Updated November 23, 2022
Defense Primer: Military Officers
Grade and Rank Company-grade or junior-grade officers (pay grades O-1
The Armed Forces are hierarchical organizations with to O-3) typically lead units with several dozen to several
clearly defined levels of authority. The different levels for hundred personnel, or serve as junior staff officers. They
officers are defined in law and called grades, while rank make up about 56% of the officer corps.
refers to the order of precedence among those in different Field-grade or mid-grade officers (pay grades O-4 to O-6)
grades and within the same grade (e.g., someone who has typically lead units with several hundred to several
been a Major for three years outranks someone who has thousand personnel, or serve as senior staff officers. They
been a Major for two years; see 10 U.S.C. §741). However, make up about 36% of the officer corps. The number of
it is common for the term rank to be used as a synonym for officers in these grades is limited by law (10 U.S.C. §523).
grade. Pay grade is an administrative classification that General or flag officers (pay grades O-7 to O-10) may
determines certain rates of pay, but it is sometimes used to lead units or organizations with several thousand to
indicate grade as well. For example, a Lieutenant hundreds of thousands of personnel or serve as staff for the
Commander in the Navy may be referred to as an O-4. See largest military organizations. General and flag officers
Figure 1. make up just under 0.4% of the officer corps. The number
Numbers and Roles of officers in these grades is limited by law (10 U.S.C.
Officers make up about 18% of the Armed Forces, with §§525-526a).
enlisted personnel making up the other 82%. Officers Insignia
outrank all enlisted personnel. Table 1 below lists the As shown in Figure 1, each officer grade in the Armed
number of active duty officers in each pay grade. Forces has distinctive insignia, typically worn on the sleeve,
Warrant officers (pay grades W-1 to W-5) perform highly shoulder, collar, and/or headgear (caps, berets, etc.).
technical or specialized work within their career field and
also, in the case of the Army, serve as helicopter pilots.
Warrant officers constitute about 8% of the officer corps.
Table 1. Active Duty Military Officers by Pay Grade (as of September 30, 2022)
Services
Pay Grade Total
Air Force/Space
Army Navy Marine Corps Force
O-10 16 10 3 12 41
O-9 46 34 17 55 152
O-8 108 68 29 81 286
O-7 118 104 36 126 384
O-6 3,767 3,265 655 3,423 11,110
O-5 8,902 6,760 1,950 9,917 27,529
O-4 16,131 10,837 4,011 14,685 45,664
O-3 27,212 18,895 5,826 21,847 73,780
O-2 12,209 7,324 3,861 8,005 31,399
O-1 10,111 7,241 2,886 6,790 27,028
W-5 571 85 110 0 766
W-4 1,848 479 301 0 2,628
W-3 3,339 747 652 0 4,738
W-2 5,940 680 950 0 7,570
W-1 3,343 20 204 0 3,567
Total 93,661 56,549 21,491 64,941 236,642
Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center.
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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/
Resources
10 U.S.C. §§101(b), 523, 525-526a, 741, 742.
Resources (continued)
Department of Defense Instruction 1310.01, Rank and
Seniority of Commissioned Officers, August 23, 2013. CRS Report R44389, General and Flag Officers in the U.S. Armed
Forces: Background and Considerations for Congress, by Lawrence
CRS Report R44496, Military Officer Personnel Management: Key
Kapp
Concepts and Statutory Provisions, by Lawrence Kapp
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Defense Primer: Military Officers
IF10685
Lawrence Kapp, Specialist in Military Personnel Policy
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
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