Naval Orientation and Military Aptitude
Naval Orientation and Military Aptitude
This domain tests whether you understand how the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Navy are organized, how rank and authority work, and how a sailor is expected to behave.
Chain of command
Authority runs from the President as Commander-in-Chief, through the Secretary of National Defense, to the Chief of Staff AFP, then to the major service commanders. Within the Navy, the Flag Officer In Command leads, with the Philippine Fleet, the Philippine Marine Corps, the Naval Reserve Command, and the Naval Special Operations Command among the major subordinate units.
Ranks and seniority
- Officer ranks (ascending): Ensign, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander, Commander, Captain, then the flag ranks of Commodore, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, Admiral.
- Enlisted ranks (ascending): Seaman Third Class, Seaman Second Class, Seaman First Class, Petty Officer Third Class, Petty Officer Second Class, Petty Officer First Class, Chief Petty Officer, Senior Chief Petty Officer, Master Chief Petty Officer.
- Any commissioned officer outranks every enlisted member, regardless of time in service.
Customs and discipline
The salute is a greeting of respect exchanged between personnel in uniform; juniors salute first and seniors return it. Address superiors as Sir or Ma'am, report promptly, and keep uniforms and grooming within regulation. A lawful order must be obeyed, but an order to commit a crime is not lawful and need not be obeyed. Absence without leave and insubordination fall under the Articles of War.
General orders of a sentry
A sentry's duties are fixed and memorized - for example, To take charge of this post and all government property in view. Learn them verbatim rather than paraphrasing, because items test exact recall.
Worked example
Who is senior: a Petty Officer First Class with twelve years of service, or a Chief Petty Officer with two years?
Rank, not tenure, decides. Chief Petty Officer is the higher grade, so the Chief is senior and the PO1 renders the salute first.
Traps that cost marks
- Forgetting that a Navy Captain is senior to a Commander and equals a Colonel.
- Treating Commodore as lower than a one-star equivalent; it is the first flag grade.
- Assuming every order must be obeyed, including unlawful ones.
- Paraphrasing general orders when the item wants exact wording.