Reviewed by Jonathan Teplitsky · Updated July 2026
Army ranks in order (lowest to highest)
The Army has 25 ranks across three tracks: enlisted (E-1–E-9), warrant officer (W-1–W-5), and commissioned officer (O-1–O-10). Pay grade — not the rank title — is what actually determines base pay; rank titles exist for command structure and tradition.
Enlisted ranks (E-1–E-9)
| Grade | Rank | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| E-1 | Private | PVT |
| E-2 | Private | PV2 |
| E-3 | Private First Class | PFC |
| E-4 | Corporal / Specialist | CPL / SPC |
| E-5 | Sergeant | SGT |
| E-6 | Staff Sergeant | SSG |
| E-7 | Sergeant First Class | SFC |
| E-8 | Master Sergeant / First Sergeant | MSG / 1SG |
| E-9 | Sergeant Major / Command Sergeant Major | SGM / CSM |
E-4 splits into two titles at the same pay grade: Corporal is the first non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank and carries leadership responsibility, while Specialist is a non-supervisory technical track. E-8 and E-9 also split by duty position — Master Sergeant and First Sergeant hold different jobs at the same E-8 grade, and the senior-most Sergeant Major of the Army is the single soldier holding that title Army-wide.
Warrant officer ranks (W-1–W-5)
| Grade | Rank | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| W-1 | Warrant Officer 1 | WO1 |
| W-2 | Chief Warrant Officer 2 | CW2 |
| W-3 | Chief Warrant Officer 3 | CW3 |
| W-4 | Chief Warrant Officer 4 | CW4 |
| W-5 | Chief Warrant Officer 5 | CW5 |
Warrant officers are technical specialists — most commonly Army aviators, but also cyber, maintenance, and intelligence experts — who sit between enlisted and commissioned ranks. They don't compete for general officer command positions the way commissioned officers do; instead, they build deep expertise in a single technical field over a full career.
Commissioned officer ranks (O-1–O-10)
| Grade | Rank | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| O-1 | Second Lieutenant | 2LT |
| O-2 | First Lieutenant | 1LT |
| O-3 | Captain | CPT |
| O-4 | Major | MAJ |
| O-5 | Lieutenant Colonel | LTC |
| O-6 | Colonel | COL |
| O-7 | Brigadier General | BG |
| O-8 | Major General | MG |
| O-9 | Lieutenant General | LTG |
| O-10 | General | GEN |
Four-star General (O-10) is the highest rank normally held. The five-star General of the Army is a wartime-only rank Congress has reserved for a handful of World War II commanders and has not been used since — it isn't part of the Army's standing peacetime rank structure.
How rank ties to pay
Rank titles carry tradition and command authority, but pay grade plus years of service is what sets your monthly base pay. A Corporal and a Specialist, both E-4, earn identically at the same time in service. See the Army pay chart for exact base pay by grade and years of service, or run your own numbers with the Army pay calculator.
Other branch rank charts
See how the Army's rank structure compares to the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard.
Sources
Army.mil — Ranks and Insignia.
Frequently asked questions about Army ranks
What are all the Army ranks in order? Private through General across enlisted, warrant, and officer tracks — see the full tables above.
What is the highest Army rank? General (O-10), four stars. General of the Army (5 stars) is wartime-only and unused since WWII.
Corporal vs Specialist? Same pay grade (E-4); Corporal carries NCO leadership authority, Specialist is a non-supervisory technical track.
What is a warrant officer? A technical specialist rank (WO1–CW5) between enlisted and commissioned officer, common among Army aviators.