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.
U.S. Military Ranks & Pay Grade by Branch
| Pay Scale | Army | Air Force | Marines | Navy and Coast Guard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ** | General of the Army | General of the Air Force | Fleet Admiral | |
| O-10 | Army Chief of Staff General | Air Force Chief of Staff General | Commandant of the Marine Corps General | Chief of Naval Operations Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral |
| O-9 | Lieutenant General | Lieutenant General | Lieutenant General | Vice Admiral |
| O-8 | Major General | Major General | Major General | Rear Admiral (Upper Half) |
| O-7 | Brigadier General | Brigadier General | Brigadier General | Rear Admiral (Commodore) |
| O-6 | Colonel | Colonel | Colonel | Captain |
| O-5 | Lieutenant Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Commander |
| O-4 | Major | Major | Major | Lieutenant Commander |
| O-3 | Captain | Captain | Captain | Lieutenant |
| O-2 | 1st Lieutenant | 1st Lieutenant | 1st Lieutenant | Lieutenant, Junior Grade |
| O-1 | 2nd Lieutenant | 2nd Lieutenant | 2nd Lieutenant | Ensign |
| W-5 | Master Warrant Officer 5 | Chief Warrant Officer 5 | Master Warrant Officer | |
| W-4 | Warrant Officer 4 | Chief Warrant Officer 4 | Warrant Officer 4 | |
| W-3 | Warrant Officer 3 | Chief Warrant Officer 3 | Warrant Officer 3 | |
| W-2 | Warrant Officer 2 | Chief Warrant Officer 2 | Warrant Officer 2 | |
| W-1 | Warrant Officer 1 | Warrant Officer | Warrant Officer 1 | |
| Special | Sergeant Major of the Army | Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force | Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps | Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy |
| E-9 | Command Sergeant Major Sergeant Major | First Sergeant (Chief Master Sergeant) Chief Master Sergeant | Sergeant Major Master Gunnery Sergeant | Master Chief Petty Officer |
| E-8 | First Sergeant Master Sergeant | First Sergeant (Senior Master Sergeant) Senior Master Sergeant | First Sergeant Master Sergeant | Senior Chief Petty Officer |
| E-7 | Sergeant First Class | First Sergeant (Master Sergeant) Master Sergeant | Gunnery Sergeant | Chief Petty Officer |
| E-6 | Staff Sergeant | Technical Sergeant | Staff Sergeant | Petty Officer First Class |
| E-5 | Sergeant | Staff Sergeant | Sergeant | Petty Officer Second Class |
| E-4 | Corporal | Corporal | Petty Officer Third Class | |
| E-4 | Specialist | Senior Airman | ||
| E-3 | Private First Class | Airman First Class | Lance Corporal | Seaman |
| E-2 | Private | Airman | Private First Class | Seaman Apprentice |
| E-1 | Private (Recruit) | Airman Basic | Private | Seaman 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 and Marine 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.
Navy / Coast Guard Officer 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.
U.S. 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.