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Officer Rank Insignias

Officer ranks in the United States military consist of commissioned officers and warrant officers. The commissioned ranks are the highest in the military. These officers hold presidential commissions and are confirmed at their ranks by the Senate. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps officers are called company grade officers in the pay grades of O-1 to O-3, field grade officers in pay grades O-4 to O-6 and general officers in pay grades O-7 and higher. The equivalent officer groupings in the Navy are called junior grade, mid-grade and flag.

Warrant officers hold warrants from their service secretary and are specialists and experts in certain military technologies or capabilities. The lowest ranking warrant officers serve under a warrant, but they receive commissions from the president upon promotion to chief warrant officer 2. These commissioned warrant officers are direct representatives of the president of the United States. They derive their authority from the same source as commissioned officers but remain specialists, in contrast to commissioned officers, who are generalists. There are no warrant officers in the Air Force.

Naval officers wear distinctively different rank devices depending upon the uniform they're wearing. The three basic uniforms and rank devices used are: khakis, collar insignia pins; whites, stripes on shoulder boards; and blues, stripes sewn on the lower coat sleeves.

Enlisted Insignias Main Insignia Page

  Army 

Navy


Coast Guard
Marine Corps  Air Force 
W1  

Warrant Officer 1
WO1 

Army Warrant Officer 1

USN Warrant
Officer 1 — WO1  

USN Warrant Officer 1

 Warrant Officer 1
 WO  

Marines Warrant Officer 1

NO WARRANT 
W2 

Chief Warrant Officer 2
CW2 

Army Chief Warrant Officer

USN Chief Warrant
 Officer 2 — CWO2

CWO 2 


USCG 

 

uscg Warrant Officers 2

Chief Warrant Officer 2
 CWO2 

Marines Chief Warrant Officer 2

NO WARRANT 
W3 

Chief Warrant Officer 3
CW3 

Army CW3

USN Chief Warrant
Officer 3 — CWO3

Navy CWO3 


USCG      

Coast Guard CWO3

Chief Warrant Officer 3
CWO3

Marines CWO3 

NO WARRANT 
W4 

Chief Warrant Officer 4
CW4 

Army CW4

USN Chief Warrant
Officer 4 — CWO4

Navy CWO4 


USCG    

Coast Guard CWO4

Chief Warrant Officer 4
CWO4 

Marines CWO4

NO WARRANT  
W5 

Chief Warrant Officer 5
CW5 

Army CW5

USN Chief Warrant
Officer 5 — CWO5

Navy CWO5 

Chief Warrant Officer 5
CWO5   

Marines CWO5

NO WARRANT  
  Army  Navy
Coast Guard
Marines  Air Force 
O1 

Second Lieutenant
2LT

2nd LT  

Ensign
ENS

Navy Ensign

Second Lieutenant
2ndLt

2nd LT 

Second Lieutenant
2d Lt 

2nd LT

O2 

First Lieutenant
1LT 

1st LT

Lieutenant Junior Grade
LTJG  

LTJG

First Lieutenant
1stLt 

1st LT

First Lieutenant
1st Lt 

1st LT

O3 

Captain
CPT  

Captain

Lieutenant
LT

LT 

Captain
Capt 

Captain

Captain
Capt

Captain

O4 

Major
MAJ 

Major

Lieutenant Commander
LCDR 

LCDR

Major
Maj 

Major

Major
Maj 

Major

O5 

Lieutenant Colonel
LTC

LTC  

Commander
CDR 

CDR

Lieutenant Colonel
LtCol

LTC  

Lieutenant Colonel
Lt Col

LTC

O6 

Colonel
COL  

Col

Captain
CAPT

CAPT 

Colonel
Col 

COL

Colonel
Col

COL

O7 

Brigadier General
BG 

BG 

Rear Admiral
Lower Half
RDML 

RDML

Brigadier General
BGen 

BG

Brigadier General
Brig Gen

BG

O8 

Major General
MG 

MajGen

Rear Admiral
Upper Half
RADM 

Rear Admiral

Major General
MajGen

MajGen 

Major General
Maj Gen

MajGen

O9 

Lieutenant
General
LTG

LTG 

Vice Admiral
VADM

VADM 

Lieutenant
General
LtGen

LTG 

Lieutenant
General
Lt Gen

O10 

General
GEN
Army Chief of Staff

gen 

Admiral
ADM
Chief of Naval Operations

 and

Commandant of the
Coast Guard

ADM 

General
Gen 
Commandant of the
Marine Corps 

Gen

 General
Gen
Air Force Chief of Staff

Gen

 

General of the Army
(Reserved for wartime only)

5 Stars 

Fleet Admiral
(Reserved for wartime only)

 

 

General of the Air Force
(Reserved for wartime only)

5 stars 

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