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Military Benefits Information for US Military, Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, Military Spouses and Military Family

You are here: Home / Military Ranks & Insignia Charts

Military Ranks & Insignia Charts

Find U.S. Military Rank charts and Insignias for enlisted, warrant and officer ranks by branch; Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard, Marines. The charts are ordered by branch of service, pay grade and rank. Corresponding rates and ranks have different names across branches and more than one may fall under the same pay grade.

Army Ranks in Order Air Force Military Ranks in order  Marines Ranks in OrderNavy Ranks in Order Coast Guard Ranks in Order


U.S. Military Ranks & Pay Grade by Branch

Pay ScaleArmyAir ForceMarinesNavy and Coast Guard
Commissioned Officers
**General of the ArmyGeneral of the Air ForceFleet Admiral
O-10Army Chief of Staff
General
Air Force Chief of Staff GeneralCommandant of the Marine Corps
General
Chief of Naval Operations
Commandant of the Coast Guard
Admiral
O-9Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralVice Admiral
O-8Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor GeneralRear Admiral (Upper Half)
O-7Brigadier GeneralBrigadier GeneralBrigadier GeneralRear Admiral (Commodore)
O-6ColonelColonelColonelCaptain
O-5Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant ColonelLieutenant ColonelCommander
O-4MajorMajorMajorLieutenant Commander
O-3CaptainCaptainCaptainLieutenant
O-21st Lieutenant1st Lieutenant1st LieutenantLieutenant, Junior Grade
O-12nd Lieutenant2nd Lieutenant2nd LieutenantEnsign
Warrant Officers
W-5Master Warrant Officer 5Chief Warrant Officer 5Master Warrant Officer
W-4Warrant Officer 4Chief Warrant Officer 4Warrant Officer 4
W-3Warrant Officer 3Chief Warrant Officer 3Warrant Officer 3
W-2Warrant Officer 2Chief Warrant Officer 2Warrant Officer 2
W-1Warrant Officer 1Warrant OfficerWarrant Officer 1
Non-Commissioned Officers
SpecialSergeant Major of the ArmyChief Master Sergeant of the Air ForceSergeant Major of the Marine CorpsMaster Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
E-9Command Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
First Sergeant (Chief Master Sergeant)
Chief Master Sergeant
Sergeant Major
Master Gunnery Sergeant
Master Chief Petty Officer
E-8First Sergeant
Master Sergeant
First Sergeant (Senior Master Sergeant)
Senior Master Sergeant
First Sergeant
Master Sergeant
Senior Chief Petty Officer
E-7Sergeant First ClassFirst Sergeant (Master Sergeant)
Master Sergeant
Gunnery SergeantChief Petty Officer
E-6Staff SergeantTechnical SergeantStaff SergeantPetty Officer First Class
E-5SergeantStaff SergeantSergeantPetty Officer Second Class
E-4CorporalCorporalPetty Officer Third Class
Enlisted Personnel
E-4SpecialistSenior Airman
E-3Private First ClassAirman First ClassLance CorporalSeaman
E-2PrivateAirmanPrivate First ClassSeaman Apprentice
E-1Private (Recruit)Airman BasicPrivateSeaman Recruit

About Military Ranks

Enlisted Military Ranks

Service members in pay grades E-1 through E-3 are usually either in some kind of training status or on their initial assignment. The training includes the basic training phase where recruits are immersed in military culture and values and are taught the core skills required by their service component.

Basic training is followed by a specialized or advanced training phase that provides recruits with a specific area of expertise or concentration. In the Army and Marines, this area is called a military occupational specialty; in the Navy it is known as a rate; and in the Air Force it is simply called an Air Force specialty.

Noncommissioned Officer Ranks

An NCO is an enlisted member who has risen through the ranks through promotion. NCOs serve as the link between enlisted personnel and commissioned officers. They hold responsibility for training troops to execute missions. Training for NCOs includes leadership, management, specific skills, and combat training.

Warrant Officer Military Ranks

Warrant officers hold warrants from their service secretary and are specialists and experts in certain military technologies or capabilities. The lowest ranking warrant officers serve under a warrant, but they receive commissions from the president upon promotion to chief warrant officer 2. These commissioned warrant officers are direct representatives of the president of the United States. They derive their authority from the same source as commissioned officers but remain specialists, in contrast to commissioned officers, who are generalists. There are no warrant officers in the Air Force.

Officer Military Ranks

Officer ranks in the United States military consist of commissioned officers and warrant officers. The commissioned ranks are the highest in the military. These officers hold presidential commissions and are confirmed at their ranks by the Senate. Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Corps officers are called company grade officers in the pay grades of O-1 to O-3, field grade officers in pay grades O-4 to O-6 and general officers in pay grades O-7 and higher. The equivalent officer groupings in the Navy are called junior grade, mid-grade and flag.

Naval Officer Military Ranks

Naval officers wear distinctively different rank devices depending upon the uniform they’re wearing. The three basic uniforms and rank devices used are: khakis, collar insignia pins; whites, stripes on shoulder boards; and blues, stripes sewn on the lower coat sleeves.

Army Officer Military Ranks

For rank and precedence within the Army, specialist ranks immediately below corporal. Among the services, however, rank and precedence are determined by pay grade.

Air Force Military Ranks

The chief master sergeant of the Air Force are the spokespersons of the enlisted force at the highest levels of their services. Air Force officers are called company grade officers and general officers.

Navy Military Ranks

A specialty mark in the center of a rating badge indicates the wearer’s particular rating. Gold stripes indicate 12 or more years of good conduct.

Coast Guard Officer Military Ranks

The U.S. Coast Guard is a part of the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime and the Navy in times of war. Coast Guard rank insignia are the same as the Navy except for color and the seaman recruit rank, which has one stripe.


Related Articles
Armed Forces Comparative Pay Grades and Ranks U.S. Army Ranks & Insignias
U.S. Air Force Ranks & Insignia U.S. Navy Ranks & Insignia
U.S. Navy Ranks & Insignia U.S. Coast Guard Ranks & Insignia

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