Comparison of United Kingdom and United States military ranks

UK and US officer ranks compared

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer
British Army
	Field marshal		General		Lieutenant-general		Major-general		Brigadier		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		Lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Officer cadet
United States Army																									Various
	General of the Army		General		Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Cadet/Officer candidate
Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer
Royal Navy
	Admiral of the Fleet		Admiral		Vice admiral		Rear admiral		Commodore		Captain		Commander		Lieutenant commander		Lieutenant		Sub lieutenant			Midshipman			Officer Cadet
United States Navy																									(Various insignia)
	Fleet admiral		Admiral		Vice admiral		Rear admiral		Rear admiral (lower half)		Captain		Commander		Lieutenant commander		Lieutenant		Lieutenant (junior grade)			Ensign			Midshipman/officer candidate
Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer
Royal Marines
	Captain General Royal Marines		General		Lieutenant-general		Major-general		Brigadier		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		Lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Officer cadet
United States Marine Corps																									(Various insignia)
			General		Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Midshipman/officer candidate
Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer
Royal Air Force
	Marshal of the RAF		Air chief marshal		Air marshal		Air vice-marshal		Air commodore		Group captain		Wing commander		Squadron leader		Flight lieutenant		Flying officer			Pilot officer /acting pilot officer			Officer cadet
United States Air Force																									(Various insignia)
	General of the Air Force		General		Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Cadet/Officer trainee
United States Space Force																									(Various insignia)
			General		Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Cadet/Officer trainee
NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer

Not listed are U.S.warrant officers.A warrant officer is an officer who can and does command, carry out military justice actions and sits on both selection and promotion boards. A US warrant officer is a single-track specialty officer, initially appointed by their respective service secretary; he/she receives a commission upon promotion to chief warrant officer two (CW2).

In the UK the separation between "other" ranks and "officer" ranks can, on occasion, become permeable. Within the British armed services, bothSir Fitzroy MacleanandEnoch Powellare examples of, rare, rapid career progression with the British army, both rising from the rank of private to brigadier during World War II. In the US military such advancement is not uncommon, all five services maintaining programs that select promising enlisted men and women for the commissioned ranks.

Notes to tables above

• TheRoyal Marinesrank alongside their army equivalents. However, when on the books of any HM Ship or Naval Establishment, Royal Marines are subject to the Naval Discipline Act 1957. In those circumstances, many officer ranks in the Royal Marines formerly enjoyed greater status.Second lieutenantswere equivalent tosub lieutenantsand ranks fromlieutenanttomajorwere considered equivalent to one rank higher (OF-2 to OF-4).Lieutenant colonelswere considered equivalent toRNcaptainswith less than six years in the rank, andcolonelswere equivalent to captains with more than six years seniority. Higher ranks followed the equivalence on the table above. This state of affairs ended on 1 July 1999, when Royal Marine officer ranks were fully aligned with those of the army.
• RAF-style ranksare also used by theRoyal Australian Air Force,Royal New Zealand Air Force,Nigerian Air Force,Indian Air Force,Pakistan Air Force,Bangladesh Air Force,Hellenic Air Force,Egyptian Air Force,Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard,Royal Air Force of OmanandSri Lanka Air Force.TheGhana Air ForceandAir Force of Zimbabwe(previouslyRoyal Rhodesian Air Force) also use the same basic system, but replace pilot officer and flying officer with air sub lieutenant and air lieutenant. TheRoyal Thai Air Forceuses the RAF ranks also. TheRoyal Canadian Air ForceandRoyal Malaysian Air Forcealso previously used the system.
• The U.S. military usually uses O-1 to O-10 to denote officers, and not the NATO codes of OF-1 to OF-10 in which all subaltern officers are classed as OF-1 (O-1 and O-2 in US). O-11 is sometimes used for the U.S. OF-10 ranks, but this is not official.
• OF-10 ranks in the United States can only be attained during wartime; the last five-star officer died in 1981. This is also now generally the case in the UK, although provision is made to award them under special circumstances in peacetime (No promotion to these ranks has been made since they were generally suspended in 1997, with the exception of the honorary promotion ofLord Boyceto Admiral of the Fleet in the Queen's 2014birthday honours.) Captain-General Royal Marines is a ceremonial rank, usually held by a member of the royal family (such asPrince Harry, Duke of Sussexuntil 2021). There is no field marshal rank in the Royal Marines, although Royal Marine officers may reach full general rank.
• Due to their modern-day size, the ranks of general and lieutenant-general are not generally used within 3 Commando Brigade or the main Royal Marines, however, the position ofcommandant generalis held by a general. Royal Marines officers may hold the rank of lieutenant-general, serving in Ministry of Defence or joint forces positions. Royal Marine officers may reach the full rank of general, for example GeneralGordon Messenger.
• At various times (1775-1981) the O-7 rank in the USN has been called Commodore and briefly once, Commodore Admiral. Then changed to Rear Admiral lower half due to Captains and Commanders that commanded more than 1 ship or squadrons given the title, but not rank, of Commodore.
• The rank of Ensign is not used in the Royal Marines. Royal Marines officers join as second lieutenants; after two years of service, provided that Phase 2 training has been successfully completed, they are promoted to the rank of lieutenant (if under 21 at the time of joining) or captain (if 21 or older at the time of joining).
• The rank of Ensign is no longer used in the Royal Navy. All officers now joinBRNC Dartmouthas midshipmen once more, unless they have previously served in the ranks ((senior) upper yardsmen) but use the non-substantive rank of officer cadet (OCdt) during the pre-initial sea phase.
• The name for Officers in training for the US Navy vary depending on the particular officer commissioning program.Naval Academy,Merchant Marine AcademyandNROTCare midshipmen (MIDN);United States Coast Guard Academyare cadets; U.S. Navy seaman-to-admiral 21 (STA-21) andOfficer Candidate Schoolare officer candidates (OC).

US "Enlisted" and UK "Other ranks" compared

NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
British Army																													No insignia
	Warrant officer class 1						Warrant officer class 2		Staff/Colour sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal				Lance corporal		Private (or equivalent)
United States Army																																			No insignia
	Command sergeant major			Sergeant major			First sergeant	Master sergeant	Sergeant first class		Staff sergeant						Sergeant						Specialist		Corporal		Private first class		Private						Private
NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Royal Navy
	Warrant officer class 1						Warrant officer class 2		Chief petty officer		Petty officer												Leading rate						Able rate
United States Navy																																			No insignia
	Command master chief petty officer			Master chief petty officer			Command senior chief petty officer	Senior chief petty officer	Chief petty officer		Petty officer first class						Petty officer second class						Petty officer third class				Seaman		Seaman apprentice						Seaman recruit
NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Royal Marines																													No insignia
	Warrant officer class 1						Warrant officer class 2		Colour sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal				Lance corporal		Marine
United States Marine Corps																																			No insignia
	Sergeant major			Master gunnery sergeant			First sergeant	Master sergeant	Gunnery sergeant		Staff sergeant						Sergeant						Corporal				Lance corporal		Private first class						Private
NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Royal Air Force																																			No insignia
	Warrant officer								Flight sergeant	Chief technician	Sergeant												Corporal				Lance corporal (RAF Regimentonly)		Air specialist (class 1) technician		Air specialist (class 1)		Air specialist (class 2)		Air recruit
Royal Air Force (Aircrew)
	Master aircrew								Flight sergeantaircrew		Sergeantaircrew
United States Air Force																																			No insignia
	Command chief master sergeant	First sergeant		Chief master sergeant			First sergeant	Senior master sergeant	First sergeant	Master sergeant	Technical sergeant						Staff sergeant						Senior airman				Airman first class		Airman						Airman basic
United States Space Force
	Chief master sergeant						Senior master sergeant		Master sergeant		Technical sergeant						Sergeant						Specialist 4				Specialist 3		Specialist 2						Specialist 1
NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1

Notes on comparison:

• In the US Army OR-1 to OR-4 (specialist) are junior enlisted, OR-4 (corporal) to OR-6 are junior non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and OR-7 to OR-9 are senior non-commissioned officers (SNCOs).
• In the USAF OR-1 to OR-4 are junior enlisted, OR-5 to OR-6 are NCOs, and OR-7 to OR-9 are SNCOs.
• In the USMC, OR-1 to OR-3 are junior enlisted, OR-4 to OR-5 are NCOs, and OR-6 to OR-9 are staff non-commissioned officers.
• In the US Navy and Coast Guard, OR-1 to OR-3 or "nonrated (wo)men" are junior enlisted, OR-4 to OR-6 or petty officers are NCOs, and OR-7 to OR-9 or chief petty officers are SNCOs.
• In the British Army, RAF and Royal Navy, OR-1 to OR-2 are junior enlisted, OR-3 to OR-4 are Junior NCO's, and OR-5 to OR-9 are Senior NCO's
• Generally speaking, the RN assumes a rank up despite the NATO code remaining the same. For example, a LH is more practically comparable to a PO2 or PO1 in the USN.
• While in the British Army a lance corporal is the next rank up from a private, unlike in the US Army they are considered junior NCOs, and hold a similar command appointment to a US Army sergeant. Because of this it is not unheard of for lance corporals to be given US Army sergeant rank insignia when serving with US forces.
• While there are different pay-grades for privates (and other enlisted ranks) in the British Army, these are tied to job-role (MOS) rather than time in service. As such there is no promotion from a class 4 private to a class 3 private, nor are there differing badges of rank.

Addendum: In the US Army (but not the USMC) the term "trooper/(troop)" may be used informally for lower enlisted in cavalry, scout, airborne, air assault, Ranger, and Special Forces units, along with the occasional use for any soldier, particularly dismounted infantry. The specific definition of "troop" is a company-sized unit of cavalry, organizationally equivalent to "battery" in artillery units.

Notes to tables above

• Awarrant officerin UK service is a senior non-commissioned rank not comparable to the various grades of warrant officer in the US, although holding the King's Warrant and with certain privileges similar to those of officers. In the Army and Royal Marines, they are referred to by their appointment, of which there are many (for example,regimental sergeant majoris a WO1 appointment). The US rank is held by single-track career specialists (ranking between enlisted ranks and 2nd lieutenant) and has no NATO equivalent. An RN warrant officer class 1 incorporated the former rank of fleet chief petty officer. There are now executive warrant officers, denoting the senior WO1s on ships and shore establishments.The Command Warrant Officers have been removed under the Royal Navy Command Transformation Programme.The most senior Royal Navy WO1 is the Warrant Officer of the Naval Service (WONS)The rating of WO2 in the Royal Navy was removed in 2014 but reinstated in 2021.The recent senior Warrant Officer of the British Army is the "Army Sergeant Major".In November 2018, the highest Warrant Officer/OR position was created, namely theSenior Enlisted Advisor to the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
• RAF Flight Sergeants: Although technically equivalent to British Army Staff Sergeant this does not equate to time served or experience since the RAF does not have the rank of WO2.
• The RN created the rate of Warrant Officer Class 2 on 1 April 2004. Previously, there was a rate of Charge Chief Petty Officer, who usually ranked as OR-7, although above other CPOs. A Charge Chief Artificer (a highly qualified technical CCPO) could be given a NATO OR-8 status, but still ranked below WO2 in the Army and Royal Marines. On the creation of WO2, all CCPOs were upgraded to this rate.
• In the US "OR #" system, NCOs are from OR4 onwards hence the equivalents in rank name do not tie in exactly. In the US Army a Corporal is considered an NCO, but a Specialist is not.
• British Sergeants/Petty Officers are seen as equal to E5andE6 although Corporalsas well asSergeants may be appointed to an official OR-5 (i.e. E-5) military role as is suited to the particular situation.
• From April 1, 1999, the Able Rating and Ordinary Rating of the Royal Navy merged and called Able Rating, the grades of Marine 1st Class and Marine 2nd Class of the Royal Marines merged, and Junior Rating and Junior Marine were abolished.
• Technical trades and musicians only.Promotionto the rank of Junior Technician ceased in 2005, only to be replaced by Senior Aircraftman (Technician) a short time later.
• The most senior WO1s are, in descending order, theArmy Sergeant Major,theConductors(Cdr) of theRoyal Logistic Corps,the Royal Artillery Sergeant Major, Royal Artillery, theAcademy Sergeant Major(AcSM), and theGarrison Sergeant Major(GSM) of the London District.
• British army WO1 includesRegimental Sergeant Major(RSM),Garrison Sergeant Major(GSM), andHousehold CavalryRegimental Corporal Major(RCM). These appointments are similar in function to the equivalent US rank indicated, but are equal in rank to other WO1 appointments.
• British army WO2 includesCompany Sergeant Major(CSM),Squadron Sergeant Major(SSM),Royal ArtilleryBattery Sergeant Major(BSM),Household CavalrySquadron Corporal Major(SCM), andBand Sergeant Major.These appointments are similar in function to the equivalent US rank indicated, but are equal in rank to other WO2 appointments.
• British armyStaff Sergeantscan also hold other appointments, such asCompany Quartermaster Sergeant.
• There are no Sergeant ranks or appointments (Sergeant, Colour Sergeant, and Sergeants Major) in theHousehold Cavalry,having different grades of Corporal instead, such asCorporal of HorseorStaff Corporal.
• There are no Corporals or Lance Corporals in theRoyal Artillery,but equivalent ranks exist in the form ofBombardierandLance Bombardier.
• On 1 April 2010, the RAF Regiment introduced the rank of Lance Corporal for current SACs who undertake the role of section second-in-command/fire team commander. This gives them more authority on the ground, as well as a better pay band. The move to introduce the rank of lance corporal was taken as, due to the RAF Regiments role as specialist infantry, many highly qualified and experienced airmen were tasked with acting as section second-in-command on joint operations with army, Royal Marine and foreign units. The introduction of L/Cpl rank put this on a more formal footing, and eased the minds of many enlisted soldiers from other units who were unhappy being commanded by individuals they perceived as no higher ranked than themselves.
• In theBrigade of Guards,on promotion to corporal, soldiers are appointed and referred to asLance Sergeants.
• InThe Rifles,every Sergeant rank or appointment (Sergeant, Colour Sergeant, and Sergeants Major) is spelled using the archaic spelling, "Serjeant".
• The alternatives to the rank of Private in the British Army and Royal Marines are as follows:
  • Marine (Mne) in theRoyal Marines;
  • Air Trooper(ATpr) in theArmy Air Corps;
  • Gunner(Gnr) in theRoyal ArtilleryandRoyal Horse Artillery;
  • Highlander(Hdr) in TheHighlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons);
  • Ranger(Rgr) in theRoyal Irish Regiment;
  • Sapper(Spr) in theRoyal Engineers;
  • Trooper(Tpr) in theHousehold Cavalry,Royal Armoured Corpsregiments,Honourable Artillery CompanyandSpecial Air Service;
  • Craftsman (Cfn) in theRoyal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers;
  • Guardsman(Gdn) inFoot Guardsregiments;
  • Kingsman(Kgn) in theDuke of Lancaster's Regiment;
  • Rifleman(Rfn) inThe Rifles;
  • Signaller(Sig) in theRoyal Corps of Signals;
  • Fusilier(Fus) in theRoyal Regiment of FusiliersandRoyal Highland Fusiliers;
  • Musician (Mus) in theRoyal Corps of Army Music;
  • Where appropriate: Drummer (Dmr), Trumpeter (Tptr), Bugler, or Piper (Ppr).
• In the US Army, first sergeant is considered senior to and promoted laterally from master sergeant when assigned to a first sergeant billet, typically the senior NCO in a company (troop, battery)-sized unit. Upon reassignment a 1SG reverts to his previous rank of MSG. In the USMC the OR-8 ranks are equivalent but on separate career tracks as are the OR-9 ranks, i.e. a gunnery sergeant (OR-7) is promoted to either first sergeant or master sergeant depending on his indicated preference for a command/senior enlisted advisor billet or a technical specialty. A first sergeant is promoted to sergeant major and a master sergeant to master gunnery sergeant.
• The alternatives to the rank of seaman in the US Navy are as follows:
  • Fireman(FN) in engineering;
  • Airman(AN) in aviation;
  • Hospitalman(HN) for medical corpsmen;
  • Constructionman(CN) in Construction Battalions (Seabees).
  • The former rate of Dentalman (DN) was merged into Hospitalman in 2005.
  • AlsoFireman Apprentice(FA),Airman Apprentice(AA),Hospitalman Apprentice(HA),Constructionman Apprentice(CA).
  • AlsoFireman Recruit(FR),Airman Recruit(AR),Hospitalman Recruit(HR),Constructionman Recruit(CR).
• The senior most NCO in each Service has a unique title, and in the US Services a unique set of rank/rating insignia.

See also

• List of comparative military ranks
• Ranks and insignia of NATO
• British Army officer rank insignia
• British Army other ranks rank insignia
• U.S. Army officer rank insignia
• U.S. Army enlisted rank insignia
• Military rank

External links

• NATO codes for grades of military personnelinSTANAG2116