Branch Rank Structure

Marine Corps ranks are grouped into junior enlisted, noncommissioned officers, staff noncommissioned officers, warrant officers, company grade officers, field grade officers, and general officers. The Marine Corps public rank reference identifies enlisted, warrant officer, and officer ranks by associated grade.

Enlisted and NCOs

Grade	Rank	Role
E-1	Private	Entry-level Marine under close supervision.
E-2	Private First Class	Developing Marine trusted with basic team responsibilities.
E-3	Lance Corporal	Experienced junior Marine and common fire-team contributor.
E-4	Corporal	First NCO grade; expected to lead small teams and enforce standards.
E-5	Sergeant	NCO leader commonly responsible for squads, crews, or functional sections.
E-6	Staff Sergeant	Staff NCO responsible for platoon-level supervision, technical execution, and training.
E-7	Gunnery Sergeant	Senior technical and tactical advisor at platoon/company level.
E-8	Master Sergeant	Senior technical expert responsible for MOS mastery, staff execution, and section-level supervision.
E-8	First Sergeant	Company-level senior enlisted leader responsible for discipline, standards, welfare, and readiness.
E-9	Master Gunnery Sergeant	Senior occupational expert and command-level technical advisor.
E-9	Sergeant Major	Senior enlisted advisor responsible for command climate, discipline, standards, and enlisted development.

Officers

Grade	Rank	Role
O-1	Second Lieutenant	Entry-level commissioned officer and platoon leader.
O-2	First Lieutenant	Company-grade officer with increased billet responsibility.
O-3	Captain	Company commander, staff officer, or aviation/ground billet leader.
O-4	Major	Field-grade officer responsible for staff planning, operations, and company/battalion-level integration.
O-5	Lieutenant Colonel	Battalion commander or senior staff officer directing mission execution across a major formation.
O-6	Colonel	Regiment, group, or major staff commander responsible for operational direction and command readiness.
O-7	Brigadier General	General officer leading major commands, expeditionary elements, or institutional-level staff missions.
O-8	Major General	Senior commander responsible for division, wing, or large-scale operational command authority.
O-9	Lieutenant General	Three-star commander directing service-level, joint, or theater-scale formations and missions.
O-10	General	Four-star commander representing the highest level of Marine Corps command authority.

The Navy uses rates and ratings for enlisted Sailors. For corpsmen attached to Marine units, the rank/rate appears as HM3, HM2, HM1, Chief, and above, while the Hospital Corpsman rating identifies the medical specialty. Navy uniform regulations describe grade insignia through sleeve, shoulder, and collar devices.

Enlisted Corpsman Lane

Grade	Rank / Rate	Role
E-1 to E-3	Hospitalman Recruit / Apprentice / Hospitalman	Junior enlisted medical personnel building rating proficiency.
E-4	Hospital Corpsman Third Class / HM3	Petty Officer Third Class; junior NCO-equivalent medical leader.
E-5	Hospital Corpsman Second Class / HM2	Petty Officer Second Class; section-level and field medical leadership.
E-6	Hospital Corpsman First Class / HM1	Senior petty officer and experienced medical section supervisor.
E-7	Chief Petty Officer	Chief; senior enlisted deckplate leader and technical advisor.
E-8	Senior Chief Petty Officer	Senior enlisted leader with broader department responsibility.
E-9	Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy / MCPON	The Navy's senior enlisted advisor; represents enlisted force standards, discipline, and readiness at the highest level.

Navy Officers

Grade	Rank	Role
O-1 to O-3	Ensign, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Lieutenant	Junior commissioned officers and department-level leaders.
O-4 to O-6	Lieutenant Commander through Captain	Field-grade equivalent officers, department heads, executive officers, and commanders.
O-7 to O-10	Rear Admiral through Admiral	Flag officers responsible for major commands and fleet-level leadership.

The Air Force rank structure supports the 26th Special Tactics Squadron context on the site. Enlisted Airmen progress from junior Airman grades into NCO, senior NCO, and Chief tiers; commissioned officers progress through company-grade, field-grade, and general-officer levels.

Enlisted

Grade	Rank	Role
E-1 to E-4	Airman Basic through Senior Airman	Junior enlisted Airmen gaining technical proficiency and mission qualification.
E-5	Staff Sergeant	NCO tier; first-line supervisor and technical operator.
E-6	Technical Sergeant	NCO tier; technical section leader and experienced supervisor.
E-7 to E-9	Master Sergeant through Chief Master Sergeant	Senior NCO tier; flight, squadron, group, and command-level enlisted leadership.

Officers

Grade	Rank	Role
O-1 to O-3	Second Lieutenant through Captain	Company-grade officers leading flights, sections, and early staff functions.
O-4 to O-6	Major through Colonel	Field-grade officers responsible for squadron, group, wing, and staff leadership.
O-7 to O-10	Brigadier General through General	General officers commanding major organizations and service-level missions.