Military Rank Charts

The Military Ranking Chart describes military personnel's job title and pay rate. While job title tends to differ between the branches, base pay, which is based on rank and time-in-service, does not. Understanding the military ranking chart will help you understand the rank of military personnel, their job titles and, to some degree, the responsibilities with which they have been entrusted.

History

The arrangement of the current United States Military organization has remained unchanged for the most part since 1947. There are five branches in the United States Military--Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard--and three different classifications--enlisted, warrant officers and commissioned officers.

Significance

Enlisted personnel are specialists who have volunteered to join the military during times of peace. As they move through the ranks, they may become noncommissioned officers who, under the supervision of a commissioned officer, command troops. A warrant officer is a very specialized category of military personnel.

Function

The military ranking system serves as a means to guide a soldier's advancement through the ranks based on seniority and achievement.

Identification

Each of the five military branches have their own titles, but they all follow the same pay scale. It starts with E-1 for enlisted soldiers and culminates at E-9. For warrant officers, the ranking system starts at W-1 and ceases at W-5, and for commissioned officers, it's O-1 through O-10.

Types

While the system is uniform among the five branches of the United States Military in regards to pay scale, insignias and titles differ from branch to branch.

Resources

• View U.S. Military Ranking Charts here.