Military rank question

RedXIV

Hi guys, i need to sort these in order of military rank. can anyone give me some guidence? thanks in advance!

Recruit

Private

Private (1st class)

Sergeant

2nd Lieutenant

Captain

Colonel

Lieutenant Colonel

Staff Sergeant

Brigadier General

Commander

Corporal

First Sergeant

General

Gunnery Sergeant

Lance Corporal

Lieutenant General

Major

Major General

Master Gunnery Sergeant

Master Sergeant

Platoon Sergeant

Sergeant Major

Warrant Officer

helimachoptor

Recruit
Private
Private first class
Lance Corporal
Corporal
Sergeant
Staff Sergeant + Gunnery Sergeant (marines)
Platoon sergeant
First Sergeant
Master Sergeant
Sergeant Major + Master Gunnery Sergeant (marines)

Warrant Officer

2nd Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel + commander (navy)
Colonel
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General


Enlisted there may be a couple of errors, officers are spot on though!

RedXIV

Thats great! cheers mate, if someone wanted to confirm the enlisted for me, i'd be pretty ok with that too!

helimachoptor

http://www.easternct.edu/personal/faculty/pocock/ranks.htm

Wiki is probably good for it.
Warrant officers are for want of a better term in between enlisted and commisioned officers. Also commander is a navy rank.
Manic Moran is currently serving and should set it right as as far as I know he was enlisted but is now an officer.

RedXIV

That link is great! thanks a million for your help man really appreciate it!

Manic Moran

I'm going to be one or two different from Helimachoptor, the problem is that you're mixing up ranks with different services (and even countries).


Private PV 1 (USAY) / Recruit (USMC) / Private (USMC)
Private PV 2 (USAY) / Private 1st Class (USMC)
Private (1st class) (USAY) / Lance Corporal (USMC)
Corporal (US)
Sergeant (US) / Lance Corporal (Not US)
Staff Sergeant (US) / Corporal (Not US)
Gunnery Sergeant (USMC) / Platoon Sergeant /Sergeant (Not US)
First Sergeant / Master Sergeant / Staff Sergeant (UK) / Warrant Officer 2 (UK)
Master Gunnery Sergeant (USMC) / Sergeant Major (USAY & USMC) / Warrant Officer 1 (UK)
Warrant Officer (US)
2nd Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel / Commander (Navy)
Colonel
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General

This is simply a list in increasing grade, it has no reference to position per se. For example, one can be a PV1 in a line unit after completing Basic, or in my case I went through Basic as a Specialist, which is the same pay grade as a Corporal. Bear in mind also that the US is very Sergeant heavy. What is a corporal's position in British-styled armies is held by a Sergeant or Staff Sergeant in the US. A US corporal is pretty rare, the purpose of the rank is to give authority of rank to troops who do not make the minimum requirements such as time in service to make Sergeant. Thus, a British or Irish "sergeant" is far higher in effective rank than a US sergeant, the US Army's equivalent being the unmentioned Sergeant First Class.

Of course, the list is also not all-inclusive, I only sequenced the ranks you listed.

steyr fan

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=16149.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_insignia_of_NATO_Armies_Enlisted

Not sure if this helps, but it is interesting.

Tenger

Manic Moran wrote: »

I'm going to be one or two different from Helimachoptor, the problem is that you're mixing up ranks with different services (and even countries).

For example, one can be a PV1 in a line unit after completing Basic, or in my case I went through Basic as a Specialist, which is the same pay grade as a Corporal. Bear in mind also that the US is very Sergeant heavy. What is a corporal's position in British-styled armies is held by a Sergeant or Staff Sergeant in the US. ............................Thus, a British or Irish "sergeant" is far higher in effective rank than a US sergeant, the US Army's equivalent being the unmentioned Sergeant First Class.

I have wondered at the term specialist myself. So I should view it as a corporal. Also the number of sargeant postions had puzzled me before,didn't realise the US were sarge-heavy.

Hagar

I know it wasn't on the OP's original list but for the sake of completeness shouldn't we insert a Lieutenant between 2nd Lieutenant and Captain?

Manic Moran

Bramble wrote: »

I have wondered at the term specialist myself.

Specialist is a hold-over from the old ranking system which started out with Tech Sergeants back in WWII. It was a ranking system which allowed for pay and benefits in recognition of skills, without giving authority of rank. For example, you could have a genius electronics mechanic who had been working radars for the last fifteen years who would hold down a six-figure job in the civilian sector, but who couldn't make a tactical or leadership decision to save his life. Thus he would be something like a Spec-7, which for insignia was the specialist shield with three rockers on top: His pay grade would be equivalent to an E-7 Sergeant First Class, but he would have no authority of rank over anyone. In the 1980s, the last of the rockered Specialist ranks was removed, leaving only the Specialist-4, now just called 'Specialist.'

In practical terms today, it's basically a highly-paid private. He's got experience or skills which are valuable to the Army, and thus he's earned the right to more money in pay grade. But he can't order anyone around. A corporal, who is exactly the same pay grade, can order people around, including Specialists. A US Corporal fills a Sergeant's slot and does a Sergeant's job, he just hasn't met the minimum Sergeant's requirements yet. Usually only switched-on types hit corporal, the usual progression is PFC-Spec-SGT.

NTM

Fratton Fred

Hagar wrote: »

I know it wasn't on the OP's original list but for the sake of completeness shouldn't we insert a Lieutenant between 2nd Lieutenant and Captain?

and, of course, insist on them being called Leftenant rather than lootenant

helimachoptor

Fratton Fred wrote: »

and, of course, insist on them being called Leftenant rather than lootenant

Thats always bugged me! what are they pronounced leftenant?

King Ludvig

Lootenent is french