Officer Ranks
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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.

  U.S. Army U.S. Navy
 		 U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Air Force
U.S. Coast Guard
O1
Second Lieutenant
2LT

U.S. Army Officer Second LT
 
Ensign
ENS

Second Lieutenant
2nd Lt.

U.S. Marine Corps Officer Second Lt 		Second Lieutenant
2nd Lt.

U.S. Air Force Officer Second Lt
O2 First Lieutenant
1LT

U.S. Army Officer First LT

 		 Lieutenant Junior Grade
LTJG

U.S. Navy/CoastGuard Officer Lieutenant Junior Grade

 		 First Lieutenant
1st Lt.

U.S. Marine Corps Officer First Lt 		First Lieutenant
1st Lt.

U.S. Air Force Officer First Lt
O3
Captain
CPT

U.S. Army Officer Captain 		Lieutenant
LT

U.S. Navy/CoastGuard Officer Lieutenant
 
Captain
Capt.

U.S. Marine Corps Officer Captain



Captain
Capt.

U.S. Air Force Officer Captain


 
O4

Major
MAJ

Army Officer Major

 		 Lieutenant Commander
LCDR

Navy/CoastGuard Officer Lieutenant Commander

 
Major
Maj.

Marine Corps Officer Major
Major
Maj.

Air Force Officer Major
O5
Lieutenant Colonel
LTC

Army Officer LT Colonel

 		 Commander
CDR


Navy/CoastGuard Officer Commander
Lieutenant Colonel
Lt. Col.

Marine Corps Officer Lt Colonel
 		 Lieutenant Colonel
Lt. Col.

Air Force Officer Lt. Colonel
Enlisted Rank Insignia Page U.S. Military Rank Insignia

 

W1
Warrant Officer 1
WO1

U.S. Army Warrant Officer 1		 Warrant Officer 1
W-1
* The grade of Warrant Officer W-1 is no longer in use.


 
Warrant Officer 1
WO

U.S. Marine Corps Warrant Officer 1		 NO WARRANT
W2 Chief Warrant Officer 2
CW2


U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2
 		 Chief Warrant
Officer 2
CWO2


U.S. Navy/Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 		Chief Warrant Officer 2
CWO2

U.S. Marine Corps Warrant Officer 2
 		 NO WARRANT
W3 Chief Warrant Officer 3
CW3


U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 		Chief Warrant
Officer 3
CWO3


Navy/Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3 		Chief Warrant Officer 3
CWO3

Marine Corps Warrant Officer 3

 		 NO WARRANT
W4 Chief Warrant Officer 4
CW4

Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 		Chief Warrant
Officer 4
CWO4


U.S. Navy/Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 		Chief Warrant Officer 4
CWO4

U.S. Marine Corps Warrant Officer 4
 		 NO WARRANT
W5 Chief Warrant Officer
CW5



 		 NO
CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER
CWO5 		Chief Warrant Officer 5
CWO5

U.S. Marine Corps Warrant Officer 5 		NO WARRANT
Enlisted Rank Insignia Page U.S. Military Rank Insignia
Last modified: 02/10/08