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US Army Ranks in Order 2023

There are so many ranks in the US Army, which can be confusing. In this post, we’ll look at the US Army ranks in their correct order:

  • Private: Lowest enlisted rank without any significant responsibility.
  • Private Second Class:  Soldiers receive this rank after completion of basic training
  • Private First Class: Soldiers get to this rank after one year of military service
  •  Specialist and Corporal: You’ll notice the E4 next to each; this refers to their pay grade. Specialists will be in charge of lower-ranked enlisted soldiers, generally having fewer responsibilities than a corporal. 
  • Sergeant: This is more of a leadership role. Here, a sergeant. 
  • Staff Sergeant: This role has similar duties to a regular sergeant, but they’ll generally be in charge of a more significant number of soldiers. 
  • Sergeant First Class: They generally have 15 to 18 years of military experience. 
  • Master Sergeant: The principal noncommissioned officer at the Battalion level. 
  • First Sergeant: The role is generally to discipline and counsel the soldiers in his unit. 
  • Sergeant Major: The chief administrative assistant for any army headquarters.
  • Command Sergeant Major: Is the enlisted advisor to the commanding officer. 
  • Sergeant Major of the Army: There is only one sergeant major in the entire army. He serves as the senior enlisted advisor and consults the army’s chief of staff. 
  • Warrant Officer 1. Warrant Officers are the adaptive technical experts, combat leaders, trainers, and advisors.
  • Chief Warrant Officer 2
  • Chief Warrant Officer 3
  • Chief Warrant Officer 4
  • Chief Warrant Officer 5
  • Second Lieutenant: This is the entry-level rank for most commissioned officers in the army. 
  • First Lieutenant: Promoted after 18 to 24 months of service. 
  • Captain: Captains will be in charge of a company. 
  • Major: They’re field grade officers and will serve as primary staff officers for the Brigade. 
  • Lieutenant Colonel: At this rank, they’ll be in charge of Battalion sized units. 
  • Colonel: They usually are put in charge of and command Brigades. 
  • Brigadier General: They serve as the deputy commander to the commanding General for army divisions. 
  • Major General: They’ll typically command a division unit.
  • Lieutenant General: Their main job typically consists of commanding corps-size units. 
  • General: At this rank, they command all operations that fall under their geographical area. And finally, you have
  • General of the Army. This rank is only used during times of war. 

Summary of rank and corresponding grade:

RankAbbreviationGrade
PrivatePvtE-1
Private Second ClassPV2E-2
Private First ClassPFCE-3
SpecialistSPCE-4
CorporalCPLE-4
SergeantSGTE-5
Staff SergeantSSGE-6
Sergeant First ClassSFCE-7
Master SergeantMSGE-8
First Sergeant1SGE-8
Sergeant MajorSGME-9
Command Sergeant MajorCSME-9
Sergeant Major of the ArmySMASpecial
Warrant Officer 1WO1W-1
Chief Warrant Officer 2CW2W-2
Chief Warrant Officer 3CW3W-3
Chief Warrant Officer 4CW4W-4
Chief Warrant Officer 5CW5W-5
Second Lieutenant2LTO-1
First Lieutenant1LTO-2
CaptainCPTO-3
MajorMAJO-4
Lieutenant ColonelLTCO-5
ColonelCOLO-6
Brigadier GeneralBGO-7
Major GeneralMGO-8
Lieutenant GeneralLTGO-9
GeneralGENO-10
General of the ArmyGOASpecial
US ARMY RANKS IN ORDER

Note: E = Enlisted, O = Officer. The grades indicate the pay grade and responsibility level associated with each rank.