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Military Rank

Military rank is the system of structural organization in all the three wings of the armed forces - army, navy and the air force. Seniority and command are the basis in this structure. This defines the responsibilities and authority for different military ranks. With each increase in army rank, the responsibility for personnel, equipment, and mission increases. Therefore, there are separate training programs for different levels of personnel in the armed forces.

Most of the modern military services categorize the military ranks in three broad categories. The US Armed forces follow the same structure. The three military rank categories are "commissioned officers", "non-commissioned officers" and "men".

There are four military ranks in the category of commissioned officer. On top are the Flag Officers- the Commodores, Admirals, Generals and Marshals. They are in command of a brigade or a larger unit. The Field Grade Officers occupy the second position in the hierarchy. They lead a battalion, a regiment, or a large warship. The next are the Company Grade or Junior Officers. This army rank includes officers like captains, lieutenants and ensigns. In any of the armed forces, the Warrant Officers come in the last category of the commissioned officers. Their position is different in different armed forces. They do not serve in command positions. Warrant officers get the position of commissioned officers because of their technical skills.

The non commissioned officers in military are the enlisted personnel with significant administrative responsibilities. Generally, they supervise other soldiers. The Sergeants are in the military rank of non commissioned officers in Army, Air Force or Marines. In the Navy, they are the Petty officers. The specialists and the private soldiers also come in the enlisted military ranks.

Military rank is not synonymous with pay grade. The pay grades such as E-1, W-2 and O-5 are for organizing the pay structure in different wings of the military services. Personnel of similar pay grade may have different military ranks. For example, master gunnery sergeants and sergeant majors share the same pay grade of E-9s in the Marines. However, the sergeant major occupies a higher rank.