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Updated November 30, 2020
Defense Primer: Military Officers
Grade and Rank
Company-grade or junior-grade officers (pay grades O-1
The armed forces are hierarchical organizations with clearly
to O-3) typically lead units with several dozen to several
defined levels of authority. The different levels for officers
hundred personnel, or serve as junior staff officers. They
are defined in law and called grades, while rank refers to
make up about 56% of the officer corps.
the order of precedence among those in different grades and
Field-grade or mid-grade officers (pay grades O-4 to O-6)
within the same grade (e.g., someone who has been a Major
typically lead units with several hundred to several
for three years outranks someone who has been a Major for
thousand personnel, or serve as senior staff officers. They
two years; see 10 U.S.C. §741). However, it is common for
make up about 36% of the officer corps. There are statutory
the term rank to be used as a synonym for grade. Pay grade
limits on the number of officers in these grades (10 U.S.C.
is an administrative classification that determines certain
§523).
rates of pay, but it is sometimes used to indicate grade as
well. For example, a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy
General or flag officers (pay grades O-7 to O-10) may
may be referred to as an O-4. See Figure 1.
lead units or organizations with several thousand to
hundreds of thousands of personnel or serve as staff for the
Numbers and Roles
largest military organizations. General and flag officers
Officers make up about 18% of the armed forces, with
make up just under 0.4% of the officer corps. There are
enlisted personnel making up the other 82%. Officers
statutory limits on the number of officers in these grades
outrank all enlisted personnel. Table 1 below lists the
(10 U.S.C. §525-526a).
number of active duty officers in each pay grade.
Insignia
Warrant officers (pay grades W-1 to W-5) perform highly
As shown in Figure 1, each officer grade in the armed
technical or specialized work within their career field and
forces has distinctive insignia, typically worn on the sleeve,
also, in the case of the Army, serve as helicopter pilots.
shoulder, collar, and/or headgear (caps, berets, etc.).
Warrant officers constitute about 8% of the officer corps.
Table 1. Active Duty Military Officers by Pay Grade (as of September 30, 2020)
Services
Pay Grade
Total
Army
Navy
Marine Corps
Air Force
O-10
17
9
3
16
45
O-9
47
38
17
51
153
O-8
93
64
31
93
281
O-7
138
106
38
135
417
O-6
4,002
3,293
659
3,292
11,246
O-5
9,029
6,771
1,949
9,820
27,569
O-4
16,057
10,691
4,009
14,309
45,066
O-3
27,144
18,783
5,917
20,758
72,602
O-2
12,264
6,865
3,867
8,415
31,411
O-1
9,850
7,150
2,789
7,356
27,145
W-5
551
87
111
0
749
W-4
1,949
405
303
0
2,657
W-3
3,640
758
577
0
4,975
W-2
5,527
631
920
0
7,078
W-1
2,674
8
260
0
2,942
Total
92,982
55,659
21,450
64,245
234,336
Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Defense Primer: Military Officers
Figure 1. Pay Grade, Grade, and Insignia of Officers
Source: CRS adaption of Department of Defense web page: https://dod.defense.gov/About/Insignias/Officers/.
Relevant Statutes
Other Resources
10 U.S.C. §§101(b), 523, 525-526a, 741, 742.
Department of Defense Instruction 1310.01, Rank and
Seniority of Commissioned Officers, August 23, 2013.
CRS Products
Lawrence Kapp, Specialist in Military Manpower Policy
CRS Report R44496, Military Officer Personnel Management: Key
Concepts and Statutory Provisions, by Lawrence Kapp
IF10685
CRS Report R44389, General and Flag Officers in the U.S. Armed
Forces: Background and Considerations for Congress, by Lawrence
Kapp
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Defense Primer: Military Officers
Disclaimer
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