Comparative military ranks
Rank is a system of categorizing the hierarchy of an armed force. See military rank for details on the history of the rank system.
British, US and German officer ranks
| British Army | US Army | Royal Navy | US Navy | RAF | USAF | Wehrmacht | Bundesweh/Luftwaffe | Bundesmarine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field Marshal | General of the Army | Admiral of the Fleet | Fleet Admiral (FADM) | Marshal of the Royal Air Force | General of the Air Force | Generalfeldmarschall | ||
| General | General | Admiral | Admiral (ADM) | Air Chief Marshal | General (Gen) | Generaloberst | General | Admiral |
| Lieutenant General | Lieutenant General | Vice Admiral | Vice Admiral (VADM) | Air Marshal | Lieutenant General (LtGen) | General der Infanterie (Art., Pz.Tr., etc.) | Generalleutnant | Vizeadmiral |
| Major General | Major General | Rear Admiral | Rear Admiral (RADM) | Air Vice-Marshal | Major General | Generalleutnant | Generalmajor | Konteradmiral |
| Brigadier | Brigadier General | Commodore | Rear Admiral (RDML) | Air Commodore | Brigadier General | Generalmajor | Brigadegeneral | Flottillenadmiral |
| Colonel | Colonel | Captain | Captain (CAPT) | Group Captain | Colonel (Col) | Oberst | Oberst | Kapitän zur See |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Commander | Commander (CDR) | Wing Commander | Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) | Oberstleutnant | Oberstleutnant | Fregattenkapitän |
| Major | Major | Lieutenant-Commander | Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) | Squadron Leader | Major (Maj) | Major | Major | Korvettenkapitän |
| Captain | Captain | Lieutenant | Lieutenant (LT) | Flight Lieutenant | Captain (Capt) | Hauptmann | Hauptmann | Kapitänleutnant |
| Lieutenant | First Lieutenant | Lieutenant, Junior Grade (LT(JG)) | Flying Officer | First Lieutenant (1Lt) | Oberleutnant | Oberleutnant | Oberleutnant zur See | |
| Sub-Lieutenant | ||||||||
| Second Lieutenant | Second Lieutenant | Ensign (ENS) | Pilot Officer | Second Lieutenant (2Lt) | Leutnant | Leutnant | Leutnant zur See | |
| Midshipman | Midshipman | Acting Pilot Officer |
Notes
Certain ranks, such as Fleet Admiral, General of the Army and General of the Air Force in the U.S., as well as Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and Marshal of the RAF in the U.K., are usually assigned in war-time only.
In the British and Commonwealth Armies, a Brigadier is a Colonel in command of a brigade, who wears the insignia and title of such assignment. In the Royal and Commonwealth Navies, a Commodore is a Captain in command of a naval task group, flotilla or squadron, who wears the insignia and title of such assignment, and flies a broad pennant (as opposed to a flag) from his flagship.
In the Royal and Commonwealth Navies, a Sub-Lieutenant is junior to an Army Lieutenant and an RAF Flying Officer, and senior to an Army 2nd Lieutenant and an RAF Pilot Officer. The training ranks of Midshipman and Acting Pilot Officer are assigned to subordinate officers prior to receiving their commissions.
Not listed are US warrant officers, who are technical leaders who receive officer's pay, but wear different insignia and do not command troops. On the other hand, British warrant officers are in fact senior NCOs.
| British Army | Royal Marines | Royal Navy | RAF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrant Officer Class 1 | Warrant Officer Class 1 | Warrant Officer | Warrant Officer |
| Warrant Officer Class 2 | Warrant Officer Class 2 | ||
| Staff Sergeant | Colour Sergeant | Chief Petty Officer | Flight Sergeant |
| Sergeant | Sergeant | Petty Officer | Sergeant |
| Corporal | Corporal | Leading Rate | Corporal |
| Lance Corporal | Lance Corporal | ||
| Private | Marine | Able Rate Ordinary Rate | Senior Aircraftman/Aircraftwoman Leading Aircraftman/Aircraftwoman Aircraftman/Aircraftwoman |
| Bundeswehr (Army)/Luftwaffe (Air Force) | Bundesmarine (Navy) |
|---|---|
| Oberstabsfeldwebel | Oberstabsbootsmann |
| Stabsfeldwebel | Stabsbootsmann |
| Hauptfeldwebel | Hauptbootsmann |
| Feldwebel | Bootsmann |
| Stabsunteroffizier | Obermaat |
| Unteroffizier | Maat |
| Stabsgefreiter | Stabsgefreiter |
| Hauptgefreiter | Hauptgefreiter |
| Obergefreiter | Obergefreiter |
| Gefreiter | Gefreiter |
| Schütze | Matrose |
| Paygrade1 | nominally supervises | US Army | US Air Force | USMC | USN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-10 | the senior enlisted person in each service | Sergeant Major of the Army | Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSgtAF) | Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps | Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) |
| E-9 | Brigade (Army), Wing (USAF), Regiment (USN, USMC) or higher | Command Sergeant Major (CSM) | Command Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) | Sergeant Major (SgtMaj) | Command Master Chief Petty Officer (CMCPO) |
| E-9 | Battalion (Army, USN, USMC), Group (USAF) | Sergeant Major (SGM) | Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) | Master Gunnery Sergeant (MGySgt) | Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) |
| E-8 | Company (Army, USN, USMC), Squadron (USAF) | First Sergeant (1SG) Master Sergeant (MSG) | Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) | Master Sergeant (MSgt) or First Sergeant (1st Sgt) | Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO) |
| E-7 | Platoon (Army, USN, USMC), Flight (USAF) | Sergeant First Class (SFC) or Platoon Sergeant | Master Sergeant (MSgt) | Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) | Chief Petty Officer (CPO) |
| E-6 | Squad or Section | Staff Sergeant (SSG) | Technical Sergeant (TSgt) | Staff Sergeant (SSgt) | Petty Officer 1st Class (PO1) |
| E-5 | Fireteam | Sergeant (SGT) | Staff Sergeant (SSgt) | Sergeant (Sgt) | Petty Officer 2nd Class (PO2) |
| E-4 | Corporal (CPL) or Specialist Fourth Class (SP4) | Senior Airman (SRA) | Corporal (Cpl) | Petty Officer 3rd Class (PO3) | |
| E-3 | Private First Class (PFC) | Airman First Class (A1C) | Lance Corporal (LCpl) | Seaman (SN) | |
| E-2 | Private (PV2) | Airman (Amn) | Private First Class (PFC) | Seaman Apprentice (SA) | |
| E-1 | Private (PV1) | Airman Basic (AB) | Private (Pvt) | Seaman Recruit (SR) |
1 Paygrade is used in the US military as to normalize the equivalent enlisted and officer ranks respectively. For example, the base pay of an E-8 is the same in the Air Force and the Army. In theory, those two E-8s will have equivalent levels of seniority and responsibility. When enlisted men from several services are together, the senior enlisted man is responsible for the group.
