US Army Rank
Created | Updated Mar 13, 2015
What is a general and does it matter how many stars he has? Is Captain Corporal1 a rank, and how does it differ from Sergeant Major2?
The military is, by necessity, a hierarchal institution. Rank is one thing that defines a person's role, authority, and privileges within the military hierarchy. Rank bestows legal authority on officers and non-commissioned officers. It also adds the fees that you can collect as a consultant on the news when you retire.
Officers and Enlisted
There are several ways you can divide rank in the military. The most basic is the division between officer and enlisted ranks.
Broadly speaking, officers are commissioned. They are officers and gentlemen by act of Congress. As commissioned officers, they have the legal authority to command units. They hold those commission until the retire, resign or otherwise leave the service.
Almost all commissioned officers come from one of three commissioning source, the Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC), the United States Military Academy at West Point, or Officer Candidate School (OCS). ROTC is a college program where students take military courses along with their college classes. Upon graduation, they are given a reserve commission as a Second Lieutenant, although most actually go on to active duty. West Point is a military academy. Upon graduation, west pointers3 are commissioned in the Regular Army as Second Lieutenants. OCS accepts civilians4 and enlisted soldiers who have college degrees. They go through intense training for about two weeks, after which they are commissioned officers. Some people with specialized professional backgrounds can receive direct commissions. These are generally doctors and lawyers who only receive an orientation course. A few soldiers receive battlefield commissions. These are soldiers who have demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities in combat. They are generally referred to as mustangs.
Enlisted service members are those that enlisted in the military for a term of service. Generally, they enlist as privates. Soldiers can enter service at the rank of Private E-2, Private First Class, or Specialist depending on the enlistment options. Usually advanced rank on initial enlistments is due to college. Through their years of service, they re-enlist to extern their service. They can be promoted from the enlisted ranks and become non-commissioned officers (NCOs).
Warrant officers are neither enlisted nor are they commissioned officers. They are people with very technical skills. Most are pilots, but there are also personnel specialists, maintenance, technicians, etc. They receive the courtesies due an officer, saluting membership in officer clubs, but they are not commissioned officer and they don't command troops.
There is mobility among the different groups. It's not unusual for enlisted soldiers to leave the Army, go to college, and get a commission from ROTC. Most non-pilot warrant officers are enlisted people who specialized in a certain area. Some officers revert to their enlisted ranks when they finish company commands so that they don't have to leave the unit that they love5.
Salute
Saluting is a courtesy exchanged between service members. Soldiers salute warrant officers and commissioned officers. Officers salute senior officers. Everyone salutes a person wearing a Medal of Honor.
When a soldier is approaching an officer. He will render a salute, and give the greeting of the day. This can be as simple as saying, 'Good morning, ma'am,' or it may be a unit motto such as, 'Always Forward, sir.' The officer then returns the salute, and will respond to the greeting.
There are some circumstances when soldiers don't salute. Soldiers don't generally salute in the field, because it could indicate to snipers who the most valuable target in a group is. Soldiers don't salute inside in unless they are reporting to officers. Prisoners of War are not allowed to salute, because a salute is an honor that they are not entitled to.
Pay grade
The military has a standard set of pay grades that correspond to the ranks in the different uniformed services6. The pay grades begin with an E, W, or O depending on if the person is enlisted, warrant officer, or a commissioned officer. It is followed by a number, 1-9 for enlisted, 1-5 for warrant officers, and 1-10 for commissioned officers. 'Pay grade has entered the military vernacular for a variety of purposes. The term, 'above my pay grade' refers to a decision made by someone with more rank, authority and therefore more pay than I have. Pay grade also help in comparison between services. It can help a Navy Petty Officer First Class (E-6) figure out how she compares to an Air Force Master Sergeant(E-7) or an Army Master Sergeant (E-8).
Rank Insignia
Rank insignia is worn by soldiers and officers do denote their rank. On combat uniforms, the rank is worn on the collar7 and hat or helmet. On dress uniforms, rank is worn on the shoulder board by officers and on the sleeves by enlisted soldiers. Hence the expression 'slick sleeve' which refers to the fact that a private E-1 doesn't have any rank insignia.
Enlisted
Enlisted soldiers are the ones who do most of the work of the Army. They fight, they repair, they build, etc under the direction of the non-commissioned and commissioned officers. Generally, privates through specialists are referred to as junior enlisted.
Private
Privates are new soldiers who have recently joined the Army. A private can have a pay grade of E-1 or E-2. Privates E-1 have no rank insignia. After six months in the service, they are promoted automatically to private E-2. Privates E-2 wear a single chevron.
Private First Class
Private first class are junior soldiers. Soldiers are promoted to Private First Class after one year of service, although they may earn early promotion for merit. The insignia of rank is a single chevron with one rocker beneath it. Their pay grade is E-3.
Specialist
Specialists are senior soldiers who have some experience, but they haven't yet been promoted to the NCO ranks. Soldiers are automatically promoted to specialist after 26 months of service, but most are promoted earlier than that for merit. The insignia or rank for specialists is an oddly shaped shield with an arc at the top and a point on the bottom. On dress uniforms, there's an American eagle in the center. Currently, all specialists are E-4s.
During the Vietnam era, and through the early 1980s there were specialists in higher pay grades. They were soldiers who had advanced beyond Specialist E-4 8, but they didn't have the authority that NCOs had. In the WWII era, there were technical sergeants. They were soldiers who had some sort of specialization, but they didn't hold normal rank. They would wear ranks like corporals, sergeants and staff sergeants, but there was a T in the area under the chevrons.
Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs)
Non commissioned officers are enlisted soldiers who have legal authority to give lawful orders. They still do much of the same work as the junior enlisted, but they are responsible for the direction, training, and well-being of those junior enlisted. While NCOs of a given rank generally lead a given size of unit. They may also be detailed to support positions in companies or on battalion staff. They could be a company supply sergeant or a battalion operations sergeant major.
Corporal
Corporal is an unusual rank in the Army today. Most sergeants were never corporals. Corporals still have the same pay grade as a specialist, but they have been made NCOs to fulfill some special purpose. They may lead a fire team or run a small office. This isn't technically a promotion; it's called a lateral transfer. A corporal may revert to being a specialist if her job changes and she no longer needs to be an NCO. The corporal rank's insignia is two chevrons. She is still an E-4.
Sergeant
Sergeants are leaders of small units. They may lead fire teams or, in some cases, squads. The insignia of rank for sergeants, is three cheverons. Their pay grade is E-5. They are sometimes called buck sergeants.
Sergeant can also be a generic term for a NCOs above the rank of corporal. Staff Sergeants, Sergeants First Class, and Master Sergeants use their full rank on formal occasions, in daily use, sergeants in these ranks are simply refered to as sergeant.
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeants are more senior sergeants that lead squads or, in some cases, sections. Their insignia of rank is three cheverons with one rocker. They are E-6s. Once a staff sergeant is promotable, he is considered to be a senior NCO.
Sergeant First Class
Sergeants First Class often act as platoon sergeants. They ensure that a platton is trained and ready for missions. They also advise the lieutnants that lead platoons. Their advice and experinece is invaluble, since sergeants first class normally half ten to twenty years of service, whereas lieutenants will rarely have more than two or three years of service. Their insignia of rank is three cheverons with two rockers. They are E-7s.
Master Sergeant
Master sergeants are very senior who usually fill staff positions at battlaion levels and above. Their insigna of rank is three cheverons with three rockers. They are E-8s.
First Sergeant
Eavery company in the Army has one first sergeant. They are E-8s whose basic responsibility is to make sure that the company is ready to fight. They are principlly responsible for training the troops and making sure that the soldiers' basic needs are met. They also advise their company commanders. Their insignia of rank is the same as a master sergeant with a small diamond in the field between the cheverons and the rockers.
Sergeant Major
Sergeants major are very senior and widely respected NCOs who advise senior staff officers. Their pay grade, E-9, is the highest that enlisted people can achieve. Their insignia of rank is three cheverons with three rockers with a star in teh middle.
Command Sergeant Major
Just as each company has a first sergeant, each battalion and higher level organizations have command sergeants major. They represent the views of very experienced NCOs to their commanders. The star on their sergeant major rank is surronded by laurels.
Sergeant Major of the Army
The Sergeant Major of the Army is the princple enlisted advisor to the chief of staff of the Army. He observes units, soldiers, and family members throughout the Army. He discusses concerns that soldiers have, and ensures that their legitmate concerns are met. He
