If you have no idea whatsoever about the rank structure followed in the U.S. Armed Forces, then this military ranks list will give you a brief information about the same.
Not many people out there would find it easy to differentiate between a Lieutenant Colonel and Lieutenant Commander … or any of the various other ranks in the United States military. The exuberance shown by the youth of this country when it comes to getting into a military school depicts how respectable a career in military forces is considered to be. While we do have utmost respect for the military forces of our nation, we seldom take any interest in understanding the various aspects of this powerful organization.
U.S. Military Ranks List
The United States Armed Forces (USAF) is an umbrella term used to refer to the military forces of the United States. The President of the United States is the head of the Armed Forces, while the Department of Defense (DoD) works as the executive authority for the same. The different branches of the military in the U.S. are …
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Marine Corps
- U.S. Navy
- U.S. Air Force
- U.S. Coast Guard
While the first four branches come directly under the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard is a neutral agency which is handed over to the Naval branch in times of emergency. In terms of active personnel, the United States Armed Forces ranks 2nd in the world. These personnel are categorized into three groups: commissioned officers, warrant officers, and non-commissioned officers.
U.S. Army
The U.S. Army is in charge of land-based military operations of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is headed by the General of the Army, a five-star general officer. This rank is only used during a war situation. There does exist a rank known as the General of the Armies, which is superior to the General of the Army, but it has been only conferred twice in the American history.
| Rank | Abbreviation |
| General of the Army | GA |
| General | GEN |
| Lieutenant General | LTG |
| Major General | MG |
| Brigadier General | BG |
| Colonel | COL |
| Lieutenant Colonel | LTC |
| Major | MAJ |
| Captain | CPT |
| First Lieutenant | 1LT |
| Second Lieutenant | 2LT |
| Chief Warrant Officer 5 | CW5 |
| Chief Warrant Officer 4 | CW4 |
| Chief Warrant Officer 3 | CW3 |
| Chief Warrant Officer 2 | CW2 |
| Warrant Officer | WO1 |
| Sergeant Major of the Army | SMA |
| Command Sergeant Major | CSM |
| Sergeant Major | SGM |
| First Sergeant | 1SG |
| Master Sergeant | MSG |
| Sergeant First Class | SFC |
| Staff Sergeant | SSG |
| Sergeant | SGT |
| Corporal | CPL |
| Specialist | SPC |
| Private First Class | PFC |
| Private 2 | PV2 |
| Private | PVT |
U.S. Marine Corps
Even though the Marines form a component of the United States Department of the Navy, it is considered a separate branch of the Armed Forces.
| Rank | Abbreviation |
| General | Gen |
| Lieutenant General | LtGen |
| Major General | MajGen |
| Brigadier General | BGen |
| Colonel | Col |
| Lieutenant Colonel | LtCol |
| Major | Maj |
| Captain | Capt |
| First Lieutenant | 1stLt |
| Second Lieutenant | 2ndLt |
| Chief Warrant Officer 5 | CW5 |
| Chief Warrant Officer 4 | CW4 |
| Chief Warrant Officer 3 | CW3 |
| Chief Warrant Officer 2 | CW2 |
| Warrant Officer 1 | WO1 |
| Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps | SgtMajMarCor |
| Sergeant Major | SgtMaj |
| Master Gunnery Sergeant | MGySgt |
| First Sergeant | 1stSgt |
| Master Sergeant | MSgt |
| Gunnery Sergeant | GySgt |
| Staff Sergeant | SSgt |
| Sergeant | Sgt |
| Corporal | Cpl |
| Lance Corporal | LCpl |
| Private First Class | PFC |
| Private | Pvt |
U.S. Navy
The largest naval force in the world, the U.S. Navy has a total strength which easily outweighs the combined strength of the next ten largest naval organizations in the world. It is headed by the Fleet Admiral.
| Rank | Abbreviation |
| Fleet Admiral | FADM |
| Admiral Chief of Naval Operations (Commandant of the Coast Guard) |
ADM |
| Vice Admiral | VADM |
| Rear Admiral (upper half) | RADM |
| Rear Admiral (lower half) | RDML |
| Captain | CAPT |
| Commander | CDR |
| Lieutenant Commander | LCDR |
| Lieutenant | LT |
| Lieutenant, Junior Grade | LTJG |
| Ensign | ENS |
| Chief Warrant Officer 5 | CWO5 |
| Chief Warrant Officer 4 | CWO4 |
| Chief Warrant Officer 3 | CWO3 |
| Chief Warrant Officer 2 | CWO2 |
| Warrant Officer | WO1 |
| Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy | MCPON |
| Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard | MPCOCG |
| Force Master Chief Petty Officer | FORCM |
| Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer | FLTCM |
| Command Master Chief Petty Officer | MCPOC |
| Master Chief Petty Officer | MCPO |
| Senior Chief Petty Officer | SCPO |
| Chief Petty Officer | CPO |
| Petty Officer 1st Class | PO1 |
| Petty Officer 2nd Class | PO2 |
| Petty Officer 3rd Class | PO3 |
| Seaman | SN |
| Seaman Apprentice | SA |
| Seaman Recruit | SR |
U.S. Air Force
The Air Force is a branch of the USAF which is in charge of aerial and space warfare. The General of the Air Force, a five-star officer, heads the operations of this branch of the forces.
| Rank | Abbreviation |
| General of the Air Force | GOAF |
| General Air Force Chief of Staff | Gen |
| Lieutenant General | Lt Gen |
| Major General | Maj Gen |
| Brigadier General | Brig Gen |
| Colonel | Col |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Lt Col |
| Major | Maj |
| Captain | Capt |
| First Lieutenant | 1st Lt |
| Second Lieutenant | 2d Lt |
| Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force | CMSAF |
| Command Chief Master Sergeant | CCM |
| Chief Master Sergeant | CMSgt |
| Senior Master Sergeant | SMSgt |
| Senior Master Sergeant | SMSgt |
| Master Sergeant | MSgt |
| Technical Sergeant | TSgt |
| Staff Sergeant | SSgt |
| Senior Airman or Sergeant | SrA |
| Airman First Class | A1C |
| Airman | Amn |
| Airman Basic | AB |
In order to have such a large army, the nation has to spend a significant amount of its GDP on defense. The United States spends a whopping US$ 692 billion on its military forces, which accounts for roughly around 43 percent of the world military expenditure.