Useful Notes / Common Military Ranks

Following is a list of Common Ranks in some of the world's prominent existing and historical military forces: USA (Yanks with Tanks), UK (Brits with Battleships), USSR/Russia (Reds with Rockets and Russians with Rusting Rockets, respectively), Imperial Japan, the Third Reich (Nazis with Gnarly Weapons) and Canada (just Canada). The Imperial Japan military (Katanas of the Rising Sun) while included, was more commonly seen in anime than the modern Japanese ranks (Kaiju Defense Force), unless the work involves the Self-Defense Forces themselves. See also certain Useful Notes pages for historical armies to find uncommon ranks that were used in them, such as Russians with Rifles.

See also Common Military Units. For when someone is promoted on show, see Rank Up.

For the sake of easier comparison, the NATO rank scale is used, so several disclaimers should be made:

• Note that US, UK and Canada are the only members of NATO on the list. Moreover, NATO was formed in 1949, whereas Imperial Japanese and the Third Reich's armies were disbanded in 1945 (though the modern Bundeswehr did inherit all Wehrmacht's ranks up to OF-9, save for those of the disbanded Waffen-SS). Additionally, the Schutzstaffel rank ladder was shuffled multiple times before 1934, and this list refers to its final version.
• Both Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union also had the rank of Generalissimus, which is largely off the NATO scale and was awarded just six times in history. Russian Federation has inherited its complete rank ladder from the Soviet Union (except the Marshal of the Soviet Union, which was obviously renamed).
• Also note that the ranks for Reds with Rockets as listed here were established in 1940s (non-general officer ranks were in the late 1930s). Before that, the Red Army used position names (e.g. brigade commander, regiment commander) instead of ranks. Rudiments of this system existed during WWII in ranks such as "regiment commissar" or "division military lawyer".
• Ranks above OF-9 (four-star general) have never been awarded in peacetime in the USA.
• The list also doesn't contain the Commander-in-Chief of the entire national military. The CIC may not hold any military rank at all (e.g. a democratically elected president) but still be on top of the entire chain of military command.
• Due to reductions in numbers of squadrons, in the UK a Squadron is usually commanded by a Wing Commander today.
• Warships of destroyer size or smaller tend to be commanded by officers of OF-4 rank (i.e. Commanders), but the ship's commanding officer (aka the skipper) is always addressed as "Captain" while aboard ship, regardless of their actual rank. Likewise, if any member of the Army/Marine Corps/etc. is on board who's actually holding the rank of Captain, he is addressed as "Major" to avoid confusion. Those of cruiser size or greater have OF-5s in charge, so you have a Captain for a Ticonderoga-class cruiser and a Commander for an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
• Even the NATO rank scale isn't perfect. For example, although a Lance Corporal is only a single promotion up from a Private in the British Army, they are often considered equivalent to a US Sergeant in terms of responsibility [They both command a fire-team], even sometimes wearing the American 3 Chevrons when working with American units. It doesn't help that Lance Corporals are considered NCOs in the British Army, while a US PFC, or even a Specialist is just a higher-paid Private, or that before 1961, Lance Corporal was an appointment, given to a private acting as NCO, not a substantive rank and could be rescinded by the CO rather than court-martial. Long story short, rank's a complicated-

Historical Background

The terminology used for military ranks (at least in the Western world) began with the appearance of standing armies at the end of Middle Ages and during the Renaissance. Typically, most countries had only one standing army, led by the general, the commander-in-chief, who was either the king himself or a close relative. He was assisted by a deputy, called the lieutenant general, usually a nobleman experienced in warfare, and an assistant called the sergeant major general (later called just "major general"), who was usually in charge of logistics and administration and not always a nobleman. These were positions, rather than "ranks": becoming the lieutenant general did not require that you had gone through various lower ranks. While the appearance of the rank system a few centuries later made this obsolete, variations of this persisted well into 20th century in some cases. For example, after Italian king Victor Emmanuel III appointed his son Humbert the regent after being discredited due to his involvement in the Mussolini regime during World War II, the title that Humbert was given was "the Lieutenant General of the Realm," not in the sense of a 3-star general that a "lieutenant general" became by mid-20th century, but in the old sense of "Deputy Commander-in-Chief," i.e. "Deputy King."

This was also the reason why US Army was so hesitant to give anyone the rank of general for the first century of its history, as the rank had the connotation of "commander-in-chief" (and why George Washington, while he lived, never attained a rank higher than that of a lieutenant general, since the commander-in-chief of US Army and Navy is the president (John Adams when Washington was appointed to the rank)). Indeed, no one was even appointed to the regular army rank of a lieutenant general (as opposed to a brevet rank, a temporary high rank given to a normally lower ranked officer) in the US Army after Washington until Grant in 1864, towards the end of the Civil War. (Grant was later given the title of "General of the Army" with a 4-star insignia after the war, but it could be considered more of an honorary position, rather than rank). Incidentally, as pointed out below, there is still no "permanent" rank in US military above that of a major general or rear admiral, due to this tradition (although there are regular army ranks of lieutenant and full general, these are associated with a particular position: if a general no longer holds a position associated with a lieutenant or full general and does not move to a new role associated with the equal or higher rank, he or she either reverts to the major general or retires with the benefits due the higher rank. The former used to be quite common in the pre-World War 2 era, but most nowadays opt to retire.)

The positions for the whole army were replicated for the smaller units that made up the army, once called "columns" (and later called "regiments"). The commander was a "colonel," derived from Latin "columna," meaning, well, a "column" via Italian "colonello," meaning a column of soldiers. The deputy was called a "lieutenant colonel" and he was assisted by a "sergeant major," (later called just a "major.")

Even smaller units followed the same pattern: the leader was called a "captain," assisted by a "lieutenant." By middle of 18th century, the old title "sergeant major" was resurrected in most armies, this time to refer to the chief assistant to the captain who was a senior enlisted man.

Officer ranks

Officers play the commanding role in the military. If enlisted ranks are its hands, the officers are its brains. Usually, an officer has formal education in warfare in addition to the usual training, so that he can assume the responsibility for others and uphold the officer honor. In fiction (and often in Real Life), they are usually also way more badass than their non-commissioned and enlisted subordinates.

The "n star" designation refers to the American custom of placing stars on the generals' shoulder boards. Note that other military forces who also use stars to denote ranks (e.g. USSR) may not necessarily have exactly the same numbers of them.

Additionally, sometimes militaries group sets of officer ranks together into categories based loosely on their roles in the chain of command. In the US, OF-6 and above are called General Officers in the Army/Air Force/Marine Corps/Space Force, and Flag Officers in the Navy/Coast Guard.^note so-called because they are allowed to fly a special flag with the appropriate number of stars on it from the ship or base that they command from USA/USAF/USMC/USSF calls its OF-5 to OF-3s Field Grade Officers^note because they are the highest ranks expected to be found in the field with their troops, in "mobile" units while the USN/USCG calls their OF-5 and OF-4s Senior Officers.^note Yes, the split is at a different rank in different services, by tradition. USA/USAF/USMC/USSF OF-2s to OF-1 (lower) are Company Grade Officers^note as they are expected to be found at the level of the Company and USN/USCG OF-3s to OF-1 (lower) are Junior Officers.

Informally, officers (and particularly officers at about OF-5 and above) are often referred to as "brass", or sometimes "shinies" owing to the shiny metal their insignia is made from on their service uniforms.

• Supreme (six-star general) (off the NATO scale but still within range)
  • US: General of the Armies, Admiral of the Navy, none
    • Only four individuals have ever held this rank in the entire history of the United States Armed Forces, though none of them were technically six-star commanders while alive. George Washington (who died as a lieutenant general) was posthumously promoted to this rank (his rank is officially "General of the Armies of the United States"), as he must by law be the most senior officer on the rolls of the United States Army. John J. Pershing was promoted to the rank of General of the Armies (at the time equivalent to a five-star rank) as a one-time affair so that he would not be outranked by the field marshals then commanding the other major Allied armies on the Western Front;^note The rank of (four-star) General was new to the US Army. European armies, even those smaller than America's, had five-star ranks much earlier he is traditionally seen as senior to the current five-star rank, but this has never been officially confirmed (in part because this would mean promoting Washington to a new seven-star rank). George Dewey was promoted to Admiral of the Navy (also held as equivalent to a five-star rank at the time, though he actually wore three) during the Spanish-American War. Unlike Pershing's case, however, the Department of the Navy explicitly made the newly-created Fleet Admiral rank junior to Dewey's. Most recently, Ulysses S. Grant was posthumously promoted to this rank in December 2022.
    • The United States did consider creating an explicit 6-star rank for both the Army and the Navy during World War II in anticipation of the invasion of Japan, to be held by Douglas MacArthur and Chester Nimitz respectively. Like the rest of the invasion plans, these were discarded after the atomic bombs fell and Japan surrendered.
  • USSR: Generalissimus of the Soviet Union (Generalissimus Sovétskogo Soyuza). Intended as a rank specifically for Joseph Stalin to distinguish him from other high-ranked Marshals of the Soviet Union but was refused several times.
  • Italy: The rank of Marshal of Italian Empire (superior to a regular old marshal of Italy) was created in 1938, just for the king and the Duce.
  • IJ: Grand Marshal (Dai-Gensui), reserved exclusively for the Emperors of Japan.
  • Third Reich: Reich Marshal of the Greater German Reich (Reichsmarschall des Großdeutschen Reiches), created solely for Hermann Göring to differentiate him from the other generals promoted to Field Marshal after the Battle of France and to firmly establish him as Hitler's successor.
• OF-10 (five-star general)
  • US: General of the Army, Fleet Admiral, General of the Air Force. A total of nine 5-star Army and Navy officers were appointed in 1944-45, with two more appointments immediately after WWII. ^note When the Air Force was split from the Army in 1949, 5-star Army General Henry Arnold was made head of the Air Force and allowed to keep his 5-star status by the one-off creation of the General of the Air Force rank. When 4-star General Omar Bradley was made Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1950, he was promoted to 5-star to ensure he would not be outranked by his subordinate, 5-star General Douglas MacArthur. By 1953, all 5-star generals had retired from active duty. Omar Bradley, the last surviving 5-star officer, passed away in 1981.
    • Only one man has attained the rank of General of the Air Force, Henry "Hap" Arnold. One of the first military pilots in history, trained by the Wright Brothers, and afraid of heights.^note Though he evidently was not afraid of heights until after he was first taken up in the Wright Flyer, which was still only one or two steps removed from being a kite
    • The five-star rank is reserved in the US for wartime only. As the US has not had a declared war since WWII, and the rank was only created during that war, no one has been awarded the rank since then and there are none still alive. Still, it remains on the books in case it is ever needed again.
    • Uniquely in the US armed forces, holders of 5-star ranks technically remain on active duty for life, receiving full pay and benefits even after they "retire".^note Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned his Army commission to become President; Congress restored him to five-star rank after his Presidency ended. George C. Marshall received a waiver from Congress to allow him to serve as Secretary of Defense, a position normally barred to uniformed military personnel.
  • UK: Field Marshal, Admiral of the Fleet, Marshal of the Royal Air Force
  • USSR: Marshal of the Soviet Union (Marshal Sovetskogo Soyuza), Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union (Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza), Chief Marshal of Aviation (Glavny Marshal Aviatsii); note that these ranks technically have only ONE large star.
    • The five-star admiral rank has been only held by three individuals during the Cold War, partly because one of them, Sergey Gorshkov, spent 27 years (1958-1985) in the post. The rest of the time, the Marshal commanded all Soviet armed forces including the Navy. This rank was not passed down to the modern Russian military.
    • The five-star general in some branches of the Soviet military, such as artillery and tank forces, was called "Chief Marshal of [insert branch here]". Discontinued in 1984, fully removed from the rank structure in 1993.
  • IJ: Field Marshal (Rikugun Gensui), Fleet Admiral (Kaigun Gensui)
  • Third Reich: Reich Leader SS (Reichsführer-SS), General Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall), Grand Admiral (Großadmiral)
  • Canada: No equivalent.
  • India: Field Marshal, Admiral of the Fleet, Marshal of the Air Force
    • India has appointed only three men to five-star rank. The Army appointed two Field Marshals, Kodadendra Madappa Cariappa and Sam Hormus Jamshed Fram Manekshaw. World War II era fighter pilot Arjan Singh was appointed Marshal of the Air Force at age eighty, decades after he had retired.
• OF-9 (four-star general) a.k.a. Four-Star Badass, cf. General Ripper and General Failure
  • US: General, Admiral. There are approximately 40 4-star ranks in the US military, all of them at either the highest or second-highest level of command.^note As in, they either answer directly to the civilian leadership of the President and Secretary of Defense, or to another 4-star who does so.
  • UK: General, Admiral, Air Chief Marshal
  • USSR: General of the Army (General armii), Admiral of the Fleet (Admiral flota), Marshal of Aviation (Marshal aviatsii); note that due to the absence of The Brigadier rank in the Soviet Union, General of the Army and Admiral of the Fleet only carry four stars, while being generally equivalent to their five-star Western counterparts.
    • In artillery and some other branches, this rank was called "Marshal of [insert branch here]". Discontinued in 1984, fully removed in 1993.
    • Inverting the tradition in United States where the Secretary of Defense (normally) must be a civilian, the Minister of Defense in both Russia and USSR were typically serving soldiers. A curious practice that emerged is that, if a civilian holds the position, he (or she) would be made an "honorary" general of the army and referred to as such (and wear the appropriate uniform on duty as the minister), even when he/she is not an actual serving soldier.
  • IJ: General (Rikugun Taishou), Admiral (Kaigun Taishou)
  • Third Reich: Supreme Group Leader (Oberstgruppenführer), General Colonel or (more accurately) Supreme General (Generaloberst), General Admiral (Generaladmiral)
  • Canada: General (Général), Admiral (Amiral)
• OF-8 (three-star general)
  • US: Lieutenant General, Vice Admiral
  • UK: Lieutenant General (pronounced Lefftenant ^note Presumably so we can spot American spies), Vice Admiral, Air Marshal
  • USSR: General-Colonel (General-polkovnik), Admiral
    • Until late 1930s, the equivalent rank was Army Commander Second Rank (Komandarm vtorogo ranga).
  • IJ: Lieutenant General (Rikugun Chuujou), Vice Admiral (Kaigun Chuujou)
  • Third Reich: Senior Group Leader (Obergruppenführer), General,^note Properly, it's General der (arm). These included Kavallerie (calvary), Artillerie (artillery), Infanterie (infantry), Panzertruppen (armoured troops), Gebirgstruppen (mountain troops), Pioniere (engineers), Fallschirmtruppen (parachute troops), Flieger (aviators), Flakartillerie (anti-aircraft artillery), and Nachrichtentruppen (communications troops). Admiral
  • Canada: Lieutenant-General (Lieutenant-Général),^note Also pronounced Lefftenant, just like the UK, presumably for the same reasons Vice-Admiral (Vice-Amiral).
• OF-7 (two-star general), cf. Modern Major General
  • US: Major General, Rear Admiral (upper half)
    • This is the highest permanent peacetime rank possible in the US armed forces. All higher ranks are tied to specific positions whose holders are required by law to have 3 or more stars. Under current policy, an officer is expected to retire upon leaving a 3- or 4-star position, unless he or she is moved to another position of equal or higher rank. Virtually all officers who retire at this point are approved to retire at their highest rank. They are in charge of military divisions.
  • UK: Major General, Rear Admiral, Air Vice-Marshal
  • USSR: General-Lieutenant (General-leytenant), Vice Admiral (Vicee-Amiral)
    • Until late 1930s, the equivalent rank was Corps Commander (Komkor).
  • IJ: Major General (Rikugun Shoushou), Rear Admiral (Kaigun Shoushou)
  • Third Reich: Group Leader (Gruppenführer), General Lieutenant (Generalleutnant), Vice Admiral (Vizeadmiral)
  • Canada: Major-General (Major-Général), Rear-Admiral (Contre-Amiral)
• OF-6 (one-star general) a.k.a. The Brigadier
  • US: Brigadier General, Rear Admiral (lower half)
    • Intermittently, the US Navy has had the rank of Commodore in place of Rear Admiral (lower half), much like the UK and other commonwealth countries, usually during times of war, such as the Civil War, World War II, but also during peacetime high tensions like the mid-Cold War. However originally (in the late 1700s and early 1800s) it was used as a title for a senior Captain in charge of a group of other ships, and since 1982 it has returned to that function. The spilt between Rear Admiral (lower half) and (upper half) was originally created to ensure that the Navy and Army had equivalent rank structures, as at one point the Navy did not have a one-star rank at all and it was possible for Army Brigadier Generals to be outranked by officers junior to them who had skipped straight from Captain to Rear Admiral. This obviously created some resentment among Army officers until it was changed.
  • UK: Brigadier, formerly Brigadier-General, Commodore, Air Commodore
  • Imperial Russia: Brigadier, Captain-Commander (Kapitan-komandor); both of these were abolished back in the Tsarist times, so neither USSR nor modern Russia ever used them, except for the late 1930s, when the rank of Brigade Commander (Kombrig) existed (the corresponding naval rank of Flagman, 3rd rank is not attested). On the other hand, there are talks about reinstating them, due to ongoing reorganization of the command structure.
    • Captain-Commander was briefly named "Captain, Brigadier-rank" in late 18th century.
  • USSR: General-Major (General-mayor), Counter Admiral (Kontr-admiral)
    • Until late 1930s, the equivalent rank was Division Commander (Komdiv).
    • For some time after introduction the Rear/Counter Admiral rank was called schout-bij-nacht^note Night Watchman in Russia, after the corresponding Dutch rank (Peter the Great was a great fan of everything Dutch), before being renamed the more common Counter Admiral after his death.
  • Third Reich: Brigade Leader (Brigadeführer), General Major (Generalmajor), Counter Admiral (Konteradmiral)
  • Canada: Brigadier-General (Brigadier-Général), Commodore
• OF-5 a.k.a. Colonel Badass and The Captain (four-striper)
  • US: Colonel, Captain
  • UK: Colonel, Captain, Group Captain
  • USSR: Colonel (Polkovnik - literally "regimentary"), Captain, 1st Rank (Kapitan pervogo ranga)
    • Contrary to the Western practice, Russian Captains have one wide sleeve stripe, like NATO OF-6'ers.
  • IJ: Colonel (Rikugun Taisa), Captain (Kaigun Taisa); note that it is also customary to refer to the ship's captain as "Kanchou" (on warships) and "Senchou", regardless of the actual rank he holds
  • Third Reich: Regiment Leader (Standartenführer), Colonel (Oberst - literally "uppermost"), Captain (Kapitän zur See)
  • Canada: Colonel, Captain (Capitaine de vaisseau)
• OF-4 a.k.a. Commanding Coolness and The Captain (three-striper)
  • US: Lieutenant Colonel, Commander
  • UK: Lieutenant Colonel, Commander, Wing Commander
  • USSR: Lieutenant Colonel (Podpolkovnik), Captain, 2nd Rank (Kapitan vtorogo ranga)
  • IJ: Lieutenant Colonel (Rikugun Chuusa), Commander (Kaigun Chuusa)
  • Third Reich: Senior Storm Unit Leader (Obersturmbannführer), Lieutenant Colonel (Oberstleutnant), Frigate Captain (Fregattenkapitän)
  • Canada: Lieutenant-Colonel, Commander (Capitaine de frégate)
• OF-3 a.k.a. Majorly Awesome
  • US: Major, Lieutenant Commander
  • UK: Major, Lieutenant Commander, Squadron Leader
  • USSR: Major (Mayor), Captain, 3rd Rank (Kapitan tret'ego ranga)
  • IJ: Major (Rikugun Shousa), Lieutenant Commander (Kaigun Shousa)
  • Third Reich: Storm Unit Leader (Sturmbannführer), Major, Corvette Captain (Korvettenkapitän)
  • Canada: Major, Lieutenant-Commander (Capitaine de corvette)
• OF-2
  • US: Captain, Lieutenant
  • UK: Captain, Lieutenant, Flight Lieutenant
  • USSR: Captain (Kapitan), Captain Lieutenant (Kapitan-leytenant)
  • IJ: Captain (Rikugun Taii), Lieutenant (Kaigun Taii)
  • Third Reich: Head Storm Leader (Hauptsturmführer), Captain (Hauptmann), Captain Lieutenant (Kapitänleutnant)
  • Canada: Captain (Capitaine), Lieutenant (Lieutenant de vaisseau)
• OF-1 (senior)
  • US: First Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Junior Grade
  • UK: Lieutenant, Sub-Lieutenant, Flying Officer
  • USSR: Senior Lieutenant (Starshiy leytenant)
  • IJ: Lieutenant (Rikugun Chuui), Sub-Lieutenant (Kaigun Chuui)
  • Third Reich: Senior Storm Leader (Obersturmführer), Senior Lieutenant (Oberleutnant), Senior Navy Lieutenant (Oberleutnant zur See)
  • Canada: Lieutenant, Sub-Lieutenant (Enseigne de vaisseau de 1re classe)
• OF-1 (junior) a.k.a. Ensign Newbie
  • US: Second Lieutenant, Ensign
  • UK: Second Lieutenant,^note Ensign in some regiments until 1871. Midshipman, Pilot Officer
  • USSR: Lieutenant (Leytenant)
    • The lowest officer rank the Soviets had was Junior Lieutenant (Mladshiy leytenant), which was reserved for demoting normal lieutenants or bestowing to half-year officer training course graduates during wartime. It is therefore usually lumped with full Lieutenant.
  • IJ: Second Lieutenant (Rikugun Shoui), Ensign (Kaigun Shoui)
  • Third Reich: Junior Storm Leader (Untersturmführer), Lieutenant (Leutnant), Navy Lieutenant (Leutnant zur See)
  • Canada: Second Lieutenant (Sous-Lieutenant), Acting Sub-Lieutenant (Enseigne de vaisseau de 2e classe)

Cadets and Midshipmen

These are officers-in-training, found mostly at a Military Academy or occasionally in the field or at sea accompanying full officers, basically as apprentices. Militaries vary from country to country, service to service, and era to era on whether they are considered actual officers with authority over the Other Ranks (enlisted)^note as with the British Royal Navy above or whether they are simply trainees for the officer role.^note as in the US military Occasionally there is a class system to denote how far through their training they are.^note e.g., a Midshipman 1st Class in the USN is a 4th year student, compared to a Midshipman 4th class in 1st year and/or special cadet ranks that give students authority over other students but nobody in the normal chain of command.^note e.g., a Cadet Colonel in charge of an entire US Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Battalion, who is still junior to even a 2nd Lieutenant who was commissioned 30 seconds ago Confusingly, some navies also use Midshipman as a title for their naval warrant officer ranks.^note As with Russia, the USSR, and Third Reich, below

Although the Plucky Middie trope comes from this rank and historically children as young as 12 could become midshipmen in some navies, for the last century or so most midshipmen and cadets have been young men and women just above the age of majority. Military School students are often called cadets, but the military trappings of such schools are usually just a disciplinary and educational technique and in most cases the students are not actually part of their nation's military or obliged to join it after graduation.

Warrant officers

The technical difference between an "actual" officer and a warrant officer is that the former has been commissioned (charged with performing their duties of office) - they likely graduated from officer school and were sworn in as such. A warrant officer, by comparison, received a warrant - a writ issued by a lawful authority authorizing them to perform their duties. The first warrant officers served on sailing ships; they were the sailing masters, gunners, carpenters, and other skilled experts that actually operated the ship while under the command of commissioned officers (many of whom were landlubber noblemen who paid for their commission and didn't know an anchor from a yardarm).^note Although this was a practice that was far more common in army regiments than on warships - even a frigate cost more to build than recruiting a battalion from scratch. Strongly averted in the British Royal Navy, which demanded professional competence through years of seagoing experience in its naval officers and did not sell commissions. Later on, specialists who weren't directly involved in operating the ship (such as pursers, cooks, and even schoolmasters for the younger midshipmen onboard) were considered warrant officers as well.

Their authority is greater than that of NCOs and sometimes can outrank even junior COs. The reason the military, usually pedantic about a clear chain of command, introduced this was technical expertise. WOs tend to be really good at what they do and it is usually technical, like keeping a nuclear reactor running or (in the case of the US Army) piloting a helicopter. You don't want any pasty-faced Ensign, fresh from the academy, to order your senior reactor technicians around. You also don't want to make the man an officer as he's not expected to fill a command position and hasn't been trained for the task. That's why you give him a warrant, so he can kindly tell the pasty faced ensign to bugger off, this is grownup stuff.

Note that the definition of a warrant officer varies greatly across different countries: e.g. in the US, they are an extra ranks category, whereas in UK ^note and Canada they are part of the non-commissioned ranks. US warrant officers, unlike commissioned officers, are not required to have a college degree.

• WO-5 through WO-2
  • US: Chief Warrant Officer 5, 4, 3, or 2, respectively.^note Chief Warrant Officers in the US Armed Forces are commissioned officers, due to the fact that authority of Chief Warrant Officers is by commission from the President of the United States. They're still lower than Officers, but can be placed in command as needed.
  • USSR: Senior Warrant Officer (Starshiy praporschik), Senior Midshipman (Starshiy michman)
    • Russian military inherited this rank from USSR but abolished it in 2008. Reinstated back in 2013 as a part of a complex political and bureaucratic game around switching of the Defence Ministers (and partly because the original reasoning didn't play out).
  • Third Reich: Senior Warrant Officer (Oberfähnrich), Senior Midshipman (Oberfähnrich zur See)
• WO-1
  • US: Warrant Officer 1
  • USSR: Warrant Officer (Praporschik), Midshipman (Michman)
    • Likewise, inherited by Russia, abolished in 2008, reinstated in 2013.
  • IJ: Warrant Officer (Jun-i)
  • Third Reich: Warrant Officer (Fähnrich), Midshipman (Fähnrich zur See)

Other ranks

The Other Ranks ("OR" in NATO codes) include both non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and enlisted ranks (sometimes marked as "E-#"). NCOs, better known as sergeants, do not have formal officer education but can be put in charge of The Squad thanks to their field experience. The enlisted servicemen receive only basic training and hold the least authority, mostly following others' orders. In the countries with conscription, most conscripted men begin as Privates (lowest enlisted rank).

Commissioned officers always outrank Other-Rank / Enlisted men. However, smart officers always pay attention to what the NCO has to say: he probably has way more field experience, whereas the officer's shiny new 2LT bars may indicate little more than a college graduation without ever hearing a shot fired in anger. So, while an OF-1 could give orders to an OR-8, in practice he or she would not do so without a very good reason.^note Perhaps more to the point, he or she should only give those orders the OR-8 more or less subtly indicates ought to be given in the situation. For the same reasons, platoons (the smallest units normally commanded by commissioned officers) usually have a special position of "platoon sergeant" for a senior NonCom who acts as the commander's Number Two.

Note: In Britain and some Commonwealth nations "sergeant major" no longer exists as a distinct rank but still exists as a title, with RCMs (Regimental Sergeant Majors) being Warrant Officers First Class who have earned the extra title through long and distinguished service, and who maintain standards in drill and discipline for their unit. In USSR and Russia the sergeant major equivalent (starshina) exists both as a rank and as a position^note Basically of a unit's Quartermaster. that can be filled by either a sergeant major or a warrant officer. Also note in the UK only commissioned officers and warrant officers are called "Sir". Calling a Sergeant "sir" if you are a private soldier is Serious Business and will earn you the traditional reply "Don't call me Sir: I work for a living."

Although British officer cadets are to be treated as officers by Other Ranks, they are not saluted, but are either referred to by their name in the manner of officers ("Mr Trope”, “Miss Example”) or called "Sir" "ma'am,” etc. However, as they do not hold a commission they must refer to Warrant Officers as "Sir," leading to the line that pretty much everyone to pass through RMA Sandhurst (picture West Point, but nastier) hears on their first day from their Warrant officer drill instructors: "You will call me sir. I will call you Sir. The difference being, one of us means it!"

In the US Army, there are several senior enlisted ranks with two different titles, which reflect if they have a leadership or staff position. A Master Sergeant or Sergeant Major hold the rank, but normally don't lead men, while a First Sergeant or Command Sergeant Major do. Either way, both hold the same authority if push comes to shove.

In the US Air Force, First Sergeant is a special duty temporary rank and positional billet usually held by an OR-7, but depending on the size of the unit can also be held by an OR-8 or OR-9. Holders of this role are distinguished by a lozenge (colloquially "diamond") inside their rank insignia. Within a specific pay grade, First Sergeants are considered senior to non-diamond sergeants.

In the Soviet Union and early New Russia, the lower half of sergeant ranks was usually filled by promoted conscripts rather than career sergeants (which were and still are a relatively minor part of the Soviet/Russian enlisted army). The rank of Starshina (Sgt. Major) was the only sergeant rank exclusive to career NCOs.

• OR-9
  • US: Sergeant Major, Master Chief Petty Officer, Sergeant Major/Master Gunnery Sergeant, Chief Master Sergeant ^note Each branch has a single E-9 that is given the title of Sergeant Major of the Army, CPO of the Navy and such. Additionally, the National Guard, consisting of Army and Air Force reservists with a core of active-duty soldiers in leadership roles, has an E-9 with the title of Senior Enlisted Advisor for the National Guard Bureau, and one E-9 (who may be from any branch) has the title of Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman [of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]. These are considered to be the voice of the enlisted ranks to the high brass.
  • UK: Warrant Officer Class 1, Warrant Officer Class 1, Warrant Officer Master Aircrew
  • USSR: Sergeant Major (Starshina), Chief Ship Petty Officer (Glavniy korabel'niy starshina)
  • IJ: Sergeant Major (Souchou)
  • Third Reich: Storm Squad Leader (Sturmscharführer), Staff Sergeant (Stabsfeldwebel), Master Chief Petty Officer (Stabsoberfeldwebel)
  • Canada: Chief Warrant Officer (Adjudant-chef),^note Note here that Warrant Officer is a strictly NCO rank Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (Premier maître de 1re classe)
• OR-8
  • US: First/Master Sergeant, Senior Chief Petty Officer, First/Master Sergeant, Senior Master Sergeant
  • UK: Warrant Officer Class 2, Warrant Officer Class 2, none
    • Warrant Officer 2nd Class is incorrect, and using it within earshot of a WO2 will provoke the response "I am not a second class anything."
  • USSR: Senior Sergeant (Starshiy serzhant), Chief Petty Officer (Glavniy starshina)
  • Third Reich: Head Squad Leader (Hauptscharführer), Sergeant Major (Oberfeldwebel), Senior Chief Petty Officer (Oberfeldwebel)
  • Canada: Master Warrant Officer (Adjudant-maître), Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class (Premier maître de 2e classe)
• OR-7
  • US: Sergeant First Class, Chief Petty Officer, Gunnery Sergeant, Master Sergeant
  • UK: Staff/Colour Sergeant, Chief Petty Officer, Colour Sergeant, Flight Sergeant
  • USSR: Sergeant (Serzhant), Petty Officer, 1st class (Starshina pervoy stat'i)
  • IJ: Sergeant (Gunsou)
  • Third Reich: Senior Squad Leader (Oberscharführer), Sergeant First Class (Feldwebel), Chief Petty Officer (Stabsfeldwebel)
  • Canada: Warrant Officer (Adjudant), Petty Officer 1st Class (Maître de 1re classe)
• OR-6
  • US: Staff Sergeant, Petty Officer First Class, Staff Sergeant, Technical Sergeant
  • UK: Sergeant, Petty Officer, Sergeant, Chief Technician
  • USSR: Junior Sergeant (Mladshiy serzhant), Petty Officer, 2nd class (Starshina vtoroy stat'i)
  • Third Reich: Squad Leader (Scharführer), Sergeant (Unterfeldwebel), Petty Officer, 1st Class (Feldwebel/Bootsmann)
  • Canada: Sergeant (Sergent), Petty Officer 2nd Class (Maître de 2e classe)
• OR-5 a.k.a. Sergeant Rock or Drill Sergeant Nasty
  • US: Sergeant, Petty Officer Second Class, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Sergeant^note Initially, all US Space Force ranks of OR-5 and up had identical titles to Air Force ranks. Shortly after its creation, it changed its OR-5 rank title from "Staff Sergeant" to simply "Sergeant".
  • UK: Sergeant
  • Third Reich: Junior Squad Leader (Unterscharführer), Unteroffizier, Petty Officer, 2st Class (Obermaat)
  • Canada: Master Corporal (Caporal-chef), Master Seaman (Matelot-chef)
• OR-4
  • US: Corporal/Specialist,^note Unlike examples like First/Master Sergeant, in this case there is a distinction in authority. A corporal is considered an NCO, and has completed the required training, while a specialist is effectively a highly paid private. There had existed higher specialist ranks, but those were dropped in the 70s. Petty Officer Third Class, Corporal, Senior Airman, Specialist Four^note All ranks below Sergeant in the US Space Force are titled "Specialist" plus the number that corresponds to the holder's pay grade.
    • There used to be a rank of Sergeant in the US Air Force, with a similar dual arrangement to the Army's Specialist and Corporal, but it was eliminated in The '90s^note Though a Senior Airman who has attended Airman Leadership School is treated as a de facto Sergeant.
  • UK: Corporal/Specialist/Bombardier, Leading Rate, Corporal, Corporal, Junior Technician
  • USSR: Gefreiter (Yefreytor), Senior Matrose (Starshiy matros)
  • IJ: Corporal (Gochou)
  • Third Reich: Section Leader (Rottenführer), Corporal (Obergefreiter), Petty Officer, 3st Class (Maat)
  • Canada: Corporal (Caporal), Leading Seaman (Matelot de 1re classe)
• OR-3
  • US: Private First Class, Seaman, Lance Corporal, Airman First Class, Specialist Three
  • UK: Lance-Corporal/Lance-Bombardier, none, Lance Corporal, none
  • IJ: Lance Corporal (Heichou)
  • Third Reich: Storm Trooper (Sturmmann), Acting Corporal (Gefreiter), Leading Seaman (Matrosenhaupgefreiter)
  • Canada: Private (Trained) (Soldat Formé), Able Seaman (Matelot de 2e classe), Aviator (Trained) (Aviateur Formé)
• OR-2
  • US: Private, Seaman Apprentice, Private First Class, Airman, Specialist Two
  • UK: Able Rate, Private, Senior Aircraftman
  • IJ: Private 1st Class (Ittouhei)
  • Third Reich: Senior Trooper (Obermann), Senior Rifleman (Oberschütze), Able Seaman (Matrosenobergefreiter)
  • Canada: Private (Basic) (Soldat Confirmé), Ordinary Seaman (Basic) (Matelot de 3e classe), Aviator (Basic) (Aviateur Confirmé)
• OR-1 a.k.a. New Meat, Cannon Fodder (sad but often true), or Southern-Fried Private
  • US: Private,^note The US Army has two ranks called Private, with the higher one abbreviated as "PV2" instead of "PVT" Seaman Recruit,^note Or Fireman Recruit, Airman Recruit, Constructionman Recruit & Hospitalman Recruit. This depends mainly on the Recruit's rate. They carry over until they become a PO 3. Private, Airman Basic, Specialist One
  • UK: Private/Trooper (other titles may occur in some regiments), Marine, Leading Aircraftman, Aircraftman
  • USSR: Private (Ryadovoy), Matrose (Matros)
  • IJ: Private 2nd Class (Nitouhei)
  • Third Reich: Trooper (Mann), Rifleman (Schütze), Seaman (Matrosengefreiter)
  • Canada: Private (Recruit) (Soldat Recrue), Ordinary Seaman (Recruit) (Matelot de 3e classe Recrue), Aviator (Recruit) (Aviateur Recrue)

Brevet Ranks/Frocking and US Volunteers/National Army/Army of United States.

It was common for officers to be given a temporary rank higher than their normal ranks for various reasons. During wartime, this was called a brevet rank. In peacetime, this was called frocking. While many armies practiced this to some extent, this was particularly common in the US due to the small size of standing army it maintained in peacetime for much of its history. The reason for this was that positions with high responsibility should be held by a person with sufficiently high rank so that said person has the authority to give the orders necessary to do their job. If someone with a regular rank of captain was called upon to command a division, he'd be brevetted to a major general to avoid the situation of having to try to give orders to people who outranked him.

This is, incidentally, why there's such confusion over the rank of a certain George Armstrong Custer, the US Army cavalryman who became famous during the Civil War and even more famous/infamous at the Little Big Horn in 1876. Armstrong graduated from West Point in June 1861, after the Civil War began (at the bottom of his class, incidentally). He turned out to be a capable wartime leader and was made a brevet major general in the regular army and a major general in the US Volunteers (more on the latter below) by 1865, while being promoted concurrently to the "permanent" rank of captain in the meantime. When the Civil War ended and the US Volunteers was dissolved, Custer reverted to his permanent rank of regular army captain. He made only lieutenant colonel by the time he died.

When breveting is practiced in peacetime, it is called "frocking". Certain positions, such as the commander of the Pacific Fleet or the Chief of Staff of the US Army, are designated as requiring four-star ranks, but actual four-star generals and admirals were rare (due to the historical reluctance of US military to promote officers to regular 4-star ranks noted above). Generals appointed to such ranks were tacked on extra stars appropriate for the position. For example, when Douglas MacArthur was appointed to the position of Chief of Staff in 1930, his permanent rank was only a major general (and the youngest one in the army at the time), but he added 2 more stars for the duration of his term as the Chief of Staff. Admiral Husband Kimmel, the commander of the Pacific Fleet at the time of Pearl Harbor, was only a permanent rear admiral, but he too was given two additional stars while he served as the fleet commander. This has remained the practice to this day; Major General and Rear Admiral are the highest permanent ranks in the US military; to go higher, one must be appointed to a position that requires a more senior rank. Once an officer finishes a tour in a 3- or 4-star job, they must either find another one, retire, or be forced to revert to 2-star. Most choose to retire if another assignment is not forthcoming, and they are allowed to keep their rank in retirement. One difference between modern US military and its historical counterpart is that the former is a far larger organization than the latter so there are a lot of 3- and 4-star postings and it is not usually necessary for a general to accept a lower rank just to stay in service, but this has not usually been the case in the past with the tradition of small peacetime armies.

Frocking is also practiced among the US enlisted (Other Ranks), but in this case it is merely a reward for good performance. Those personnel who have been selected for the next higher rank but not yet officially advanced by the pay and personnel system may still wear the insignia, be entitled to the privileges and burdened by the responsibilities of their new rank. This is because the actual promotion date and attendant pay raise are controlled by the budget (and thus Congress) while the service can frock anyone they like.

Complicating the brevet rank system further is that, during major wars, US created military organizations nominally separate from the regular army to accommodate the "temporary" increases in the personnel. During the Civil War, this organization was called the US Volunteers (even those who were drafted into the army). During World War I, the name used was the "National Army". It became the "Army of the United States" during World War II and theoretically existed while the draft was maintained (although it became moribund after WWII). People who obtained officer ranks in this expanded army organization did not enjoy the same legal standing as those who were regular army officers—if the war ended and the temporary army was disbanded, they no longer had positions in the military, unlike those who held commissions in the regular army. Regular army officers often wound up with 2 (or 3) ranks at the same time: they held their permanent ranks, but also were given higher ranks and responsibilities in the expanded temporary army, and were typically brevetted to the same rank in the regular army.

The career of General George Marshall illustrates the peculiarities of this system: in 1916, he was an army captain (even after 14 years in the army). When the National Army was created for US participation in World War I, he became a major and was swiftly promoted to a colonel by 1918 (in the National Army). When the National Army was dissolved in 1920, he reverted to captain (in the regular army). He made it to major general (two stars) by the time World War II began in Europe (September 1, 1939), but was frocked the same day to the four-star rank as he was also appointed as the Army Chief of Staff. His five-star rank during World War II was in the Army of the United States (while he remained a major general in the regular army officially). He became a regular army five-star general only in 1946, after World War II ended.

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This list is largely a wiki-friendly adaptation of this external table. Refer to it for the original spelling of foreign rank titles.

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