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Military ranks of Switzerland

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Swiss army ranks have changed little over the centuries, except for the introduction, in 2001, of a new set of warrant officers. The rank of Fourier, for instance, bestowed on the WO who administers a company's finances and subsistence, has been discontinued in the French army, but remains in Switzerland. In the tables below, NATO codes are used for comparison purposes only. Switzerland is not a member of NATO, and the rank structure in the senior officer region can be seen to diverge significantly from other armies'.

Insignia

The rank insignia for all personnel are worn on shoulder boards with the appropriate background colour (see below). Shoulder boards of Senior Staff Officers are always black. Designations are given in the army's three official languages, with an English translation which is used during overseas missions.

Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces

NATO rank code OF-9
Designation
(with abbreviation)

English 		General (Gen)
Général (gén)
Generale (gen)
General (Gen)
Insignia

The Rank of General is only assigned during time of war. If needed, the general is elected by the Federal Assembly and is the commander of the whole army and air force; however, he is subordinate to the Federal Council. Generals were appointed during the Franco-Prussian War (Hans Herzog), First World War (Ulrich Wille) and Second World War (Henri Guisan), although Switzerland did not take part in any of these conflicts. All senior officers used to hold variations on the rank of Colonel (there were "Brigade Colonels", for instance).

Senior Staff Officers

NATO rank code OF-6 OF-7 OF-8
Designation
(with abbreviation)

English 		Brigadier (Br)
Brigadier (br)
Brigadiere (br)
Brigadier General (Brig Gen) 		Divisionär (Div)
Divisionnaire (div)
Divisionario (div)
Major General (Maj Gen) 		Korpskommandant (KKdt)
Commandant de corps (cdt C)
Comandante di corpo (cdt C)
Lieutenant General (Lt Gen)
Insignia File:CH Br.gif File:CH Div.gif File:CH KKdt.gif

Staff Officers

NATO rank code OF-2/3 OF-3 OF-4 OF-5
Designation
(with abbreviation)

English 		Fachoffizier
Officier spécialiste (of spéc)
Ufficiale specialista
Specialist Officer 		Major (Maj)
Major (maj)
Maggiore (magg)
Major (Maj) 		Oberstleutnant (Oberstlt)
Lieutenant-colonel (lt col)
Tenete colonnello (ten col)
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC/Lt Col) 		Oberst (Oberst)
Colonel (col)
Colonnello (col)
Colonel (Col)
Insignia File:CH Fachof.gif File:CH Maj.gif File:CH Oberstlt.gif File:CH Oberst.gif

Captains

NATO rank code OF-2
Designation
(with abbreviation)

English 		Hauptmann (Hptm)
Capitaine (cap)
Capitano (cap)
Captain (Capt)
Insignia File:CH Hptm.gif

Subaltern Officers

NATO rank code OF-1
Designation
(with abbreviation)

English 		Leutnant (Lt)
Lieutenant (lt)
Tenente (ten)
Second Lieutenant (2 Lt) 		Oberleutnant (Oblt)
Premier-lieutenant (plt)
Primo tenente (1 ten)
First Lieutenant (1 Lt/LFC)
Insignia File:CH Lt.gif File:CH ObLt.gif

Senior NCOs

NATO rank code OR-7 OR-8 OR-9
Designation
(with abbreviation)

English 		Feldweibel (Fw)
Sergent-major (sgtm)
Sergente maggiore (sgtm)
Sergeant major (SGM/Sgt Maj) 		Fourier (Four)
Fourrier (four)
Furiere (four)
Quartermaster Sergeant (QMS) 		Hauptfeldweibel (Hptfw)
Sergent-major chef (sgtm chef)
Sergente maggiore capo (sgtm capo)
Chief sergeant major (CSM) 		Adjutant (Adj)
Adjudant (adj)
Aiutante (aiut)
Warrant Officer (WO) 		Stabsadjutant (Stabsadj)
Adjudant d'état-major (adj EM)
Aiutante di stato maggiore (aiut SM)
Staff Warrant Officer (SWO) 		Hauptadjutant (Hptadj)
Adjudant-major (adjm)
Aiutante maggiore (aiut magg)
Master Warrant Officer (MWO) 		Chefadjutant (Chefadj)
Adjudant-chef (adj chef)
Aiutante capo (aiut capo)
Chief Warrant Officer (CWO)
Insignia File:CH Fw.gif File:CH HptFw.gif File:CH Stabsadj.gif File:CH HptAdj.gif

NCOs

NATO rank code OR-4 OR-6
Designation
(with abbreviation)

English 		Korporal (Kpl)
Caporal (cpl)
Caporale (cpl)
Corporal (Cpl) 		Wachtmeister (Wm)
Sergent (sgt)
Sergente (sgt)
Sergeant (Sgt) 		Oberwachtmeister (Obwm)
Sergent chef (sgt chef)
Sergente capo (sgt capo)
Sergeant First Class (SFC)
Insignia File:CH Kpl.gif File:CH Wm.gif File:CH ObWm.gif

Privates

NATO rank code OR-2 OR-3
Designation
(with abbreviation)

English 		Soldat (Sdt)
Soldat (sdt)
Soldato (sdt)
Private/Private E-1 (Pte) 		Gefreiter (Gfr)
Appointé (app)
Appuntato (app)
Private/Private E-2 (Pte) 		Obergefreiter (Obgfr)
Appointé-chef (app chef)
Appuntato capo (app capo)
Private First Class (PFC)
Insignia File:CH Sdt.gif

Recruits of all services do not wear any rank insignia. Once recruit school is finished, privates wear one.

The rank of Obergefreiter was introduced after a long debate on 1 January 2004. They are specialists, who take over tasks of responsibility or hold the position of a group commander. If the Obergefreiter has a commanding role, they count among the NCOs, otherwise they are enlisted personnel. A soldier may be promoted to Obergefreiter after attending the NCO course at the Swiss Army's Recruit School, during which time they are also called Anwärter. Upon very good conduct, a Gefreiter may also be promoted to Obergefreiter at a "repetition course". This promotion is not linked to extended duty (service time).

Shoulder board colour

  • General officers and Senior staff officers, General Staff officers, engineer units, intelligence personnel members of the Armed Forces, Pastoral Care Service, Readiness Service, Sports Service: black
  • Infantry: dark green
  • Armoured Corps: yellow
  • Artillery: red
  • Air Force: blue
  • Signal and command support corps: silver grey
  • Medical corps; Red Cross service: light blue
  • Rescue corps: dark red
  • Logistic corps: purple
  • Territorial service: orange
  • Military security: dark grey
  • NBC defence corps: gold/olive
  • Armed Forces Legal Service: violet
  • Peace Support Operation: azure

External links

  • Description of ranks with illustrations and quadrilingual designations
  • "Rank insignia" (pdf). Insignia of the Swiss Armed Forces. p. 31. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
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