Australian Defence Force ranks
Appearance
The Australian Defence Force's (ADF) ranks of officers and enlisted personnel in each of its three service branches of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Army, and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) inherited their rank structures from their British counterparts. The insignia used to identify these ranks are also generally similar to those used in the British Armed Forces.
The following tables show the "equivalent rank and classifications" for the three services, as defined in the ADF Pay and Conditions Manual.[1] "Equivalent rank" means the corresponding rank set out under Regulation 8 of the Defence Force Regulations 1952.[2]
Commissioned officer ranks
NATO Code |
Aus/US Code |
Navy | Army | RAAF |
---|---|---|---|---|
Flag/General/Air Officers[1][3] | ||||
OF-10 | O-11[a] | Admiral of the fleet | Field marshal | Marshal of the RAAF |
OF-9 | O-10[b] | Admiral | General | Air chief marshal |
OF-8 | O-9[c] | Vice admiral | Lieutenant general | Air marshal |
OF-7 | O-8 | Rear admiral | Major general | Air vice marshal |
OF-6 | O-7[d] | — | — | Air commodore |
Senior officers | ||||
OF-6 | O-7[d] | Commodore | Brigadier | — |
OF-5 | O-6[d] | Captain (RAN) | Colonel | Group captain |
OF-4 | O-5[d] | Commander | Lieutenant colonel | Wing commander |
OF-3 | O-4[d] | Lieutenant commander | Major | Squadron leader |
Junior officers | ||||
OF-2 | O-3[d] | Lieutenant | Captain (Army) | Flight lieutenant |
OF-1 | O-2 | Sub lieutenant | Lieutenant | Flying officer |
OF-1 | O-1 | Acting sub lieutenant | Second lieutenant | Pilot officer |
Cadets | ||||
— | — | Midshipman | Officer cadet | Officer cadet |
Warrant officer ranks
NATO Code |
Aus/US Code |
Navy | Army | RAAF |
---|---|---|---|---|
Warrant officers | ||||
OR-9 | E-9 | Warrant officer | Warrant officer | Warrant officer |
Warrant officer class 1 | ||||
OR-8 | E-8 | — | Warrant officer class 2 | — |
- Note that the most senior warrant officer in each of the three services is appointed either Warrant Officer of the Navy (WO-N), Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (RSM-A), or Warrant Officer of the Air Force (WOFF-AF), as appropriate. These are appointments, not ranks; these three people hold the rank of Warrant Officer in their respective services. However, they each wear special insignia, different from the rank insignia worn by other warrant officers. Although the RAN and the RAAF have the one warrant officer rank, the army has three. The soldier appointed Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (RSM-A) holds the unique Army rank of warrant officer (introduced in 1991 and senior to WO1). The Army rank of WO2 is the same pay grade as the RAN and the RAAF's most senior NCOs, (i.e. chief petty officer and flight sergeant).[1]
Non-commissioned officer ranks
NATO Code |
Aus/US Code |
Navy | Army | RAAF |
---|---|---|---|---|
Senior non-commissioned officers | ||||
OR-8 | E-8 | Chief petty officer | — | Flight sergeant |
OR-7 | E-7 | — | Staff sergeant[1][e] | — |
OR-6 | E-6 | Petty officer | Sergeant | Sergeant |
Junior non-commissioned officers | ||||
OR-4 | E-5 | Leading seaman | Corporal/bombardier | Corporal |
OR-3 | E-4 | — | Lance corporal/ Lance bombardier |
— |
Other ranks
NATO Code |
Aus/US Code |
Navy | Army | RAAF |
---|---|---|---|---|
Enlisted | ||||
OR-3 | E-3 | Able seaman | Private proficient[1][f] | Leading aircraftman/woman |
OR-2 | E-2 | Seaman | Private | Aircraftman/woman |
Insignia
See also
- Royal Australian Navy ranks and uniforms
- Australian Army officer rank insignia
- Australian Army enlisted rank insignia
- Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) rank insignia
References and notes
Notes
- ^ O-11 ranks - admiral of the fleet, field marshal and marshal of the RAAF - may only be used in wartime and for honorary appointments.
- ^ O-10 ranks - The Chief of the Defence Force is the sole O-10 ranked appointment.
- ^ O-9 ranks - The Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Chief of Joint Operations, Chief of the Capability Development Executive and Chiefs of the Navy, Army and Air Force comprise the six O-9 ranked appointments.
- ^ Chaplains:
- O-3 ranks - Chaplains are commissioned officers without rank, however they are accorded the rank of Captain (O-3) for reasons of protocol, ceremonial occasions and for saluting purposes.
- O-4/5 ranks - The more senior division 2 and 3 chaplains are accorded the rank of Major (O-4) and Lieutenant Colonel (O-5), respectively.
- O-6 ranks - The three Principal Chaplains representing the three major Christian denominations: Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant, are equivalent to a Colonel (O-6).
- O-7 ranks - The heads of the various churches and religions officially associated to the ADF's Religious Advisory Committee, such as the Anglican and Catholic Bishops of the Military, are equivalent to a Brigadier (O-7).
- ^ Without prejudice to existing holders of the rank, the Army has ceased to promote soldiers to the rank of staff sergeant.[citation needed]
- ^ "Private proficient" (PTE(P)) is not a separate formal ADF rank and does not 'outrank' private; it is a salary proficiency point (pay grade) which is "automatically" granted after 12 months service as a private. The same holds with seaman being re-classified as able seaman, and aircraftman/woman being re-classified leading aircraftman/woman after 12 months; the requirements are the same for all three services. Thus, able seaman and leading aircraftman/woman do not outrank private, seaman or aircraftman/woman.
The relevant regulations are:- Navy - ABR 10 Chapter 5 Para 5.11
- Army - PACMAN Vol 2, Chap 3, Part 2, Division 3, Para 3.2.30(1.)
- Airforce - Defence Instruction (Airforce) Personnel 5-4, Para 5.4
References
- ^ a b c d e "ADF Pay and Conditions Manual (PACMAN)". People Strategies and Policy (AL13 ed.). Department of Defence, Australian Government. November 2009. p. 1.
- ^ Defence Force Regulations 1952.
- ^ Badges of Rank and Special Insignia. Commonwealth of Australia - Department of Defence. September 2003. pp. 2–3.
- ^ a b c d e f "Badges of rank" (PDF). defence.gov.au. Department of Defence (Australia). Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "Ranks | Air Force". airforce.gov.au. Royal Australian Air Force. Archived from the original on 25 Oct 2023. Retrieved 10 Nov 2023.