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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;When it comes to ranks, rates, and pay grades in the military between all the different branches, it can be somewhat confusing. \u00A0As you get more familiar with the charts of each service describing the ranks and insignia used to represent certain ranks, rates, and pay grades, you will see each service has its own system. \u00A0With time, putting these charts to memory will serve you well especially if you plan on serving in any of the branches of service.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The U.S. military has specific terms to denote authority and responsibility, and these terms vary depending on the branch. In the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.army.mil&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Army&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.af.mil&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Air Force&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.marines.mil&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Marines&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, a member&amp;amp;#39;s rank determines his or her status, time in service typically, and authority relative to other members. For instance, in the Army, a lieutenant outranks no one in the officer corps. \u00A0However, in the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.navy.mil/index.asp&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Navy&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, a Lieutenant is the same rank as a Captain in the Army. \u00A0There are generals and admirals who hold the same rank but are of different services. \u00A0There are sergeants and petty officers, gunnies and chiefs all of the same rank and pay grade, but serving in a different branch of service with different corresponding insignia.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In the Navy and Coast Guard, the term &amp;amp;#34;rate&amp;amp;#34; is used for enlisted sailors instead of &amp;amp;#34;rank&amp;amp;#34; but rate also describes the job or &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.thebalance.com/army-enlisted-job-mos-descriptions-3346187&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;MOS &amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;that sailor is qualified to do. The Army and USMC use the term MOS while the Navy and Coast Guard use the term rate to denote the job of the enlisted personnel. \u00A0For instance, a BM2 stands for boatswains mate second class petty officer, also know as an E-5 pay grade in the Navy.\u00A0There are three main categories of rank and rate: Enlisted personnel, warrant officers, and commissioned officers.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The stripes and bars worn on the shoulders of the military uniform denote a person&amp;amp;#39;s rank or rate and are called insignia.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Enlisted Members&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Enlisted members are trained to perform specialties within the military. As an enlisted member moves up the ranks, he or she assumes more responsibility.\u00A0Enlisted personnel in certain grades have a special status known as non-commissioned officer status, or NCO. In the Navy and Coast Guard, such enlisted are called petty officers. In the Marine Corps, NCO status begins at the grade of E-4, which has the rank of corporal.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Warrant Officers&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Warrant officers are highly-trained specialists who have an area of technical expertise, such as helicopter pilot. Warrant officers are found in each branch in the military except the Air Force, which discontinued appointing warrant officers in 1959. Unlike commissioned officers, warrant officers remain in their primary specialty to provide specialized knowledge and instruction to enlisted members and commissioned officers.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Commissioned Officers&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The highest-ranking members of the military are the commissioned officers. While some of them specialize in a given area, many rise through the ranks. A bachelor&amp;amp;#39;s degree and in some cases a master&amp;amp;#39;s degree is required before an enlisted member can become a commissioned officer.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Pay Grades&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The term &amp;amp;#34;grade&amp;amp;#34; describes personnel and pay functions. Military personnel across the services receive the same base pay, based on their rank or rate and time-in-service. Ranks and rates are named differently in different services, but grades are a universal descriptor across the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.thebalance.com/u-s-military-101-3331988&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;branches of the military&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The lowest enlisted rank in the Air Force is the airman basic. That person is in the grade of E-1, and receives the same basic pay as an E-1 in the Army, who has the rank of private. The &amp;amp;#34;E&amp;amp;#34; pay grade indicates the member is enlisted. For officers, the pay grade begins with an &amp;amp;#34;O.&amp;amp;#34; So an ensign in the Navy is an O-1 pay grade, the same grade as a second lieutenant in the Army.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;For warrant officers, the pay grade designation begins with a &amp;amp;#34;W.&amp;amp;#34;\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The higher the number within the pay grade, the higher the salary. So an E-4 earns a bigger salary than an E-1.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Commissioned officers outrank enlisted members and warrant officers. Warrant officers outrank enlisted members. So a\u00A0commissioned officer in the grade of O-1 would outrank an Army sergeant major in the grade of E-9. And a W-2 grade would outrank an E-9, but also would be outranked by an O-1.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.thebalance.com/united-states-military-ranks-and-pay-grades-3357045>