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An enlisted member enters the Army as a Private. After completing basic training, the enlisted recuits advances to Private First Class. The next notable advancement is to a Noncommissioned Officer.

The highest rank attainable in the Army is the five-star General of the Army . Often called a "five-star general", the rank of General of the Army has historically been reserved for wartime use and is not currently active in the U.S. Army.

The table below lists all the standard ranks in the U.S. Army and their respective pay grades, insignias, abbreviations, and classifications. Click any rank to view detailed information about that rank's duties, pay, promotions, and more.

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Enlisted
Junior Enlisted E-1 through E-4

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There are 13 enlisted Army ranks: private, private second class, private first class, specialist, corporal, sergeant, staff sergeant, sergeant first class, master sergeant, first sergeant, sergeant major, command sergeant major and sergeant major of the Army.
In general terms, these Army ranks are broken down into three groups -- Junior Enlisted (E-1 through E-4), NCOs (E-4 through E-6) and Senior NCOs (E-7 through E-9).
The term as a military rank seems to come from the 16th century when individuals had the privilege of enlisting or making private contracts to serve as private soldiers in military units. Before then, many soldiers were forced (conscripted) into service by royalty or feudal lords.
Some sources claim that the use of "private" as an official "rank" dates back to the 18th century, when the French Army, under Napoleon, established the permanent rank of Soldat.
Junior Enlisted in the Army -- privates and specialists -- are promoted automatically based on their time in service and time in pay grade. Privates (E-1) are promoted to private 2nd class after completing six months of service, and PV2s normally are promoted to PFC when they have 12 months' time in service and four months' time in grade. In general, soldiers earn the rank of specialist (E-4) after having served a minimum of two years and attending a specific training class.
Private, the lowest Army rank, normally is held only by new recruits while at Basic Combat Training (BCT), but the rank occasionally is assigned to soldiers after a disciplinary action has been taken. The Army private (E-1) wears no uniform insignia.
Private 2nd class (PV2) is the first promotion most enlisted soldiers can earn after completing BCT. The private's job is to apply the new skills and knowledge learned during basic training and to continue to learn how to follow orders given by higher-ranked supervisors.
Private first classes (PFC) are the basic workforce strength and rank of the U.S. Army. PFC is the point in which junior enlisted soldiers begin the transition from apprentice to journeyman by developing technical and leadership skills.
Specialist (SPC) is considered one of the junior enlisted ranks in the U.S. Army. Ranked above private first class (E-3) and holding the same pay grade as the corporal, the specialist is not considered an NCO.
The specialist's job is focused on technical expertise, and they normally have less personnel leadership responsibilities than corporals. They often are promoted to the E-4 pay grade due to enlisting. Those enlisting with a four-year college degree or who have certain specialized civilian skills or training can enter BCT as a specialist.
Army Non-Commissioned Officers (E-4 to E-6)
Like nearly all the other branches of the Armed Forces, the United States Army consider all ranks E-4 and above to be NCOs. Corporals (E-4) are referred to as junior NCOs, however, they are given the same respect as any other NCO.
The rank of corporal was established in 1775 with the birth of the Army and the NCO Corps. Along with the rank of sergeant, the corporal is the only rank that never has disappeared from the NCO Corps.
The rank of corporal always has been placed at the base of the NCO ranks. For the most part, corporals have served as the smallest unit leaders in the Army: principally, leaders of teams.
Like the grade of sergeant, corporals are responsible for individual training, personal appearance and cleanliness of their soldiers.
As the command sergeant major is known as the epitome of success in the NCO Corps, the corporal is the beginning of the NCO Corps. As the NCO Corps is known as the backbone of the Army, the corporal is the backbone of the NCO Corps.
Information Courtesy of the U.S. Army
Moving up the Army ranks: Normally, unit commanders may advance PFCs to corporal once they have met the following qualifications:
Like the junior enlisted ranks, commanders may advance soldiers on an accelerated basis.
Sergeants (SGT) operate in an environment where the sparks fly -- where the axe meets the stone. Although not the lowest level of rank where command is exercised, this level is the first at which enlisted soldiers are referred to as sergeant, and of all the grades of the NCO, this one, very possibly, has the greatest impact on the lower ranking-soldiers. Privates, who are the basic manpower strength and grade of the Army, generally have sergeants as their first NCO leader. It is the grade sergeant that the privates will look to for example.
Like the next grade, the staff sergeant, the sergeant is responsible for the individual training, personal appearance and the cleanliness of their soldiers.
The sergeant also is responsible for insuring that:
The authority of the sergeant is equal to that of any other grade or rank of the NCO. Professionally competent leaders inherently command respect for their authority, and the sergeant must be unquestionably competent in order to carry out the mission correctly, accomplish each task and care for assigned soldiers.
The rank of sergeant is not a position for learning how to become a leader; no apprenticeship here. While certainly the new sergeant will be developing new skills, strengthening old ones and generally getting better, he is a sergeant and is therefore no less a professional than those grades of rank to follow.
Moving up the Army ranks: Unlike the promotion processes for privates, specialists and corporals, promotions to sergeant (SGT) and staff sergeant (SSG) is based on an Army-wide competition. The competition is based on a point system that grants points for firing range scores, performance evaluations, physical fitness, education level, awards and promotion board ranking.
Corporals and specialists must meet the following basic eligibility criteria to compete:
The staff sergeant rank closely parallels that of the sergeant in duties and responsibilities. In fact, the basic duties and responsibility of all the NCO ranks never change, but there are significant differences between this step in the NCO structure and the preceding one.
The major difference between the staff sergeant and the sergeant is not, as often mistakenly believed, authority but rather sphere of influence. The staff sergeant is in daily contact with large numbers of soldiers and generally has more equipment and other property to maintain.
The SSG often has one or more sergeants who work under their direct leadership. The SSG is responsible for the continued successful development of sergeants as well as the soldiers in their section, squad or team.
Moving up the Army ranks: SSG candidates must meet the following basic eligibility criteria to compete:
Although the Army does not make the official distinction in the rank structure, enlisted ranks of sergeant first class and above (E-7 to E-9) generally are referred to as Senior NCOs, and they carry increasing levels of responsibility and demand greater levels of respect and deference.
Although there are only three pay grades, the SNCO ranks actually cover six separate ranks or designations -- sergeant first class (platoon sergeant), master sergeant, first sergeant, sergeant major, command sergeant major and sergeant major of the Army.
Unlike the promotion processes for private through staff sergeant, unit commanders have little to do with the promotion process to the SNCO ranks. These promotions are centralized completely at the Headquarters of the Department of the Army (HQDA).
There is no minimum time-in-grade (TIG) requirement for promotion to the Army SNCO ranks, but candidates must meet the following minimum time-in-service (TIS) requirements to be eligible for promotion:
The SFC is the first level at which the term senior NCO properly applies. The platoon sergeant or sergeant first class generally has 15 to 18 years or more of military experience and is expected to bring that experience to bear in quick, accurate decisions that are in the best interest of the mission and the soldier.
Depending on experience and billet assignments, the SFC's role may be that of platoon sergeant or NCOIC (NCO in Charge) of the section.
Platoon sergeant is a duty position, not a rank. The platoon sergeant is the primary assistant and adviser to the platoon leader, with the responsibility of training and caring for soldiers. The platoon sergeant takes charge of the platoon in the absence of the platoon leader. Platoon sergeants teach collective and individual tasks to soldiers in their squads, crews or equivalent small units.
The position title of platoon sergeant is considered key in the command structure of the Army. The platoon sergeant generally has several staff sergeants who work under his direct leadership.
During the Vietnam era, the platoon sergeant was referred to affectionately as the "Plat-Daddy," and although the term has since faded, the role remains that of the "Father of the Platoon."
The master sergeant is the principal NCO at the battalion level, and often higher. They are not charged with all the leadership responsibilities of a first sergeant, but are expected to dispatch leadership and other duties with the same professionalism.
When you are talking about the first sergeant, you are talking about the lifeblood of the Army. When 1SGs are exceptional, their units are exceptional, regardless of any other single personality involved. Perhaps their rank insignia should be the keystone rather than the traditional one depicted here. It is the first sergeant at whom almost all unit operations merge. The first sergeant holds formations, instructs platoon sergeants, advises the commander and assists in training of all enlisted members.
The 1SG may swagger and appear, at times, somewhat of an exhibitionist, but he is not egotistical. The first sergeant is proud of the unit and understandably wants others to be aware of his unit's success.
The title of address for this grade is not sergeant but first sergeant. There is a unique relationship of confidence and respect that exists between the first sergeant and the commander not found at another level within the Army.
In the German Army, the first sergeant is referred to as the "Mother of the Company." The first sergeant is the provider, the disciplinarian, the wise counselor, the tough and unbending foe, the confidant, the sounding board, everything that we need in a leader during our personal success or failure. The Mother of the Company...
The sergeant major i s the key enlisted member of staff elements at levels higher than battalion. The sergeant major's experience and ability are equal to that of the command sergeant major, but the sphere of influence regarding leadership is limited generally to those directly under his charge.
Enlisted soldiers who attain the distinction of being selected by the Department of the Army for participation in the command sergeants major program are the epitome of success in their chosen field. There is no higher grade of rank, except sergeant major of the Army, for enlisted soldiers, and there is no greater honor.
The command sergeant major carries out policies and standards of the performance, training, appearance and conduct of enlisted personnel. The command sergeant major advises and initiates recommendations to the commander and staff in matters pertaining to the local NCO support channel.
Perhaps slightly wiser and more experienced than the first sergeant, the CSM is expected to function completely without supervision. Like the old sage of times past, the command sergeant major's counsel is expected to be calm, settled and unequivocally accurate, but with an energy and enthusiasm that never wanes, even in the worst of times.
Assignable to any billet in the Army, the CSM is all those things, and more, of each of the preceding grades of rank.
The sergeant major of the Army (SMA) is a rank held by only one enlisted soldier at a time. The holder of this rank is the most senior enlisted member in the Army. The SMA's primary function is to address the issues of enlisted soldiers at the Army's highest levels. The SMA is the senior enlisted adviser to the Army Chief of Staff and is selected based on their outstanding leadership, extensive experience and ability to communicate up and down the Army chain of command. The SMA is giving the highest level of honor and respect of any other enlisted soldier.
Each SMA's duties are determined by the current chief of staff. As a rule, though, the SMA serves as the Army hierarchy's eyes and ears, keeping the chief of staff abreast on virtually any subject that affects enlisted soldiers and their families.
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Growing up, most kids have that one friend with the incredibly strict parent. You know the one—the mom or dad who instills fear in everyone so that no one ever misbehaves around them, ever. There might also be a lot of yes ma’ams and no sirs involved.
Well, it’s easy to joke that these parents are as strict as military officers. But in reality, not everyone knows the difference between the military ranks—are they as strict as generals , corporals , or privates ? And what’s the major difference between these three distinguished rankings ? Let’s take a closer look.
As an adjective, private refers to something that belongs to a particular person, like private property or information. As a noun, it is defined as “a soldier of one of the three lowest enlisted ranks.”
In the US Army, private is the lowest ranking that is usually given during basic combat training to a soldier without a four-year degree. From there, a soldier can move up the ranks to private second class , private first class , and specialist before becoming a corporal .
How would you use the term private ? Here’s an example: Although he struggled at following demands and taking orders from others in his youth, the new private was thriving in the structure of this role .
Private ‘s first recorded use related to officer ranks dates back to the mid-1700s . The word is derived from the Latin word prīvātus (“private,” as in belonging to a particular person).
As an adjective, the word corporal can refer to the human body. But as a noun, it refers to the military . Corporal can be defined as “a noncommissioned officer ranking above a private first class in the U.S. Army or lance corporal in the Marines and below a sergeant.” It can also refer to a similar rank in other countries’ armed services as well as a U.S. surface-to-surface, single-stage ballistic missile .
A corporal is a team leader of the smallest Army units. For example: Although she should be proud of her status as a corporal in the Army, she won’t be happy until she is officially a sergeant.
Corporal was first recorded around 1570–80 and is derived from the Latin word corporālis (“bodily”).
In the US Army, a sergeant is “ a noncommissioned army officer of a rank above that of corporal. ” A sergeant oversees soldiers daily tasks and they often lead a team or section of soldiers that are slightly bigger than a corporal’s team but usually only up to four soldiers.
There are levels of sergeant including s taff Sergeant , s ergeant first class, master sergeant, first sergeant , and sergeant major.
The term sergeant was first recorded in 1150–1200 from Middle English.
There are two lieutenant ranks in the US Military: second lieutenant and first lieutenant . The second lieutenant is “ an Army, Air Force, or Marine officer of the lowest commissioned rank ,” and the first lieutenant is “ an officer ranking next above second lieutenant and next below a captain. ” So, the lieutena
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