Military Rank and Insignia Charts
Updated: February 13, 2023
Written by Tamila McDonald
The military services use military rank to signify a service members level of leadership and the responsibilities inherent with that level of leadership. The insignia is a representation of rates, ranks or designations.
Below are U.S. military rank and insignia charts for enlisted, officer and warrant officer ranks by service branch: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy, Marines and Space Force.
The charts are ordered by service branch, pay grade and rank. The 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 |
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About Military Ranks
Enlisted Military Ranks
Service members in pay grades E-1 through E-3 are in training status or serving in initial assignments. The training includes basic training or boot camp, where recruits are immersed in military culture and values and learn the core skills their branch of service requires.
After basic training, junior enlisted members go to an advanced technical school for their job. In the Army and Marines, jobs fields are sorted by military occupational specialties or MOS. The Navy calls them rates and the Air Force and Space Force call them specialties.
Noncommissioned Officer Ranks
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted member who has risen through the ranks by promotion. NCOs are the link between enlisted personnel and commissioned officers, and are responsible for training troops to execute missions. Training for NCOs includes leadership, management, specific skills and combat.
Warrant Officer Military Ranks
Warrant officers hold warrants from their service secretary for specialization and expertise in certain fields, technologies or capabilities. The lowest ranking warrant officers serve under a warrant officer, but receive commissions from the president with promotion to chief warrant officer two. Commissioned warrant officers are specialists in a particular field, as opposed to commissioned officers, which are generalists. There are no warrant officers in the Air Force.
Officer Military Ranks
Officer ranks in the military consist of commissioned officers and warrant officers. The commissioned ranks are the highest in the military, holding presidential commissions with confirmation at their ranks by the U.S. 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.
Navy Military Ranks
Navy officers wear distinctive rank devices depending upon the uniform they wear. The three basic uniforms and rank devices used are: khakis, with collar insignia pins; whites, with stripes on shoulder boards; and blues, with stripes sewn on the lower coat sleeves. The ranks are comprised of three main groups: enlisted, warrant officer and officer.
Army Military Ranks
The Army’s motto is “This We’ll Defend.” The Army is continually looking for those willing to do their part in defending our nation. The ranks are comprised of three main groups: enlisted, warrant officer and officer ranks. Rank and precedence are determined by pay grade.
Air Force Military Ranks
The Air Force is the second youngest of the six military branches. According to the official website of the Air Force, they have five core missions: “Air superiority; global strike; rapid global mobility; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and command and control.” Their rankings are two groupings: enlisted and officer.
Space Force Military Ranks
The Space Force was established Dec. 20, 2019 as the sixth branch of the armed forces to protect U.S. interests in space. It is organized under the U.S. Air Force but uses service-specific ranks. Air Force rank insignia was in use until the Space Force finalized its own on Sept. 20, 2021.
Marine Corps Military Ranks
The Marine Corps is one of the most competitive branches of the armed forces, requiring outstanding physical, mental and moral strength. The ranks are comprised of three main groups: Enlisted, warrant officer and officer ranks.
Coast Guard Military Ranks
The U.S. Coast Guard is unique in that it is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in peacetime and the Navy in wartime. The Coast Guard and Navy rank insignia are the same except for color.
