{"id":84028,"date":"2018-05-23T21:41:39","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T02:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=84028"},"modified":"2021-06-16T21:52:24","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T02:52:24","slug":"military-rank-and-insignia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/featured\/military-rank-and-insignia\/","title":{"rendered":"A Civilian’s Primer on Military Rank and Insignia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Military<\/p>\n

If you’re a regular ol’ civilian like me, you might have a lot of respect for the military, but you don’t know much about military culture. For example, military ranking. Thanks to television, books, and movies, and simply absorbing stuff from the ether by living in America all of my life, I’d picked up a bit on how ranking works in the various branches of the armed forces. But my knowledge was pretty cursory. I could tell you that stars on a shoulder meant the person in uniform was a general or that a single chevron on the sleeve meant they were a private, but that’s about it.<\/p>\n

You might think that military rank isn’t something you need to know if you’re not in the service yourself, but as someone who reads a lot of biographies and military history books, I’ve found myself getting lost and a bit confused with the different ranks thrown around, the significance of moving from one rank to the next, or the authority that a certain figure did or did not have over another. <\/p>\n

So I decided to study up and learn about ranks in the different branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, their respective insignia, and where to look on uniforms to locate this insignia. I’ve got to say, it’s been one of the most fruitful, knowledge-building exercises I’ve done in awhile; I’m already seeing payoffs with my historical reading. And it’s nice to know that should I run into a member of the military, I’d be able to know at a glance where they fall in the hierarchy. <\/p>\n

In the course of my research, I discovered that there really didn’t exist a guide to rank out there that I found sufficiently comprehensive and useful. So I decided to create my own and share it with all you fellow clueless civilians. Ten-hut! And read up.<\/p>\n

United States Army Ranks and Insignia<\/span><\/h3>\n

Where to Look<\/h3>\n

With all branches of the military, where rank insignia is placed on the body depends on two factors: 1) the type of uniform (combat, dress, etc.), and 2) whether the individual is enlisted or an officer.<\/p>\n

All the branches follow pretty much the same pattern in regards to both factors, but there are some subtle differences.<\/p>\n

Combat Uniform<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Combat

Center of the chest:<\/strong> Whether he’s an officer or enlisted, the Soldier’s rank will be on a patch in the middle of the chest on a combat uniform.<\/p><\/div>\n

Service Dress Uniform<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Soldier

Enlisted:<\/strong> Both sleeves.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Officer

Officers<\/strong>: Shoulders. While the Marines and Air Force use pins on the shoulders of the uniform to indicate officer rank, the Army uses shoulder boards similar to the Navy. They’re pieces of fabric that have the officer’s rank embroidered on it. <\/p><\/div>\n

Army Enlisted Ranks & Insignia (from lowest to highest)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Insignia<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Private<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Private First Class<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Specialist<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Corporal (From corporal on, all ranks are considered non-commissioned officers. Unlike commissioned officers who receive their authority via a commission from the President, non-commissioned officers get their authority simply from their rank.) <\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Staff Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sergeant First Class<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Master Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sergeant Major<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command Sergeant Major<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sergeant Major of the Army<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Army Warrant Officer Ranks & Insignia<\/h3>\n

Warrant officers are technical leaders and specialists. There are warrant officers for intelligence, aviation, and military police. They take the same oath as commissioned officers, but they are ranked below commissioned officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Insignia<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Warrant Officer<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Two<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Three<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Four<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Five<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Army Commissioned Officer Ranks & Insignia<\/h3>\n

Commissioned officers receive their authority from the President of the United States and take part in executive leadership training.<\/p>\n

Note that the highest rank in the Army — General of the Army or what is often called a “five-star general” — is a wartime rank. It is not currently active in the U.S. military and hasn’t been held since the mid-20th century. The same applies to the General of the Air Force and the Fleet Admiral of the U.S. Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Insignia<\/th>Shoulder Board<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Second Lieutenant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First Lieutenant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Captain<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Major<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lieutenant Colonel<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Colonel<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brigadier General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Major General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lieutenant General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
General of the Army<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

United States Marine Corps Ranks and Insignia<\/span><\/h3>\n

Where to Look<\/h3>\n

Combat Uniform<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Officer

Enlisted and officers: <\/strong>Collar. For both enlisted and officers, rank insignia is pinned on the collar of the combat uniform. Enlisted ranking insignia is black metal. Officer ranking insignia are polished pins while in garrison; subdued black in the field. <\/p><\/div>\n

Service Uniform<\/strong><\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Illustration

Enlisted:<\/strong> Both sleeves.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Officer

Officers:<\/strong> Pins on both jacket epaulets and\/or both shirt collars.<\/p><\/div>\n

The same protocols apply to blue dress, blue-white dress, red dress, and evening dress uniforms. Enlisted Marines wear insignia on sleeves; officers wear pins on shoulders.<\/p>\n

Marine Enlisted Ranks & Insignia (from lowest to highest)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Insignia<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Private First Class<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lance Corporal<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Corporal (From here on out, all ranks are considered non-commissioned officers.)<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Staff Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gunnery Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Master Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Master Gunnery Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sergeant Major<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Marine Warrant Officer Ranks & Insignia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Insignia<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Warrant Officer<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Two<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Three<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Four<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Five<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Marine Commissioned Officer Ranks & Insignia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Insignia<\/th>Shoulder Strap<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Second Lieutenant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First Lieutenant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Captain<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Major<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lieutenant Colonel<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Colonel<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brigadier General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Major General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lieutenant General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

United States Air Force Ranks and Insignia<\/span><\/h3>\n

Where to Look<\/h3>\n

Air Combat Uniform<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Black

Enlisted:<\/strong> Both sleeves will have a black embroidered patch of the enlisted Airman’s rank.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Rank

Officer:<\/strong> Rank insignia is embroidered on both sides of the collar.<\/p><\/div>\n

Service Dress Uniform<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Officer

Enlisted:<\/strong> Both sleeves. You’ll see a blue and white patch on both the upper sleeves of the uniform.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Officer

Officers:<\/strong> Shoulder pins. <\/p><\/div>\n

Air Force Enlisted Ranks & Insignia (from lowest to highest)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Insignia<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Airman<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Airman First Class<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Senior Airman<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Staff Sergeant (From here on out, all ranks are considered non-commissioned officers.)<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Technical Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Master Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Senior Master Sergeant <\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Master Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command Chief Master Sergeant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Air Force Warrant Officer Ranks & Insignia<\/h3>\n

The Air Force discontinued the Warrant Officer grade in 1958.<\/p>\n

Air Force Commissioned Officer Ranks & Insignia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Insignia<\/th>Shoulder Strap<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Second Lieutenant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First Lieutenant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Captain<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Major<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lieutenant Colonel<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Colonel<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brigadier General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Major General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lieutenant General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
General<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
General of the Air Force<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

United States Navy Rates and Insignia<\/span><\/h3>\n

Where to Look<\/h3>\n

Thanks to its rich nautical history, the Navy has some subtle differences on how they display rank, particularly on the dress uniforms of officers.<\/p>\n

Navy Working Uniform<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Officer

Enlisted and officers: <\/strong>Patch on center of chest. Both enlisted Sailors and officers have an insignia patch sewn onto the center of the chest of the working uniform. <\/p><\/div>\n

Navy Service Uniform<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Navy

Enlisted and officers:<\/strong> Pin on shirt collars. Both enlisted Seamen and officers display rank on the collar of their shirt when in service uniform.<\/p><\/div>\n

Service\/Full Dress Blue<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Solider

Enlisted:<\/strong> Patch on the left sleeve.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Chief

Chief Petty Officers:<\/strong> Patch on the left sleeve.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Officer

Officers:<\/strong> Stripes on the bottom of both jacket sleeves.<\/p><\/div>\n

Service\/Full Dress White<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Solider

Enlisted:<\/strong> Patch on the upper left sleeve.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Chief

Chief Petty Officer:<\/strong> Pins on both sides of the collar.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Officer

Officers<\/strong>: Boards on shoulders.<\/p><\/div>\n

Navy Enlisted Rates & Insignia (from lowest to highest)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Sleeve Insignia<\/th>Collar Device<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Seaman Apprentice<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Seaman<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Petty Officer Third Class (From here on out, all ranks are considered non-commissioned officers.)<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Petty Officer Second Class<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Petty Officer First Class<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Petty Officer (Chief Petty Officers are non-commissioned offers, but form a separate community within the Navy. There's a lot of speciality exams, a peer review process, and even an approval by Congress before a Seaman can become a Chief Petty Officer.)<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Senior Chief Petty Officer<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Master Chief Petty Officer<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command Senior Chief Petty Officer<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command Master Chief Petty Officer<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fleet\/Force Master Chief Petty Officer<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Navy Warrant Officer Rates & Insignia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Insignia<\/th>Shoulder Board<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Two<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Three<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Four<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chief Warrant Officer Five<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Navy Commissioned Officer Rates & Insignia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Rank<\/th>Insignia<\/th>Shoulder Board
\n(Dress White)<\/th>		Sleeve Cuff
\n(Dress Blues)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Ensign<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lieutenant Junior Grade<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lieutenant<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lieutenant Commander<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Commander\t<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Captain<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rear Admiral (lower half)<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rear Admiral<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vice Admiral<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Admiral<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fleet Admiral<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

United States Coast Guard Ranks and Insignia<\/span><\/h3>\n

It’s very similar to the Navy rankings and insignia with a few style changes to differentiate the two branches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you’re a regular ol’ civilian like me, you might have a lot of respect for the military, but you don’t know much about military culture. For example, military ranking. Thanks to television, books, and movies, and simply absorbing stuff from the ether by living in America all of my life, I’d picked up a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":84444,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[502,6],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-84028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-character","category-featured"],"featured_image_urls":{"large":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2018\/05\/rank-copy-538x280.jpg","reactor-320":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2018\/05\/rank-copy-320x213.jpg","aesop-tiny-cover":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2018\/05\/rank-copy-400x267.jpg","aesop-character":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2018\/05\/rank-copy-200x200.jpg","aesop-collection":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2018\/05\/rank-copy-300x300.jpg","aesop-grid-image":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2018\/05\/rank-copy-400x267.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84028"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129250,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84028\/revisions\/129250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84028"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=84028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}