MILNET: U.S. Rank System

The U.S. Ranking System is somewhat straightforward with there being a total of 10 officer grades (discounting a special segment called the Warrant Officer Program), and 9 Enlisted grades. We also occasionally add tidbits to our list of rank trivia from time to time. The ranks strcutures in ascending order are:

Officers

USAF, USMC, USArmy:

Officers

O-1 - 2nd Lieutenant (single gold bar)
O-2 - 1st Lieutenant (single silver bar)
O-3 - Captain (Two Silver Bars ... "H" pattern)
O-4 - Major (Gold Leaf)
O-5 - Lt. Colonel (Silver Leaf)
O-6 - Colonel (Silver Eagle)

Flag Officers

O-7 - Brigadier General (1 Silver Star)
O-8 - Major General (2 Silver Stars)
O-9 - Lt. General (3 Silver Stars)
O-10 - General (4 Silver Stars)
O-11 - General of the <service (5 Silver Stars in circle) - None today, last were General Ike D. Eisenhower, General Allied Forces during World War II and General Omar Bradley.

USN:

O-1 - Ensign (single gold bar or single thin stripe)
O-2 - Lieutenant J.G. (single silver bar or one thin, one broad stri pes)
O-3 - Lieutenant (Two Silver Bars in H pattern or two broad stripes)
O-4 - Lt. Commander (Gold Leaf or Two broad stripes with thin one be tween)
O-5 - Commander (Silver Leaf or Three Broad Stripes)
O-6 - Captain (Silver Eagle or Four Broad Stripes)
O-7 - Previously Commodore, Rear Admiral (Lower Half) (Silver Star or Large stripe with "eupulat")
O-8 - Rear Admiral (Upper Half) (Two Silver Stars, or Large and thin stripe and "eupulat")
O-9 - Vice Admiral (Three Silver Stars, or Large Stripe, 2 thin strip with "eupulat")
O-10 - Admiral (Four Silver Stars, or Large Stripe, 3 thin stripes with "euplat")
O-11 - Fleet Admiral (5 stars circle or Large stripe, 4 thin stripes with "eupulate"

Warrant Officers The Warrant Officer program allows technically trained individuals with specific command authority to command missions of key importance in combat or in administrative tasks. An excellent example of a warrant officer is one who has trained as a helicopter pilot, and thus commands his aircraft and crew.

W-1 - Warrant Officer (one gold section on cloth bar)
W-2 - Chief Warrant Officer (two gold sections on cloth bar)

Enlisted

U.S. Army

Enlisted

E-1 - Private (recruit) (no chevron)

E-2 - Private (after basic)

E-3 - Private 1st Class (1 chevron)

E-4 - Corporal (2 chevrons) (includes Specialist 4)

NCOs

E-5 - Sergeant (3 chevrons)

E-6 - Staff Sergeant (3 Chevrons 1 below )

E-7 - Sergeant First Class (3 chevrons above 2 below)

E-8 - First Sergeant (3 chevrons above 3 below) (Master Sergeant)

E-9 - Sergeant Major (3 chevrons above 3 below, star center) (Sergeant Major of the Army and Command Sergeant Major)

U.S. Marines

Enlisted

E-1 - Private (recruit) (no chevron)

E-2 - Private First Class (1 chevron)

E-3 - Lance Corporal (1 Chevron, crossed rifles)

NCOs

E-4 - Corporal (2 chevrons, crossed rifles)

E-5 - Sergeant (3 chevrons, crossed rifles)

E-6 - Staff Sergeant (3 Chevrons 1 below, crossed rifles)

E-7 - Gunnery Sergeant (3 chevrons above 2 below, crossed rif.)

E-8 - Master Sergeant (3 chevrons above 3 below, with crossed rif.)

E-8 - First Sergeant (3 chevrons above 3 below, with diamond)

E-9 - Master Gunnery Sergeant(3 chevrons above 4 below, Palm Frond in center)

E-9 - Sergeant Major (3 above 4 below, star in center)

U.S. Navy

Seaman

E-1 - Seaman Recruit (1 diagonal hash marks)

E-2 - Seaman Apprentice (2 diagonal hash marks)

E-3 - Seaman (3 diagonal hash marks)

NCOs

E-4 - Petty Officer Third Class (Eagle and 1 lower stripe)

E-5 - Petty Officer Second Class (Eagle and 2 lower stripes)

E-6 - Petty Officer First Class (Eagle and 3 lower stripes)

E-7 - Chief Petty Officer (Eagle, stripe above, 3 stripes below)

E-8 - Senior Chief Petty Officer (Star, Eagle, stripe above, 3 below)

E-9 - Master Chief Petty Officer (2 Stars, Eagle, stripe above, 3 below)

U.S. Air Force

Airman

E-1 - Airman Recruit (boot camp)
E-2 - Airman (1 chevron in V connected to a black circle with white star inside)
E-3 - Airman First Class - 2 upward chevrons
E-4 - Senior Airman - 3 upward chevrons
E-5 - Staff Sergeant - 4 upward chevrons
E-6 - Technical Sergeant - 5 upward chevrons

Senior Field Sergeants (Senior NCOs)

E-7 Master Sergeant (1 downward chevron, five upward)
E-8 Senior Master Sergeant (2 down, five up)
E-9 Chief Master Sergeant (Note: the Senior NCO in a squadron is given the rank of First Sergeant and receives a diamond device in the center of the area between the downward and upward chevrons. The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (the most senior NCO in the Air Force) has a pair of wings and a star in the black circle instead of the simple white star.