. Pinning fell on September 16 in both 2025 and 2026.
How long is a CPO pinning ceremony?
Usually one to two hours, depending on how many Sailors are pinned. Plan extra time before for base access and after for photos.
What do you wear to a CPO pinning ceremony?
Business casual. Dress as you would for a nice dinner or a church service, and wear flat shoes if the ceremony is aboard a ship.
Who pins the anchors on a new Chief?
Whoever the new Chief chooses, most often a spouse, parent, child or mentor. Two people often share it, one anchor per collar.
What does a sponsor do at a CPO pinning?
A sponsor is a Chief who mentored the selectee through initiation. Traditionally, the sponsor places the combination cover, passing the tradition from one Chief to the next.
Do new Chiefs get E-7 pay on pinning day?
Not necessarily. Pinning day is when new Chiefs are frocked, which lets them take the title and wear the uniform before the pay starts. The raise begins on their official advancement date..
Do Coast Guard Chiefs have pinning ceremonies?
Yes. Coast Guard Chiefs are pinned too, usually at their own unit on a date the member and command choose, rather than on one service-wide day.
The day your Sailor became a Chief
Pinning day moves fast.
There’s the first glimpse of the anchors. The cover. The bells. The hugs on the way out.
Then your new Chief is back at work, with more expected of them than ever.
At militaryframes.com by Church Hill Classics, we handcraft officially licensed U.S. Navy frames in Monroe, Connecticut, for the certificates, photographs and milestones that tell a Navy story.
Explore our U.S. Navy frames for the advancement certificate and the pinning photo.
Your Sailor earned the anchors. Give the day a place on the wall, and leave room for Senior Chief.
Frame the Valor. Honor the Legacy.™
