US Army Rank Abbreviations
34 abbreviations · part of Military Abbreviations
Official abbreviations for US Army enlisted, warrant officer and commissioned officer ranks, from Private (PVT) to General of the Army (GA). Army regulations write rank abbreviations in capital letters without periods (SGT, CPT, LTC), unlike the Air Force and Marine Corps, which use mixed case (SSgt, Capt), and AP style, which uses forms such as Sgt. and Lt. Col. before a name in news copy. Each entry gives the pay grade, insignia and typical job held at that rank.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1LT | First Lieutenant (US Army) | Army officer rank at pay grade O-2, worn as a single silver bar. |
| 1SG | First Sergeant (US Army) | Army E-8 leadership position held by the senior NCO of a company, battery or troop, shown by a diamond set between the chevrons and three rockers. |
| 2LT | Second Lieutenant (US Army) | Entry-level Army commissioned officer rank, pay grade O-1, marked by a single gold bar. |
| BG | Brigadier General (US Army) | Lowest general officer rank in the Army, pay grade O-7, marked by one silver star. |
| CDT | Cadet (US Army) | Title for students training to become Army officers at the US Military Academy at West Point and in Army ROTC programs. |
| COL | Colonel (US Army) | Senior field-grade Army officer, pay grade O-6, whose insignia is a silver eagle. |
| Cpl | Corporal (US Marine Corps) | First Marine Corps noncommissioned officer grade, pay grade E-4, two chevrons above crossed rifles. |
| CPT | Captain (US Army) | Army officer rank at pay grade O-3, two silver bars. |
| CSM | Command Sergeant Major (US Army) | Army E-9 title for the senior enlisted leader of a battalion, brigade, division or larger command. |
| CW2 | Chief Warrant Officer 2 | Army warrant officer rank at pay grade W-2, usually reached about two years after appointment as WO1, at which point the officer receives a commission. |
| CW3 | Chief Warrant Officer 3 | Army warrant grade W-3, insignia a silver bar with three black squares. |
| CW4 | Chief Warrant Officer 4 | Senior Army warrant officer grade, pay grade W-4, shown by a silver bar with four black squares. |
| CW5 | Chief Warrant Officer 5 | Highest Army warrant officer rank, pay grade W-5, whose insignia is a silver bar with a single black line running lengthwise. |
| GA | General of the Army | Five-star Army rank created by Congress in December 1944 so senior US commanders would not be outranked by British field marshals. |
| GEN | General (US Army) | Highest active Army rank, pay grade O-10, worn as four silver stars. |
| LT | Lieutenant (US Navy and Coast Guard) | Sea-service officer rank at pay grade O-3 in the Navy and Coast Guard, worn as two silver bars or two gold sleeve stripes, equal to a captain in the Army, Air Force and… |
| LTC | Lieutenant Colonel (US Army) | Army officer rank at pay grade O-5, identified by a silver oak leaf. |
| LTG | Lieutenant General (US Army) | Army three-star general rank, pay grade O-9, held by corps and field army commanders and senior Pentagon leaders such as the Army's deputy chiefs of staff. |
| MAJ | Major (US Army) | First field-grade officer rank in the Army, pay grade O-4, marked by a gold oak leaf. |
| MG | Major General (US Army) | Army two-star general rank, pay grade O-8, usually held by division commanders and by commanders of major schools, centers and commands. |
| MSG | Master Sergeant | Army enlisted rank at pay grade E-8 with three chevrons over three rockers. |
| PFC | Private First Class (US Army) | Army enlisted rank at pay grade E-3, worn as one chevron above one rocker. |
| PV2 | Private (E-2) | Second enlisted grade in the Army, pay grade E-2, marked by a single chevron. |
| PVT | Private (US Army) | Lowest enlisted rank in the US Army, pay grade E-1, held by new recruits during and shortly after basic combat training. |
| SFC | Sergeant First Class | Senior NCO rank at pay grade E-7, three chevrons above two rockers. |
| SGM | Sergeant Major | Army enlisted rank at pay grade E-9, insignia three chevrons above three rockers with a star in the center. |
| SGT | Sergeant (US Army) | First of the Army's sergeant grades, pay grade E-5, worn as three chevrons. |
| SMA | Sergeant Major of the Army | Most senior enlisted position in the US Army, held by one soldier who advises the Army chief of staff and the secretary of the Army on all enlisted matters. |
| SP4 | Specialist 4 | Former Army enlisted rank at pay grade E-4, used from the late 1950s until 1985, when it was renamed Specialist (SPC). |
| SP5 | Specialist 5 | Former Army enlisted rank at pay grade E-5, paid like a sergeant but without NCO authority and worn by technicians such as medics, clerks and mechanics. |
| SPC | Specialist | Army enlisted rank at pay grade E-4 and one of the most populous grades in the service. |
| SSG | Staff Sergeant (US Army) | Army NCO rank at pay grade E-6, three chevrons above one rocker. |
| WO1 | Warrant Officer 1 (US Army) | Entry rank for Army warrant officers, pay grade W-1, appointed by warrant rather than commission. |
| WOC | Warrant Officer Candidate | Status of soldiers attending the Army's Warrant Officer Candidate School, the course that turns NCOs and selected civilians into WO1s. |
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