| Common Military Ranks | | Land/Air Forces | Naval Forces | | | | | This template attempts to order military ranks an everyday civilian might hear in many countries to aid in understanding which rank precedes which, excluding combinations of names such as Lieutenant Colonel other then Chief Petty Officer. Please feel free to improve it. |
Insignia of a United States Navy Commander Commander is a military rank used in many navies but not generally in armies or air forces. It is below Captain and above Lieutenant-Commander. The rank evolved in the 18th and early 19th centuries and was originally known as Master and Commander. The Royal Navy shortened Master and Commander to Commander in 1814. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...
Marshal (also sometimes spelled marshall in American English, but not in British English) is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. ...
A General is an officer of high military rank. ...
Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...
Major is a military rank denoting an officer of mid-level command status. ...
Please see Captain for other uses of the term Captain is a military rank used in nearly every army and navy of the world. ...
Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ...
A Warrant Officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. ...
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ...
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries, police forces or other uniformed organizations around the world. ...
A private is a military soldier of the lowest military rank (equivalent to Nato Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in). ...
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ...
Commodore is a military rank used in some navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a Captain, but is less than that of a Flag Officer. ...
Please see Captain for other uses of the term Captain is a military rank used in nearly every army and navy of the world. ...
Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ...
Ensign is a junior rank of commissioned officer in the militaries of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. ...
A Warrant Officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. ...
Chief Petty Officer is a noncommissioned officer or equivalent in many navies. ...
A Petty Officer is a noncommissioned officer or equivalent in many navies. ...
For other uses, see Seaman (disambiguation). ...
In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ...
Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...
The multinational Combined Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150) The British Grand Fleet, the supreme naval force of World War I A rare occurrence of a 5-country multinational fleet, during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Oman Sea. ...
Army (from French armée) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force. ...
An air force is a military or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare. ...
This article concerns the rank and title of Captain. ...
In the Royal Navy, United States Navy, Royal Australian Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy, Canadian Forces Maritime Command (formerly the Royal Canadian Navy), United States Coast Guard, and many other navies and coast guards, a lieutenant commander (lieutenant-commander or Lt Cdr in the RN and abbreviated LCDR in the...
A commander in the Royal Navy and the United States Navy is equivalent in rank to a lieutenant-colonel in the army. A commander may command a frigate, destroyer, submarine, aviation squadron or shore installation, or may serve on a staff. A commander who commands a unit may be referred to as "Captain" as a courtesy title. A unit commander may also be informally referred to as "skipper." The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...
USN redirects here. ...
Lieutenant Colonel (Lieutenant-Colonel in British English from the French grades spelling) is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine corps and air forces of the world, typically ranking above a Major and below a Colonel. ...
Frigate is a name which has been used for several distinct types of warships at different times. ...
USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). ...
German UC-1 class World War I submarine A model of Gunter Priens Unterseeboot 47 (U-47), German WWII Type VII diesel-electric hunter-killer (SSK) submarine Inside of the Argonaute, showing the typical obstructed, tiny space of a post-WWII diesel attack submarine. ...
In the highest levels of U.S. military command structure, "commander" refers to what used to be called commander-in-chief, or CINC, until October 24, 2002 (CINC is still used in casual speech). This is usually referred to with the area of which the officer is commander. For instance, General Tommy Franks was CENTCOM commander until July 7, 2003. The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ...
Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ...
October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ...
For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...
General Tommy R. Franks (USCENTCOM photo) Tommy Ray Franks (born June 17, 1945) is a retired General in the United States Army, previously serving as the Commander-in-Chief of United States Central Command, overseeing United States Armed Forces operations in a 25-country region, including the Middle East. ...
Emblem of the United States Central Command. ...
July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ...
2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
In the British Army, the term "commander" is officially applied to the non-commissioned officer in charge of a section (section commander), vehicle (vehicle commander) or gun (gun commander), to the subaltern or captain commanding a platoon (platoon commander), or to the brigadier commanding a brigade (brigade commander). Other officers commanding units are usually referred to as the Officer Commanding (OC), Commanding Officer (CO), General Officer Commanding (GOC), or General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-C), depending on rank and position, although the term "commander" may be applied to them informally. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...
A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ...
A section is an infantry unit in the British Army consisting of eight soldiers, including a Corporal as section commander, a Lance-Corporal as second-in-command, and six privates. ...
A subaltern is a military term for a junior officer. ...
This article concerns the rank and title of Captain. ...
Platoon is a term from military science. ...
Brigadier is a rank which is used in different ways by different countries. ...
Brigade is a term from military science which refers to military echelon under a division, above a regiment where that exists as such, nowadays often a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). ...
The Officer Commanding (OC) is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size) in British and Commonwealth military usage. ...
In military organizations, the commanding officer (CO) is the officer in command of a military unit. ...
General Officer Commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth (and some other) nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. ...
General Officer Commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the British Army to a general officer (of any rank) who commands a formation or other command. ...
"Commander" may sometimes be used by laymen, usually applied to the person who is accountable for and holds authority over a group or the attempts of a group to achieve a common goal. Royal Air Force rank Since the Royal Air Force's middle-ranking officers' designations are modelled after the Royal Navy's, the rank equivalent to Lieutenant-Colonel (Army) or Commander (Navy) is called Wing Commander (ranking between Squadron Leader and Group Captain). test The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...
The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...
A Wing Commanders sleeve/shoulder insignia A Wing Commanders command flag Wing Commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ...
A Squadron Leaders sleeve/shoulder insignia Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in some air forces. ...
A Group Captains sleeve/shoulder insignia A Group Captains command flag Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ...
Royal Naval Air Service In the Royal Naval Air Service, which amalgamated with the Royal Flying Corps to form the RAF in 1918, pilots held appointments as well as their normal Royal Navy ranks, and wore insignia appropriate to the appointment instead of the rank. Flight Commander wore a star above a Lieutenant's two rank stripes, Squadron Commander wore two stars above two rank stripes (less than eight years' seniority) or two-and-a-half rank stripes (over eight years seniority), and Wing Commander wore three rank stripes. The rank stripes had the usual Royal Navy curl, and were surmounted by an eagle. Personnel of No 1 Squadron RNAS in late 1914 The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of World War I, when it merged with the British Armys Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to form the Royal Air Force. ...
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ...
1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...
US Air Force duty titles Duty titles of many commanding officers in the United States Air Force are similar to ranks in the RAF. These duty titles are not ranks, but these titles convey relative power and importance nonetheless. The RAF ranks should not be confused with the titles of the following USAF duty positions: Squadron Commander, Group Commander, and Wing Commander - listed in ascending order. A Squadron Commander is typically a Major or Lieutenant Colonel, a Group Commander is typically a Colonel, and a Wing Commander is typically a senior Colonel or a Brigadier General. The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerospace branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ...
Major is a military rank denoting an officer of mid-level command status. ...
In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ...
Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...
Wing is a term used by different air forces for a unit of command. ...
A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...
British police rank Commander is also a senior police rank in the two London police forces, the City of London Police, and the Metropolitan Police Service. It is senior to Chief Superintendent in both forces and junior to Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police and Assistant Commissioner in the City of London Police. It equates to Assistant Chief Constable in other forces. The Metropolitan Police introduced the rank in 1946, when they split the rank of Deputy Assistant Commissioner (with senior DACs keeping that rank title and junior DACs being regraded as Commanders). The Metropolitan Police also had a rank of Deputy Commander, ranking just below Commander, between 1946 and 1968. In addition, officers in charge of policing each of London's boroughs are given the title of "Borough Commander", although they hold the rank of Chief Superintendent, not Commander. London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ...
City Police Mounted Section officer The City of London Police is the Home Office police force responsible for the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temple. ...
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is the Home Office police force responsible for Greater London, with the exception of the square mile of the City of London. ...
Chief Superintendent (Ch Supt/CSP; colloquially Chief Super) is a senior rank in the Police Forces. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
There are normally between one and four assistant chief constables in British police forces, depending upon force size and whether or not civilians have been appointed at chief officer level. ...
1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...
Deputy Commander was a rank in the London Metropolitan Police which existed between 1946 and 1968. ...
1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...
The administrative area of Greater London contains 32 London Boroughs, of which 12 (plus the City of London) make up Inner London and 20 Outer London. ...
Chief Superintendent (Ch Supt/CSP; colloquially Chief Super) is a senior rank in the Police Forces. ...
American police rank The San Francisco police department is one of the few American police departments which use this rank. A Commander in the SFPD is equivalent to an Inspector in other US departments (such as the NYPD); the SFPD rank was originally called Inspector as well, but was changed to Commander after senior officers voiced a preference for the more military-sounding rank. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...
Inspector is a rank in many police forces. ...
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ...
The Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC) also uses the rank of Commander. The rank falls between those of Inspector and Assistant Chief. Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United...
MPDC Chief Charles Ramsey with his staff The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, also known as the D.C. Police, or MPDC, is the municipal police force for Washington, DC. Headed by a Chief of Police it was formed in 1861 in accordance with the personal wishes...
Commander is also used as a title in certain circumstances, such as the Commander of a squad of Detectives, who would usually be of the rank of Lieutenant.
Military and Chivalric Orders The title of Commander is used in the Military Orders, such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, for a member senior to a Knight. The title of Knight Commander is often used to denote an even higher rank. These conventions are also used by most of the continental orders of chivalry. The United Kingdom uses different classifications. The Knights Hospitaller (also known as Knights of Rhodes, Knights of Malta, Cavaliers of Malta, and the Order of St. ...
The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ...
In most of the British Orders of Knighthood, the grade of Knight (or Dame) Commander is the lowest grade of knighthood, but is above the grade of Companion (which does not carry a knighthood). In the Royal Victorian Order and the Order of the British Empire, the grade of Commander is senior to the grade of Lieutenant or Officer respectively, but junior to that of Knight or Dame Commander. In the British Order of St. John, a Commander ranks below a Knight. (However, Knights of the Order of St. John are not called "Sir.") Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ...
Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are...
This page deals with the order after its revival in the 19th century. ...
In fiction - The fictional James Bond holds the rank of Commander in the Royal Navy.
- The fictional Horatio Hornblower holds the rank of Commander in Hornblower and the Hotspur.
- In Star Trek, Spock, William T. Riker, Deanna Troi, Beverly Crusher, Benjamin Sisko (at the start of the DS9 series), and many secondary characters have held the rank of Commander in Starfleet. Although Geordi LaForge, Data, Worf and Chakotay were Lieutenant Commanders, they were usually addressed as "Commander" in accordance with naval tradition.
- The titles of book Master and Commander and subsequent Hollywood film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World refer to the original name for the rank, although Jack Aubrey actually holds the rank of Captain in the film and most of the novels.
- In the Star Wars films, the rank of Commander is commonly used among the Imperial Navy and the Rebel Alliance. Luke Skywalker is promoted to Commander after destroying the Death Star.
- In Stargate SG-1, Thor is the Supreme Command of the Asgard Fleet.
- The fictional Honor Harrington holds the rank of Commander in the first book written about her by David Weber (at the end of the first book she is promoted to Captain of the List).
- In the fictional Battlestar Galactica universe, which uses a unique rank scheme with a mix of army and naval ranks, Commander is senior to Colonel and junior to Admiral in the Military Forces of the Twelve Colonies. Adama is the most prominent example in the original (in the remake, the character William Adama originally held the rank of Commander, but was later promoted to Admiral; his son Lee currently holds the rank). As used in the Galactica universe, the rank appears to be equivalent to Commodore or Rear Admiral (lower half), since a battlestar is typically the head of a fleet of many other vessels.
- In the real-time strategy game Total Annihilation, the Commander is the starting unit, responsible for primary construction projects.
- In the game World of Warcraft, Commander is a PvP rank of the Alliance, giving access to cheaper "epic" mounts usable in game. The corresponding Horde rank is Lieutenant-General
- In the Halo video game series, the rank of Commander is a common rank in the United Nations Space Command, which seems to follow the current ranking structure of the United States Navy.
- In Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, Sir Samuel Vimes has the rank of Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. This is the most senior police rank, equivalent to London's Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.
- In the detective novels by P. D. James, Adam Dalgliesh holds the Metropolitan Police rank of Commander.
- In the Shadow Government of StreetWars, the rank of commander is the top rank possible, with the Supreme Commander and the Mustache Commander residing at the top.
The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond, also known as 007 (pronounced double-oh seven), is a fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. ...
The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...
Horatio Hornblower is a fictional officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, originally the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester, and later the subject of films and television programs. ...
Star Trek is an American science-fiction franchise spanning six television series, ten feature films, hundreds of novels, computer and video games, and other fan stories. ...
Spock, commonly called Mr. ...
For the political scientist, see William H. Riker. ...
Deanna Troi is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe, played by the actress Marina Sirtis in the series Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise (the latter two only in guest appearances), and in several Star Trek films. ...
Beverly Crusher, a character in the Star Trek fictional universe, was the Chief Medical Officer onboard the USS Enterprise-D and held the rank of Commander; upon the destruction of that ship, she has continued in that post and rank on the USS Enterprise-E. This character first appeared in...
Captain Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is a Starfleet officer and the main character of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ...
Starfleet Command In the Star Trek fictional universe, Starfleet is the paramilitary defense, research, diplomacy, and exploration force of the United Federation of Planets (UFP) with â as of the late 24th century â hundreds of starships and starbases at its disposal. ...
LeVar Burton as Geordi LaForge Geordi La Forge, a character in the Star Trek fictional universe, holds the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and is the Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise-D and later the USS Enterprise-E, both under captain Jean-Luc Picard. ...
Data, portrayed by Brent Spiner, is a character in the Star Trek fictional universe. ...
Worf (Klingon: worIv) is a Klingon Starfleet officer in the Star Trek fictional universe. ...
Chakotay (born 2326) is a fictional character of the Star Trek universe, played by Robert Beltran, and was the second-in-command of the USS Voyager, to Kathryn Janeway in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. ...
The AubreyâMaturin series, also known as the Aubreyad, is a sequence of 20 historical novels by Patrick OBrian, set during the Napoleonic Wars and centering on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his ships surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also a physician...
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, with Paul Bettany as Stephen Maturin. ...
The cover of the 2004 DVD widescreen release of the revamped original Star Wars Trilogy. ...
Executor and several escorting Star Destroyers In the fictional Star Wars galaxy, the Imperial Navy, also referred to as the Imperial Starfleet, was the military arm of the Galactic Empire charged with maintaining security and order in Imperial space. ...
The Starbird, symbol of the Rebel Alliance In the fictional Star Wars universe, the Rebel Alliance, or more formally, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, was an interstellar political resistance force formed in direct military opposition to the Galactic Empire. ...
Luke Skywalker (born 19 BBY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, portrayed by Mark Hamill. ...
The Death Star was an enormous military battle station in the fictional Star Wars universe. ...
Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is an American science fiction television series based upon the 1994 science fiction film Stargate. ...
Thor is a recurring character in the Stargate SG-1 science fiction TV series. ...
In the science fiction series Stargate SG-1, the Asgard are a benevolent, highly advanced and evolved race from another galaxy, called Ida, who have visited Earth on many occasions, giving rise to the Norse legends. ...
Honor Harrington is a fictional character, the eponymous heroine of a series of science fiction books set in the Honorverse, written by David Weber and published by Baen Books. ...
Honor Harrington from Honor Among Ememies cover, by David Mattingly. ...
Title card from the original Battlestar Galactica series Battlestar Galactica is a franchise of American science fiction films and television series, the first of which was produced in 1978. ...
The Twelve Colonies of Man was the main human civilization in the original 1978 science fiction film and television series Battlestar Galactica and the subsequent 2003 miniseries and 2004 series remake. ...
Commander Adama redirects here. ...
This article is about the character from the reimagined version of Battlestar Galactica. ...
Commander Lee Apollo Adama is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica. ...
Commodore is a military rank used in some navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a Captain, but is less than that of a Flag Officer. ...
The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ...
Battlestars are capital ships from the science fiction universe of Battlestar Galactica, depicted in the original Battlestar Galactica movie and series, the Galactica 1980 spinoff, and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series. ...
Total Annihilation (TA) is a futuristic real-time strategy (RTS) videogame, created in 1997 by Chris Taylor and Cavedog Entertainment. ...
World of Warcraft (commonly abbreviated to WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Blizzard Entertainment. ...
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ...
Halo 2 Promo Screen The Halo series is a series of first-person shooter video games developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft. ...
The United Nations Space Command (more commonly known by its abbreviation, UNSC) is a fictional international organization and interplanetary military alliance in the Halo universe. ...
USN redirects here. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Diskworld, spelled with a k, was a disk magazine for the Apple Macintosh, later renamed Softdisk for Mac. ...
Sam Vimes is a fictional policeman from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ...
Coat of arms of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. ...
London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ...
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (usually just referred to as the Metropolitan Police Commissioner or, more colloquially, as the Met Commissioner) is the head of the Metropolitan Police Service in London. ...
Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park OBE (born 3 August 1920) is an English writer of crime fiction and member of the House of Lords, who writes as P. D. James. ...
Adam Dalgliesh is the brainchild of author P.D. James. ...
StreetWars is a three week long water gun assassination tournament that travels to cities around the world. ...
Mustache Commander Mustache Commander, High Priest of the Shadow Government, along with Supreme Commander, forms the two headed beast that leads the Shadow Government and StreetWars tournaments. ...
See also |