A Civilian’s Primer on Military Rank and Insignia

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.

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.

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.

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.

United States Army Ranks and Insignia

Where to Look

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.

All the branches follow pretty much the same pattern in regards to both factors, but there are some subtle differences.

Combat Uniform

Center of the chest: 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.

Service Dress Uniform

Enlisted: Both sleeves.

Officers: 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.

Army Enlisted Ranks & Insignia (from lowest to highest)

Rank Insignia
Private Second Class

Private First Class

Specialist

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.)

Sergeant

Staff Sergeant

Sergeant First Class

Master Sergeant

First Sergeant

Sergeant Major

Command Sergeant Major

Sergeant Major of the Army

Army Warrant Officer Ranks & Insignia

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.

Rank Insignia
Warrant Officer

Chief Warrant Officer Two

Chief Warrant Officer Three

Chief Warrant Officer Four

Chief Warrant Officer Five

Army Commissioned Officer Ranks & Insignia

Commissioned officers receive their authority from the President of the United States and take part in executive leadership training.

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.

Rank Insignia Shoulder Board
Second Lieutenant

First Lieutenant

Captain

Major

Lieutenant Colonel

Colonel

Brigadier General

Major General

Lieutenant General

General

General of the Army

United States Marine Corps Ranks and Insignia

Where to Look

Combat Uniform

Enlisted and officers: 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.

Service Uniform

Enlisted: Both sleeves.

Officers: Pins on both jacket epaulets and/or both shirt collars.

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.

Marine Enlisted Ranks & Insignia (from lowest to highest)

Rank Insignia
Private First Class

Lance Corporal

Corporal

Sergeant (From here on out, all ranks are considered non-commissioned officers.)

Staff Sergeant

Gunnery Sergeant

Master Sergeant

First Sergeant

Master Gunnery Sergeant

Sergeant Major

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

Marine Warrant Officer Ranks & Insignia

Rank Insignia
Warrant Officer

Chief Warrant Officer Two

Chief Warrant Officer Three

Chief Warrant Officer Four

Chief Warrant Officer Five

Marine Commissioned Officer Ranks & Insignia

Rank Insignia Shoulder Strap
Second Lieutenant

First Lieutenant

Captain

Major

Lieutenant Colonel

Colonel

Brigadier General

Major General

Lieutenant General

General

United States Air Force Ranks and Insignia

Where to Look

Air Combat Uniform

Enlisted: Both sleeves will have a black embroidered patch of the enlisted Airman’s rank.

Officer: Rank insignia is embroidered on both sides of the collar.

Service Dress Uniform

Enlisted: Both sleeves. You’ll see a blue and white patch on both the upper sleeves of the uniform.

Officers: Shoulder pins.

Air Force Enlisted Ranks & Insignia (from lowest to highest)

Rank Insignia
Airman

Airman First Class

Senior Airman

Staff Sergeant (From here on out, all ranks are considered non-commissioned officers.)

Technical Sergeant

Master Sergeant

Senior Master Sergeant

Chief Master Sergeant

Command Chief Master Sergeant

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force

Air Force Warrant Officer Ranks & Insignia

The Air Force discontinued the Warrant Officer grade in 1958.

Air Force Commissioned Officer Ranks & Insignia

Rank Insignia Shoulder Strap
Second Lieutenant

First Lieutenant

Captain

Major

Lieutenant Colonel

Colonel

Brigadier General

Major General

Lieutenant General

General

General of the Air Force

United States Navy Rates and Insignia

Where to Look

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

Navy Working Uniform

Enlisted and officers: 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.

Navy Service Uniform

Enlisted and officers: Pin on shirt collars. Both enlisted Seamen and officers display rank on the collar of their shirt when in service uniform.

Service/Full Dress Blue

Enlisted: Patch on the left sleeve.

Chief Petty Officers: Patch on the left sleeve.

Officers: Stripes on the bottom of both jacket sleeves.

Service/Full Dress White

Enlisted: Patch on the upper left sleeve.

Chief Petty Officer: Pins on both sides of the collar.

Officers: Boards on shoulders.

Navy Enlisted Rates & Insignia (from lowest to highest)

Rank Sleeve Insignia Collar Device
Seaman Apprentice

Seaman

Petty Officer Third Class (From here on out, all ranks are considered non-commissioned officers.)

Petty Officer Second Class

Petty Officer First Class

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.)